Kayla Lewis Archives - College of Education News

Recent changes in administration

September 17, 2024 by Morgan E. Tinin

The College of Education (COE) is excited to introduce a new set of leaders. They have expressed confidence, passion and excitement for their new roles.

Dr. Marjorie Shavers

Dr. Ma rjorie Shav ers is now the associate dean for COE.

“Serving previously as school director and department head has been an extraordinary journey of growth, learning and collaboration with some of the most passionate and talented people. I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute to our college’s success as associate dean and help lead us to new levels of excellence.”

Dr. Kayla Lewis

Dr. Kayla Lewis is interim director for the School of Special Education, Leadership and Professional Studies.

“I’m excited to work alongside the wonderful faculty and staff in the school this year! This role offers me new opportunities to grow in my leadership, problem–solve various challenges and build relationships with students, colleagues and community partners.”

Dr. A. M. Baker

Dr. A. M. Baker is director of the School of Teaching, Learning and Developmental Sciences.

“I’m excited to work with some of the most amazing educators MSU has to offer. I can’t help but look forward to working with passionate people who daily are focused on teaching.”

Dr. Julie Steiger

Dr. Julie Steiger is assistant director of the School of Teaching, Learning, and Developmental Sciences.

“I’m fortunate to work in a school that always puts the needs of its students first. I also am excited to work with Dr. Baker, whose compassion, expertise and innovation will further the college’s role as a leader among teaching institutions.”

Dr. Nicole West

Dr. Nicole West is the graduate program director of Missouri State University’s new EdD program in Leadership, Learning and Educational Change. She is also continuing as assistant director for the School of Teaching, Learning and Developmental Sciences.

“This role is exciting because it’s an opportunity to build on my success in helping master’s students in the College of Education develop competence as scholarly practitioners, which is also a primary focus of the new doctoral program.”

Get ready for the Literacy Conference

September 18, 2023 by Strategic Communication

The College of Education strives to provide teachers with a well-rounded, practical and engaging teacher preparation program.

This year, the COE will host a Literacy Conference to help educators deepen their knowledge of literacy instruction and connect with other educators.

“I attended a literacy conference when I first started teaching, and it still impacts my teaching today,” said Dr. Stacie Finley, assistant professor of literacy at Missouri State University.

“Knowing how beneficial that conference was for teachers in the area, we wanted to bring a similar experience for educators to MSU.”

The conference includes events Sept. 21-22. Registration is encouraged but not required.

Check out the detailed schedule

Sept. 21

Guest speaker

Lester Laminack, a nationally recognized writer and educator, will speak at 6 p.m. in Plaster Student Union Theater.

Laminack is an award-winning author with over 25 books for children and teachers. He is a professor emeritus in birth-kindergarten, elementary and middle grades education at Western Carolina University.

Anyone interested in education is welcome.

Sept. 22

Opening session

Laminack will open the second day of the conference with a speech at 8:45 a.m. in Carrington Hall, Room 208.

Preservice teachers and early career educators with less than three years of teaching experience are welcome.

Breakout sessions

COE will host breakout sessions all day dedicated to literacy learning. Breakout sessions begin at 10 a.m. in Hill Hall, Room 201 and 301.

The sessions will cover topics like diverse and multicultural texts, writer’s workshop, demystifying dyslexia and more.

Preservice teachers and early career educators with less than three years of teaching experience are welcome.

Support from DESE

All events are free for attendees, courtesy of the Missouri Path Forward Theory into Practice Grant from Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

“Having the opportunity to feature a well-known national speaker like Lester Laminack, as well as area literacy experts, is a great chance for our undergraduate students and recent graduates to get new ideas and learn more about teaching reading and writing,” said Dr. Kayla Lewis, associate professor of literacy and assistant director for the School of Teaching, Learning and Developmental Science at MSU.

For more information, contact Dr. Stacie Finley at StacieFinley@MissouriState.edu or Dr. Kayla Lewis at KaylaLewis@MissouriState.edu.

Congratulations, Dr. Lewis

April 17, 2023 by Strategic Communication

The research of Dr. Kayla Lewis has been selected for the 2023 issue of Mind’s Eye, a Missouri State University research publication. Lewis is an associate professor of literacy.

Her research delves into how children’s books can help combat misinformation and educate the youth about Native American heritage.

The following is an excerpt from the story:

The lack of proper education about native heritage contributes to racism and reinforces stereotypes.

“Children’s books can help combat these issues by providing an outlet for teachers to honor, support and teach native heritage,” Lewis said.

“They can also help preserve endangered indigenous languages.”

She partnered with her former professor and longtime friend, Dr. Sarah Nixon, another MSU literacy professor. Together, they curated a collection of books for teachers to use in their curriculum.

The duo evaluated 95 children’s books from their personal and local libraries. The books were fiction or non-fiction written by or about Native Americans.

Read the full article online

Recognizing Native and Indigenous Heritage Month

November 7, 2022 by Strategic Communication

Native Americans are often misrepresented in the classroom, which reinforces stereotypes and contributes to racism.

Dr. Kayla Lewis is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and professor of literacy at Missouri State University.

In July 2022, Lewis spoke about the need for newer, more accurate literature to improve the representation of Native Americans in the classroom.

Upcoming keynote speech

Learn more about Lewis’ work by attending her speech at 5 p.m. Nov. 14 at the PSU, Room MCR PSU 101.

She will talk about culturally authentic representations of Native Americans in children’s literature and K-12 curriculum.

Plan to attend the keynote speech