Kelly C. Johnston, Ed.D.

Dr. Kelly C. Johnston, Ed.D. (Teachers College, Columbia University), is an associate professor in the department of Curriculum & Instruction at Baylor University, where she specializes in literacy education, identity-centered pedagogy, curriculum studies, and qualitative inquiry. Her research and scholarship explore how relational, responsive, and asset-based approaches to literacy teaching can transform classroom and community spaces, especially for students historically marginalized by dominant models of schooling, including neurodivergent, multilingual, and culturally diverse learners. Her research integrates interdisciplinary frameworks, drawing from sociocultural theory, affective theory, and critical literacy studies, to conceptualize literacy as a meaning-making, identity-forming, and embodied practice. Across her work, she centers student well-being, belonging, and agency as fundamental to academic development and educational opportunities.

Dr. Johnston is the author of peer-reviewed articles in research journals such as Reading Research Quarterly, Language Arts, and Literacy Research: Theory, Method, and Practice, as well as various book chapters. She also serves on national leadership boards, including the National Council of Research on Language and Literacy and the Literacy Research Association. Dr. Johnston has also received several state and national teaching and research awards for her work.

At Baylor, Dr. Johnston teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on literacy development, curriculum theory, and qualitative methods, and mentors doctoral and master’s students pursuing research in language, identity, and equity. She is also Faculty-in-Residence for Baylor’s LEAD Living-Learning Community, where she facilitates leadership development and community-building for undergraduate students across disciplines. As co-director of the Baylor Interns and Emerging Scholars in England study-abroad program, she leads international fieldwork experiences that connect preservice educators with global perspectives on education, teaching, learning, and research.

Committed to educational impact beyond the university, Dr. Johnston is currently a faculty affiliate of the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities (BCDD), where she engages in interdisciplinary projects around inclusive education and student belonging. Her recent work explores how schools and community-based organizations can more effectively support students with learning differences through strengths-based approaches to literacy, identity, and well-being. 

If you are interested in graduate studies with Dr. Johnston and would like more information about applying to a graduate program, please email her at Kelly_Johnston@baylor.edu.

Degrees

Ed.D. Curriculum and Teaching
2018 | Teachers College, Columbia University

M.Ed. Reading Education
2011 | Texas State University

B.S. Interdisciplinary Studies
2004 | Baylor University

Select Publications

• Language Arts, 2025
  “Beyond the literacy block: Integrating literacy with social studies to support children’s literacy engagement,” with co-authors Dr. Camille Talbert and Ms. Cole Sussman
• Reading Research Quarterly, 2024
  “Reconfiguring the Sanctions of Schooled Literacy through Living Literacies”
• Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 2023
  “Examining evolutions of literacy integration with physical education and health in an after-school program,” with co-author Dr. Risto Marttinen, George Mason University
• The Teacher Educator, 2022
  “Inquiry-based teacher writing groups as sites for professional learning and restorying identities,” with co-author Dr. Amy Tondreau, University of Maryland
• Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 2021
  “From New York City to the World: Examining Critical Global Literacies in an English Language Arts Classroom,” with co-authors Dr. Lakeya Omogun, University of Washington, and Crystal Chen Lee, North Carolina State University

Awards & Honors

• Active Learning Lab Fellow – 2024 | Academy for Teaching and Learning, Baylor University
• Innovation in Teaching and Learning Award - 2022 | Education Deans of Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas
• John Laska Dissertation Award in Teaching - 2020 | American Association for Curriculum and Teaching
• Emerging Scholar Fellowship Award - 2019 | The Reading Hall of Fame
• Timothy & Cynthia Shanahan Outstanding Dissertation Finalist - 2019 | International Literacy Association

Professional Leadership

• Faculty-in-Residence, Baylor Learning, Education, and Development (LEAD) Living-Learning Community (2025-present)
• Co-Director, Baylor Interns and Emerging Scholars in England Program (2024-present)
• Executive Board Member, National Council of Research on Language and Literacy (2024-present)
• Editorial Board Member, Reading Research Quarterly (2023-present)
• Editorial Board Member, The Reading Teacher (2018-present)

Courses

• Comprehension of Expository Texts (undergraduate)
• Social Issues in Education (undergraduate)
• Literacy, Equity, and Students’ Lives (graduate)
• Language and Literacy Across the Curriculum (graduate)
• Curriculum Development for Young Children (graduate)
• Contemporary Curriculum (graduate)
• Curriculum Inquiry and Analysis (doctoral)
• International Comparative Education (undergraduate and graduate)
• Independent Studies: Multimodality and Literacy, Critical Literacies, Literacy Innovations across Content Areas, Supportive Children’s Comprehension through Inquiry-based Learning, Youths’ Affective Engagement with Literacies