1 Nicole Mirra, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Urban Teacher Education Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Graduate School of Education Department of Learning and Teaching 10 Seminary Place New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901 Nicole.mirra@gse.rutgers.edu Academic Degrees 2012 Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles Specialization: Urban Schooling Dissertation title: Getting the News from Poems: Critical Civic Pedagogy in Urban High School English Classrooms 2008 M.Ed. Harvard University Specialization: Education Policy & Management 2005 M.S.T. Pace University Specialization: Secondary English Education 2003 B.A. New York University Specialization: English and American Literature Professional Certifications 2012 California State Single Subject Teaching Credential Secondary English Education 2003 New York State Permanent Teacher Certification Secondary English Education Employment History 2022-present Associate Professor, Department of Learning and Teaching Graduate School of Education, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey 2017-2022 Assistant Professor, Department of Learning and Teaching Graduate School of Education, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey 2015-2017 Assistant Professor, Department of English College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas at El Paso 2013-2015 Postdoctoral Scholar, Graduate School of Education & Information Studies University of California, Los Angeles 2012-2013 English Teacher, Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy, Los Angeles, CA 2008-2012 Graduate Student Researcher, Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access University of California, Los Angeles 2003-2007 English Teacher, ACORN Community High School, Brooklyn, NY 2 Fellowships and Awards 2021 Arthur Applebee Award for Excellence in Research on Literacy Literacy Research Association 2020 Chancellor’s Faculty Excellence Award Rutgers University, New Brunswick 2020 Divergent Book Award for Excellence in 21st Century Literacies Research Initiative for 21st Century Literacies Research 2019 David H. Russell Research Award for Distinguished Research in the Teaching of English National Council of Teachers of English 2019 Early Career Scholar Award, Grassroots Community & Youth Organizing Special Interest Group American Educational Research Association 2019 Distinguished Faculty Award Rutgers Graduate School of Education Alumni Association 2018-2019 National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship 2011 Chancellor’s Prize Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles 2007-2008 Urban Scholars Fellowship Graduate School of Education, Harvard University Publications Books Mirra, N. & Garcia, A. (under contract, 2022). Civics for the world to come: Five classroom commitments to (re)build democracy. W. W. Norton. Mirra, N. (2018). Educating for empathy: Literacy learning and civic engagement. Teachers College Press. Mirra, N., Garcia, A., Morrell, E. (2015). Doing youth participatory action research: Transforming inquiry with researchers, educators, and students. Routledge. Edited Books Morrell, E., de los Ríos, C., Garcia, A., Lyiscott, J. & Mirra, N. (under contract, 2023). Critical English education: Enduring Voices, New Perspectives. Routledge. Garcia, A. & Mirra, N. (Eds.). (under contract, 2023). Speculative pedagogies: Teaching and researching for alternative educational futures. Teachers College Press. Book Chapters Mirra, N. (in press, 2022). Civic education. In Fisher, D. (Ed.), Routledge Encyclopedia of Education (1st ed.). Routledge. Garcia, A., Mirra, N., & Gomez, M. (in press, 2022). Democracy is interdisciplinary: The case for radical civic innovation across content areas. In Au, W. (Ed.), Insurgent social studies: Scholar-educators disrupting 3 erasure & marginality. Myers Education Press. Mirra, N. & Garcia, A. (2022). Supporting youth to engage in authentic civic dialogue in our “actually existing” democracy. In Lo, J. (Ed.), Making discussions work: Methods for quality dialogue in the social studies (pp. 192-207). Teachers College Press. Petrone, R., Mirra, N., Goodman, S., & Garcia, A. (2021). Youth civic participation and activism: Youth participatory action research. In Pandya, J., Mora, R., Alford, J., Golden, N., & de Roock, R. (Eds.), Routledge handbook of critical literacies (pp. 50-60). Routledge. Garcia, A., McGrew, S., Mirra, N., Tynes, B., & Kahne, J. (2021). Rethinking digital citizenship: Learning about media, literacy, and race in turbulent times. In Lee, C., White, G., & Dong, D. (Eds.), Civic Reasoning and Discourse (pp. 319-352). National Academy of Education. Mirra, N. (2020). Bridging digital and democratic divides. In Turner, K. (Ed.), Ethical Dimensions of Teaching Digital Literacy (pp. 9-12). New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield. Mirra, N. & Garcia, A. (2019). The potential of participatory literacies to challenge digital (civic) divides. In Morrell, E. & Rowsell, J. (Eds.), Stories from Inequity to Justice in Literacy Education: Confronting Digital Divides (pp. 87-109). New York, NY: Routledge. Mirra, N. (2014). Student identities and passions as gateways to connected learning. In A. Garcia (Ed.), Teaching in the connected learning classroom (pp. 10-24). Irvine, CA: Digital Media and Learning Research Hub. Refereed Articles (names in bold are K-12 teachers or students) Mirra, N. & Garcia, A. (2022). Guns, schools, and democracy: Adolescents imagining social futures through speculative civic literacies. American Educational Research Journal, 59(2), 345-380. Mirra, N., Kelly, L. & Garcia, A. (2021). Beyond fake news: Culturally relevant media literacies for a fractured civic landscape. Theory into Practice, 60(4), 340-349. Mirra, N. & Puntel, C. (2021). Can