Michael J. Young, Ph. D.

@suupermichael.bsky.social

764 Followers 1502 Following

Assistant Professor, Elementary Literacy Education, Illinois State University. Critical Educator/Scholar. Queer. Dog Dad. Views are my own. Unless you share them. Then they're ours. In dialogue, of course.

Poster for the 2025 Illinois State Literacy Conference. For more information, please visit tinyurl.com/ROE17PD.
Image of presentation title: “Structured, Scripted, and Erased: Realizing Literacies of Humanity through Trust and Joy.”
Promotional flyer for the 2025 Wisconsin Literacy Research Symposium with keynote speakers: Drs. Elena Aydarova, Crystal Wise, and Michael Young. The event to be held at UW-Eau Claire. Please visit: https://bit.ly/4iNXwQN for additional information.
Poster describing webinar: Centering Readers Means Centering Equity, Catherine Compton-Lilly, Ed.D. - College of Education | University of South
United Faculty of ISU (UFISU) members voted overwhelmingly last week to authorize a strike, and our union officially filed the required Intent to Strike notice today with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. With the legally required 10-day notice filed, members may go on strike as early as April 4. The filing does not mean that the 650 members represented by UFISU will definitely go on strike, but allows the union to do so, if needed. The parties are scheduled to bargain again with the assistance of a federal mediator on March 28, April 2, and April 4. Critical items still to be resolved include workloads that allow for adequate time to interact with students, fair compensation, leave policies for new parents and caregivers, and university commitments for student mental health support. “As faculty, we are dedicated to ensuring that our students get the high-quality education and services they deserve," said Dr. Derek M. Sparby, Associate Professor of English. "To continue to attract and retain world-class educators at ISU, this administration must bargain a fair agreement that shows they value our faculty and recognize what our students need to reach their potentials here at ISU. If President Tarhule and his team want to avoid a strike, they need to fulfill their responsibilities to this university and its students immediately."
Image showing the title and abstract of the article.
Resisting Scripted Curriculum as Erasure poster.
The Whippoorwill Award for Rural Young Adult and Middle Grades Books is now seeking submissions for the 2025 award year. If you know of a book published in 2024 that would fit the criteria of our award, please email us with contact information.
Dogs sitting on couch