Literacy Education Archives - NIU College of Education

M.S.Ed. alumna Dana Freedlund named finalist for Rockford-area Golden Apple

February 2, 2026 Mark McGowan Alumni, CI, enewsletter

Many teachers talk of playing school in their childhood basements as kids. Dana Freedlund did that, too. A chalkboard. A magnetic board. Desks. Worksheets that she handed out to her friends. She had it all. That’s not what drove her to a

CI’s Hyoju Ahn wins dissertation award

November 20, 2024 Mark McGowan CI, enewsletter

Hyoju Ahn has a new plaque for the office wall: the 2024 J. Estill Alexander Future Leaders in Literacy Dissertation Award from the Association for Literacy Educators and Researchers. Yet the career-boosting honor is providing her more than a decoration. “It honestly

COE alumna Miranda Thompson wins Rockford-area 2023 Golden Apple award

March 8, 2023 Mark McGowan CI, enewsletter, LEPF, SEED

Miranda Thompson is a Golden Apple winner. Thompson, who earned her B.S.Ed. in Elementary Education in 2006, was among six winners named March 9 during surprise ceremonies in their Rockford-area classrooms. She also was among eight finalists with NIU College of Education