Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education

Faculty and staff earned national recognition, shared expertise and advanced leadership at the 2026 ACPA Convention, highlighting a continued commitment to student success and the future of student affairs.

From flexible furniture for kids who fidget to desks with writable surfaces to walls to be filled with student projects, writing and artwork, renovations are stirring the imaginations of those designing a temporary location for Elon University’s new private elementary school for children with dyslexia.

Recently retired from Guilford County Schools in North Carolina, Tracy Roof will help develop systems and policies for a full-day, private transitional school set to open on campus in August for children with dyslexia.

Sylvie McCavanagh ’29 learned to embrace her identity as a student with dyslexia and uses her experience to uplift others with learning differences.

Sponsored by the Robert Schuck Fund, this award recognizes and promotes exceptional research that makes a substantial contribution to the improvement of teacher education

Scarlett Ruppert, assistant professor of wellness and Anu Räisänen, director of HealthEU initiatives and assistant professor publish on faculty and staff perceptions of culture of wellness on campus.

Keill served as the director of the Curriculum Resources Center and associate librarian in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education.

The grant is from the National Earth Science Teachers Association and will support an ongoing collaborative project called “Living Land Legacy: Habitat Restoration and Conservation at Providence Montessori."

Motivated by her cousin Grace, who has Down syndrome, Izzie Crowley found her purpose in helping children reach their potential, no matter their challenges. Supported by a personal donor relationship that reminds her why she chose this path, Crowley aims to make a difference in the education system.

Emily O'Hearn '27 Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education Teaching Fellow and Elementary Education major, presented her undergraduate research on math and picture books at the North Carolina Reading Association Annual Conference in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.