Jacqueline Witter-Easley

  • Co-Director, Teaching Commons; Professor of Education
    Email Address:
    jeasley@carthage.edu
    Office location:
    Lentz Hall 322
    Phone
    262-551-5730

    Professor Jacqueline Easley received her Ed.D. in Reading Education from Northern Illinois University, her M.A. in Reading, with her certificate as a K-12 Reading Specialist, from Concordia University-Chicago, and her B.A. in Elementary Education with minors in Math and Art from Concordia College. She joined the Carthage faculty in 2006.

    Prof. Easley was an elementary classroom teacher and also served as a reading specialist, the 5th-6th grade art teacher for one year, and the coach for middle-school girls’ softball, volleyball, and basketball teams. She developed integrated literacy lessons and author studies for her grade level, as well as parent education workshops.

    Prof. Easley was an assistant children’s librarian at her local public library, where she created a variety of innovative literacy programs for children of all ages.  During her tenure as a librarian, she earned a grant for her development of a teachers’ reading program, developed an early literacy curriculum, and created and implemented early childhood parent workshops.

    Prof. Easley has taught at the college level for more than 20 years. As a college professor, she has taught courses at the undergraduate level in methods of teaching reading for both the elementary and secondary levels, methods of teaching mathematics for the elementary level, methods of teaching science for the early-elementary level, methods of teaching creative arts for the elementary and middle school levels, multicultural children’s literature, emergent literacy methods, and introduction to education. At the graduate level, Prof. Easley has taught courses in the diagnosis of reading difficulties, seminar in literacy research, supervised the practicum in the remediation of reading difficulties, and has directed masters’ theses.

    As a member of the International Literacy Association (formerly the International Reading Association) since 1993, Prof. Easley has given presentations at the local, state, national, and international levels.  Her areas of expertise include: integrating writing across the curriculum, developing author studies in primary grades, implementing student book clubs in elementary and middle schools, connecting visual literacy with higher levels of comprehension processes, integrating literacy across disciplines in middle and secondary schools, and creating culturally responsive literacy experiences in K-12 classrooms.

    From 2011 to 2015, she was the president of the Racine-Kenosha Reading Council.  She is also a member of the Wisconsin State Reading Association, the Illinois Reading Council, the Literacy Research Association, and the Association of Teacher Educators. 

    In 2012, Prof. Easley published Happy Birthday, Dear Author! (UpStart Books, Madison, Wisconsin). This resource book provides primary-grade teachers and school librarians with literacy activities based on 27 current children’s authors and illustrators. 

    In 2019, Prof. Easley published Literacy Moments: Creating Daily Teachable Moments with Beginning Readers (Rowman & Littlefield, Maryland). This book provides early elementary teachers with research-based methods for integrating all facets of literacy into their daily routines, with an emphasis on creating culturally inclusive learning environments.

    From 2014 - 2021, Prof. Easley was the editor of the Wisconsin State Reading Association’s WSRA Journal. This is a peer-reviewed journal that provides K-12 teachers and administrators with current research, teaching methods, and literature reviews centered on effective literacy instruction.

    From 2014 to 2016, Prof. Easley was the Director of the First Year Read Program at Carthage. In this role, she facilitated the selection of the common read text for all first year students, and developed on-campus discussion activities, guest speakers, and programs related to the text.

    Prof. Easley has been the Director of Undergraduate and Graduate Literacy Programs at Carthage since 2009. In this role, she has supervised the annual Summer Reading Clinic for local elementary, middle, and secondary students. She has also developed two literacy conferences at Carthage’s campus for K-12 teachers and reading specialists.  She oversees the Graduate Programs in Reading Teacher license #1316 and the Reading Specialist license #17/.

    Prof. Easley was the chair of the Education Department from 2010 - 2017. During this time she facilitated the development of a new Art Education major, a new English Language Learner license in the graduate program, and the development of the Urban Teacher Preparation Program and Urban Education minor. 

    From 2017 - 2021, Prof. Easley was the dean of the Professional Studies Division at Carthage. In this role, she facilitated the development of several new programs including the Sports Management track of the Master’s in Business Design & Innovation, the Master’s in Athletic Training, and the Social Justice minor in the Social Work Department. 

    Since 2021, Prof. Easley has served as the co-director of the Teaching Commons for faculty development, where she has developed a variety of new opportunities for faculty to explore innovations in teaching and learning experiences.

    Prof. Easley’s work at Carthage has included the mentorship of undergraduate research through the Celebration of Scholars event, and of graduate research through directing their thesis projects. She has authored book chapters and articles on the topics of visual literacy, teacher education methods, and literature-based elementary instructional activities. 

    Media Mentions:

    Morning Show - 07/22/19

    Professor Easley appears on WGTD’s morning show. (91.1 WGTD, July 22, 2019)

    Literacy Moments While Out and About with Toddlers and Preschoolers

    Professor Easley discusses some activities to do with your children to help their literacy skills. (Kenosha News, June 20, 2019)

    Literacy Moments at Home with Toddlers and Preschoolers
    Professor Easley writes about activities to do with toddlers and preschoolers to prepare them to enter kindergarten. (Kenosha News, June 13, 2019)

    • Ed.D. — Northern Illinois
    • M.A. — Concordia University
    • B.A. — Concordia College
    • EDU 1010 Education and Society
    • EDU 2150 Creative Arts: Music and Art in the Elementary/Middle School
    • EDU 3220 Reading and Language Arts I (Grades 1-9)
    • EDU 3230 Reading and Language Arts II
    • EDU 3520 Developmental and Content Reading
    • EDU 3540 Language Arts in Middle and Secondary Schools
    • EDU 4130 Children’s and Early Adolescent Literature