Chea Parton

Chea Parton is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction in the Transition to Teaching Program, with a background as a rural Indiana English teacher. She holds a Ph.D. in Language & Literacy (University of Texas at Austin), an MS.Ed. in English Education, and a B.A. in English from Purdue University.

• Education:
  • Ph.D. — Language & Literacy, University of Texas at Austin
  • MS.Ed. — English Education, Purdue University
  • B.A. — English, Purdue University

Her research focuses on:

• Rural representation in young adult literature
• Preparation of rural English teachers for reading/writing instruction
• Teacher identity development across contexts
• Disruptive qualitative inquiry and case study methodology

Current scholarly efforts include publishing her book Country Teachers in City Schools: Negotiating Identity and Place (Rowman & Littlefield, forthcoming) and guest-editing rural YA literature special issues. Her refereed publications examine rural erasure in ELA, suburban media portrayals, and grief in literary analysis.

Scientific Awards:

• Runner-up, AERA Rural SIG Dissertation of the Year Award (2020)
• Dean’s Fellowship, University of Texas at Austin

She teaches graduate courses like EDCI 58500 Multicultural Education, EDCI 59600 Pedagogy I, and EDCI 59700 Pedagogy II. She founded Literacy In Place, a digital platform for rural literacy resources.