Jimmy McLean

Jimmy McLean is a doctoral candidate in the Language and Literacy Studies program area in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Jimmy is a literacy educator, researcher, and writer whose work explores how young people compose stories, identities, and communities across the spaces where they live and learn. Grounded in his experiences as a public school teacher, his research investigates the pedagogies, curricula, and ideological stances that nurture young writers—particularly those from marginalized or underrepresented backgrounds—in affirming and connective ways.

As a teacher educator, Jimmy prepares future and practicing teachers to engage literacy as both a personal and social practice—one that invites critical reflection, creative risk-taking, and joy. In his courses, he aims to build inclusive, dialogic learning environments that honor children’s voices and literacies while equipping educators to imagine and enact equitable literacy education.