Faculty from Illinois State University’s School of Teaching and Learning and the Department of English have been awarded the editorship of the international peer-reviewed journal, Literacy Research: Theory, Method and Practice (LR:TMP) of the Literacy Research Association (LRA).
Drs. Lara Handsfield and Anna Smith have served as co-lead editors for the first year, leading an editorial team of Illinois State University faculty in building on the reputation and quality of the academic journal that serves as a resource for educators and researchers.
“It’s a recognition of the expertise that those in the field of literacy research see here at Illinois State University,” Smith said.
“The selection committee not only commented on the range of content expertise in the School of Teaching and Learning, but also the breadth of research methodologies among the faculty,” Handsfield said.
The peer-reviewed journal reports contemporary research and theory in literacy and literacy education and promotes discussion and constructive critique about key areas of research and practice. Presenters at the annual meeting of the LRA Conference are invited to submit articles based on their presentations. Each year, the journal may have as many as 125 submissions, with eight to 14 selected for publication following an anonymous, peer review process. Manuscripts are typically published in the annual volume of the journal by November.
In the proposal for the four-year editorship, Smith said faculty focused on humanizing literacy education through practice and research.
“The field of literacy research and practice is at the center of divisive public discourse, scholarly debate, and policymaking, characterized by the resurgence of harmful hyper-regulation of languages, histories, practices, bodies, and curricula,” the editors wrote. “Our editorial vision for the journal is to disrupt this dehumanizing moment through consequential connection-building that moves our field further toward humanizing research and practice.”
The editorial team also will focus on connecting with those whose lives are represented and impacted by literacy scholarship. One of the goals is to communicate findings across modes to build and sustain connections across schools, research communities, and geographical, cultural, and linguistic boundaries.
The editors will recruit media and communication tools through ISU’s Education Now Lab, which Smith leads, to produce a series of multimedia products for a range of audiences and distribute these widely in partnership with the journal. The editorial team’s work is also supported by the Mary and Jean Borg Center for Reading and Literacy.
The full editorial team is comprised of Drs. Christie Angleton, Evelyn Baca, Becky Beucher, Carolyn Hunt, Andrea Jamison, Sara Jones, Grace Kang, Sonia Kline, Deborah MacPhee, Vivian Presiado, Erin Quast, Sarah Reid, Irenea Walker, and Autumn West. The lead editorial assistant is TCH doctoral candidate Viraj Patel.
You can follow updates on the journal on Instagram @lr_tmp, Twitter @LRA_LRTMP, or on Facebook.
