Rate My Professor Stacy Delacruz

Dr. Stacy Delacruz serves as an associate professor of literacy in the Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education within the Bagwell College of Education at Kennesaw State University, where she has been a faculty member since 2009. She previously held the position of assistant professor in the same department from 2011 to 2015 and has advanced to professor status. Delacruz also serves as interim director of Education Student Services and interim department chair. Holding a Doctor of Education, her research focuses on K-5 digital literacy, emphasizing the integration of emerging technologies into literacy instruction to prepare students for a global society. Her work explores content area literacy in virtual field trips, code literacy, afterschool literacy partnerships with university teacher candidates, online guided reading groups, and other digital literacy initiatives. She has published in prominent journals including TechTrends: Linking Research to Practice, The Reading Teacher, and Literacy Practice and Research, with over 200 citations across her scholarship.

Key publications by Delacruz include 'Using Nearpod in Elementary Guided Reading Groups' (TechTrends, 2014, 145 citations), 'Building Digital Literacy Bridges: Connecting Cultures and Promoting Global Citizenship in Elementary Classrooms through School-Based Virtual Field Trips' (TechTrends, 2019, 68 citations), 'Starting from Scratch (Jr.): Integrating Code Literacy in the Primary Grades' (The Reading Teacher, 2020, 36 citations), 'Building Sustainable Afterschool Literacy Programs by Partnering with University Teacher Candidates' (School Community Journal, 2019, 13 citations), 'Culturally Relevant Teaching for the 21st Century: The Success and Challenges of Pre-Service Teachers When Using Technology in Critical Ways' (Georgia Journal of Literacy, 2021, 6 citations), and 'Using Visual Literacy to Teach Science Academic Language: Experiences from Three Preservice Teachers' (Action in Teacher Education, 2014, 26 citations). She has presented her research at national and international conferences such as the Literacy Research Association, International Society for Technology in Education, and International Literacy Association. Currently, Delacruz is President of the Organization of Teacher Educators in Literacy, a special interest group of the International Literacy Association, overseeing the Journal of Literacy Practice and Research. Her contributions advance digital literacy practices and teacher education in elementary settings.