Denise Davila

Photo of faculty member Denise  Davila
Assistant Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
H. E. Hartfelder/The Southland Corporation Regents Chair in Human Resource Development (Fellow)

Email: ddavila@utexas.edu
Office: SZB 4.714C
 

Denise Dávila is a children's literature and literacy education researcher. She works alongside communities to study children’s home, family, and local literacy practices. She investigate opportunities for alignment between children’s out-of-school literacy practices and the in-school literacy instruction children receive.

Dr. Dávila's work has been recognized by the Hispanic Issues Research group of the American Education Research Association (AERA). She was a fellow with the Cultivating New Voices of Scholars of Color program of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Additionally, Dr. Dávila won the Alan C. Purves Award for her article that appeared in Research in the Teaching of English titled, “#WhoNeedsDiverseBooks: Preservice Teachers and Religious Neutrality with Children’s Literature”. This annual award recognizes the author whose article is “judged as likely to have the greatest impact on educational practice”.

As a children's literature scholar, Dr. Dávila has served on many committees for national and regional book awards, including the:
• Tomás Rivera Mexican American Book Award.
• Pura Belpré Award, American Library Association.
• Orbis Pictus Award for Nonfiction, NCTE.
• Geisel Award for Early Readers, American Library Association.
• Charlotte Huck Award for Fiction, NCTE.
• Georgia Children's Book Award.