The International Literacy Association Honors Tanya Wright of Michigan State University

Tanya Wright, an associate professor of language and literacy at Michigan State University, was selected to receive the Jerry Johns Outstanding Teacher Educator in Reading Award from the International Literacy Association. The award recognizes a teacher in higher education who exemplifies outstanding teaching of reading and reading methods and who is an innovative leader, mentor, and scholar within the field of literacy education.

Among her contributions to the field, Wright is the project leader with co-author Amelia Gotwals for the SOLID Start project (Science, Oral Language, and Literacy Development from the Start of School), which develops open access curriculum materials and provides professional development opportunities for K-2 teachers that integrate science and literacy.

She is also the author of A Teacher’s Guide to Vocabulary Development Across the Day: The Classroom Essentials Series, among other publications. In fall 2022, Wright anticipates publishing her next book: Literacy Learning for Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers: Key Practices for Educators. The book will be published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Dr. Wright is a former kindergarten teacher. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.