April Leach, PhD

A hands-on Literacy and Instructional Coach, Professional Development Designer, and New Teacher Program Coordinator who builds community first among teams of educators so they can learn to teach students to critically analyze and compose text and media to communicate. Current research investigates implementation of engaging interdisciplinary collaborative digital media learning that examines code switching which occurs in 2st century learning as visual and textual modes are navigated to communicate and create multimodal demonstrations of understanding.

A co-editor of the Special Issue of the Journal of Literacy and Technology Through the Portal of Art and Culture: Media Literacy as the Art of Communication, and on its board. Articles include: Journal of Media Literacy Educators – Special Issue on Disabilities, Digital Media Production to Support Literacy for Secondary Students With Diverse Learning Abilities, and Chapter: Literacy Learning and Assessment for the Digital Age for the Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, Third Edition IGI Global Volume IV. Worked on the International Literacy Association Taskforce on Teacher Preparation in Literacy producing a paper in Literacy Practice and Research -Beyond State Requirements: Examining Teacher Preparation for Literacy Instruction in United States Teacher Education Programs. On the Board of Student Health Education Services, a non-profit providing a holistic approach to student wellness and learning.
Presenter at Digital Media and Literacy Conferences including CIRCL (The Center for Innovative Research in CyberLearning) in Washington D.C., National Association for Media Literacy Educators, Literacy Research Association, the University of Rhode Island Summer Institute for Digital Literacy, and the University of Washington.

April Leach received a Ph.D. in Education Technology and eLearning from Northcentral University, a M.Ed. in Education – Literacy PK-12 from the University of Nebraska, a B.A. in Comparative Literacy with minors in Social Psychology and Sociology with a Teaching Certificate from Ramapo College of New Jersey, and is certified in Art.