Christine Leighton
Assistant Professor of Education
Ed.D., Boston University; M.Ed., George Washington University; B.S.LA., Georgetown University
Office hours: Wednesday 1:00-3:00 p.m. and Thursday 12:45-2:45 p.m.
Office: Administration Building, Room 422-D
Phone: 617-264-7629
E-mail: leightonc@emmanuel.edu
Dr. Leighton earned her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University with a Spanish major and an Arabic minor. While teaching at a language immersion, elementary public charter school in Washington, D.C. she earned her M.Ed. from George Washington with licensure to teach Spanish and ESL. She continued to pursue her interest in bilingualism and biliteracy at Boston University where she earned her Ed.D. in the field of literacy and language. Dr. Leighton joined Emmanuel College in the fall of 2010. She is committed to instructing undergraduate and graduate students in effective literacy practices as they prepare to teach an increasingly diverse student population.
Academic Interests
Dr. Leighton is interested in better understanding the literacy learning experiences of children and adults who are acquiring English as another language through collaborative and individual research. In addition she is devoted to helping pre-service and in-service teachers to understand and effectively teach English language learners.
Current Research
Dr. Leighton is currently involved in three research projects to help deepen understanding about language and literacy learning. The first study stems from Dr. Leighton's doctoral work and investigates the writing development of bilingual middle school students of varying Spanish and English proficiencies. Dr. Leighton is collaborating with colleagues at Boston University on two additional studies. One study focuses on the literacy development of immigrant parents and their children as they participate in a family literacy program. The other study explores the role of effective teacher talk during literacy instruction.
Courses Taught
- EDUC1111: The Great American Experiment
- EDUC3211: Literacy and Literacy Methods I
- EDUC3212: Literacy and Literacy Methods II
- EDUC5202: Literacy and Literacy Methods I
- EDUC5204: Literacy and Literacy Methods II
- EDUC5207: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Practices I
- EDUC5208: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Practices II
- ENGL3307: Survey of Literature for Children and Young Adults
Professional Highlights
Service to the profession
- Proposal Reviewer for the Annual Meeting of the Literacy Research Association, Jacksonville, FL, November 30-December 3, 2011
- Editorial Review Board Member for the 60th Yearbook of the Literacy Research Association (Winter 2011)
- Editorial Assistant, Journal of Education (Fall 2009-Spring 2010)
- Book Reviewer, Guilford Press (Fall 2009)
- Student Editorial Board Member for the 59th Yearbook of the National Reading Conference (Winter 2010)
- Proposal Reviewer for the Annual Meeting of the National Reading Conference, Fort Worth, TX, December 1-4, 2010
- Proposal Reviewer for the Annual Meeting of the National Reading Conference, Albuquerque, NM, December 2-5, 2009
- Feature Review Board Editor, Learning Languages (2008-2009)
- Graduate Assistant, assisted professor with organization and operation of a week-long annual poetry institute (July 2007 and 2008)
- Advisor, NCLRC Teacher Advisory Board (Fall 2005-Spring 2006)
Memberships in professional organizations
- International Reading Association
- Literacy Research Association
- Massachusetts Reading Association
- American Educational Research Association
- Division of Learning and Instruction
- Special Interest Group: Bilingual Education Research
Awards/Honors Received
- 2010: Elsbeth Melville Scholarship, Boston University Women's Guild
- 2010: Invited alumni-graduation speaker, EWS Community Freedom Public Charter School
- 2001: Nominated as DC Charter Schools' Teacher of the Year
Significant Publications/Presentations/Panels
Leighton, C. When bilingualism works: Sixth-grade students' writing. To be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Literacy Research Association (formerly NRC), Jacksonville, FL, December 2, 2011.
Paratore, J.R., O'Brien, L., Cassano, C., Leighton, C., Krol-Sinclair, B., Green, J.G. Effects of participation in a family literacy program on vocabulary and early literacy development of children in prekindergarten to grade 1. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA, April 10, 2011.
Leighton, C. The cognitive processes of sixth-grade students of varying Spanish and English proficiencies while writing persuasive essays. Roundtable presentation at the Annual Meeting of the National Reading Conference, Fort Worth, TX, December 1, 2010.
Leighton, C. & Greenfield, R. (2010/2011). An interview with Heidi Hinish. Journal of Education, 190(1/2), 51-54.
Harten, M., Koziol, K., & Leighton, C. (2010/2011). Essay book reviews: Academic/professional texts. Journal of Education, 190(1/2), 59-64.
Paratore, J.R., Krol-Sinclair, B., Cassano, C., Leighton, C., O'Brien, L., Smock, J., Schick, A., Tobar, C. (2008). Effects of a family literacy intervention on the vocabulary and literacy growth of children in prekindergarten to grade two. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Reading Conference, Orlando, FL, December 5, 2008.
Leighton, C. (October, 2005). Finding their voice: Encouraging students to speak in the target language. The NCLRC Language Resource Newsletter.
