Katie Cunningham

Katie Egan Cunningham is a literacy educator, author, and professor whose work focuses on joyful, story-centered literacy instruction and whole-child education. She has more than two decades of experience as a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, and instructional coach, and serves as a Professor of Literacy and Program Director of Teacher Education, including leadership of an advanced certificate in social and emotional learning and whole child education. Her teaching and consulting emphasize children’s literature, joyful literacy methods, and literacy leadership.

Cunningham is the author or coauthor of several professional books for educators, including Shifting the Balance, Grades 3–5: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Upper Elementary Classroom (with Jan Burkins and Kari Yates), Start with Joy: Designing Literacy Learning for Student Happiness, Story: Still the Heart of Literacy Learning, Literacy Leadership in Changing Schools, and Reading with Purpose: Selecting and Using Children’s Literature for Inquiry and Engagement. Her work bridges the science of reading and the science of happiness with practical classroom strategies, highlighting the power of stories and purposeful literacy experiences in helping all students thrive.