Connie Kendall TheadoView profile
Associate Professor
Connie Kendall Theado is an Associate Professor in the Literacy and Second Language Studies program and serves as Director of Graduate Programs in the School of Education at the University of Cincinnati. Her work critically examines literacy politics, writing pedagogy, and developmental education within postsecondary contexts. Her educational foundation includes: Ph.D. in English (Composition & Rhetoric) from Miami University (2005) M.A. in English (Composition & Rhetoric) from Miami University (1998) B.A. in English Literature from University of Cincinnati (1984) B.S. in Secondary Education from University of Cincinnati (1984) Dr. Kendall Theado's research investigates high-stakes literacy testing, metaphorical frameworks in teacher cognition, and transnational educational partnerships. She analyzes how literacy policies intersect with identity formation, nation-building narratives, and sociocultural dynamics in US and Kurdish educational contexts, employing discourse analysis and ethnographic approaches to reveal power structures in pedagogical practices. Her 15 most recent publications (2015-2024) reveal evolving emphases from literacy politics toward transnational collaboration and teacher resilience. Key trends include: critical examination of shared curricula in writing programs, mindfulness applications for educator well-being, longitudinal analysis of college literacy journals, and culturally sustaining pedagogies in global partnerships. Her work consistently bridges theoretical frameworks with practical classroom applications across diverse educational settings. Her scholarly impact is recognized through: Back-to-back CECH Golden Apple Teaching Excellence Awards (2012, 2015) James L. Kinneavy Award for Best JAC Article (2014) Cynthia L. Peterson Award for Outstanding JCRL Article (2015) School of Education Distinguished Service Award (2017) Nomination for Piyush Swami Outstanding Doctoral Mentorship Award (2017) As Graduate Program Director, she mentors doctoral candidates while leading transnational initiatives like the US-Kurdish partnership at Salahaddin University. Her grant portfolio includes the 2011 "Going global" Faculty Development Grant for international research methods and the 2014 Educational Studies PhD Recruitment Grant. Current work focuses on collaborative self-study methodologies and culturally sustaining pedagogies through interdisciplinary faculty teams. She founded the Journal of College Literacy and Learning (2011-2014) and co-developed the "Culturally Sustaining Practices in Teacher Education" project with Raider-Roth and Watts-Taffe, creating sustainable frameworks for equity-focused pedagogy across institutional contexts.










