Congratulations to the exceptional educators honored with the 2025 NCTE Leadership Awards!
These scholars are advancing literacy education and making transformative impacts on students and educators nationwide. We’re especially thrilled to celebrate our NAEd community members among the recipients:
James R. Squire Award
Ernest Morrell, University of Notre Dame (NAEd member). This award is given by the Executive Committee in recognition of outstanding service, not only to the stature and development of NCTE and the discipline which it represents, but also to the profession of education as a whole, internationally as well as nationally.
NCTE Media Literacy Award
Cassie J. Brownell, University of Toronto (2024 NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow). Honored for implementing and refining exemplary media literacy practices in their school environment.
David H. Russell Award for Distinguished Research in the Teaching of English
The Magnitude of Us: An Educator’s Guide to Creating Culturally Responsive Classrooms by Marlee Bunch, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (2025 NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow). Celebrated for published research in language, literature, rhetoric, teaching procedures, or cognitive processes that may sharpen the teaching or the content of English at any instructional level.
These awards recognize not just individual achievement, but the collective power of dedicated educators to build a more literate and equitable society. As NCTE President Tonya B. Perry noted, these leaders are “doing crucial work that will benefit students for years to come.”
View the complete list of 2025 NCTE Leadership Award recipients.