empathy meet the challenges of now? A meditation and dialogue. Voices from the Middle, 29(1), 18-21. Garcia, A., Mirra, N. & 3D Project Teacher Team. (2021). Futures Bound: Re-designing literacy research as a conduit for healing and civic dreaming. International Studies in Sociology of Education. DOI: 10.1080/09620214.2021.1945481 Mirra, N. & Garcia, A. (2021). In search of the meaning and purpose of 21st century literacy learning: A critical review of research and practice. Reading Research Quarterly, 56(3), 463-496. Mirra, N. & Garcia, A. (2020). I hesitate but I do have hope: Youth speculative civic literacies for troubled times. Harvard Educational Review, 90(2), 295-321. Garcia, A. & Mirra, N. (2020). Writing toward justice: Youth speculative civic literacies in online policy discourse. Urban Education, 56(4), 640-669. Mirra, N. (2020). A quality of imagination: Young people show us ‘what’s next’ in ELA. Voices from the Middle, 27(4), 9-11. Mirra, N. & Debate Liberation League. (2020). Without borders: Youth debaters re-imagining the nature and purpose of public dialogue. English Teaching: Practice & Critique, 19(3), 253-267. Mirra, N. (2019). From connected learning to connected teaching: Reimagining digital literacy pedagogy in English teacher education. English Education, 51(3), 261-291. 4 Garcia, A. & Mirra, N. (2019). Signifying nothing: Identifying conceptions of youth civic identity in the English Language Arts Common Core Standards and the National Assessment of Educational Progress’ Reading Framework. Berkeley Review of Education, 8(2), 195-223. Mirra, N. (2018). Pursuing a commitment to public scholarship through the practice of annotation. The Assembly: A Journal of Public Scholarship on Education, 1(1), 27-36. Mirra, N., Coffey, J., & Englander, A. (2018). Warrior scholars and bridge builders: Civic dreaming in ELA classrooms. Journal of Literacy Research, 50(4), 423-445. Mirra, N., Morrell, E., & Filipiak, D. (2018). From digital consumption to digital invention: Toward a new critical theory and practice of multiliteracies. Theory into Practice, 57(1), 12-19. Mirra, N. & Garcia, A. (2017). Civic participation re-imagined: Youth interrogation and innovation in the multimodal public sphere. Review of Research in Education, 41(1), 136-158. Mirra, N. & Pietrzak, G. (2017). An undeniable force: Supporting urban middle school students as scholars and citizens through debate. Voices from the Middle, 24(3), 20-24. Mirra, N. & Rogers, J. (2016). The overwhelming need: How the unequal political economy shapes urban teachers’ working conditions. Urban Education, 55(7), 1045-1065. Mirra, N. & Rogers, J. (2016). Institutional participation and social transformation: Considering the goals and tensions of university-initiated YPAR projects with K-12 youth. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 29(9), 1-14. Mirra, N., Honoroff, B., Elgendy, S., & Pietrzak, G. (2016). Reading and writing with a public purpose: Fostering middle school students’ academic and critical community literacies through debate. Journal of Language and Literacy Education, 12(1), 3-22. Mirra, N., Filipiak, D., & Garcia, A. (2015). Revolutionizing inquiry in urban English classrooms: Pursuing voice and justice through youth participatory action research. English Journal, 105(2), 49-57. Mirra, N. & Rogers, J. (2015). The negative impact of community stressors on learning time: Examining inequalities between California high schools. Voices in Urban Education, 40, 15-17. Garcia, A., Mirra, N., Morrell, E., Martinez, A., & Scorza, D. (2015). The Council of Youth Research: Critical literacy and civic agency in the digital age. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 31(2), 151-167. Mirra, N. (2014). What is the purpose of literacy instruction in the 21st century classroom? Listening to the voices of high school English teachers. California English, 20(1), 9-11. Mirra, N., Morrell, E., Cain, E., Scorza, D., & Ford, A. (2013). Educating for a critical democracy: Civic participation re-imagined in the Council of Youth Research. Democracy & Education, 21(1), Article 3. Scorza, D., Mirra, N., & Morrell, E. (2013). It should just be education: Critical pedagogy normalized as academic excellence. International Journal of Critical Pedagogy, 4(2), 15-34. Mirra, N. & Morrell, E. (2011). Teachers as civic agents: Toward a critical democratic theory of urban teacher development. Journal of Teacher Education, 62(4), 408-420. Public Scholarship Mirra, N., Macaluso, M., Morrell, J., & Scherff, L. (in press, 2022). Teaching literature in the secondary English Language Arts classroom. Policy brief, NCTE James R. Squire Office of Policy Research in English 5 Language Arts. Mirra, N., McGrew, S., Kahne, J., Garcia, A. & Tynes, B. (2022, January 24). Expanding digital citizenship education to address tough issues. Phi Delta Kappan. Retrieved from https://kappanonline.org/digitalcitizenship-tough-issues-mirra-mcgrew-kahne-garcia-tynes/ Mirra, N. & Garcia, A. (2021, November 11). School cannot go on this way. Education leaders need to step up. Education Week. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-school-cannot-go-on-thisway-education-leaders-need-to-step-up/2021/11 Garcia, A. & Mirra, N. (2021, November 8). Teacher preparation for hard times. Phi Delta Kappan. Retrieved from https://kappanonline.org/possible-futures-curriculum-civic-developmental-lee/#post-84019 Garcia, A. & Mirra, N. (2021, July 7). Lesson from SCOTUS Mahanoy ruling: Preparing young people to be digital citizens. The Hill. Retrieved from https://thehill.com/opinion/education/561965-lesson-from-scotusmahanoy-ruling-preparing-young-people-to-be-digital Lyiscott, J., Mirra, N., & Garcia, A. (2021, April). Critical media literacy and popular culture in ELA classrooms. Policy brief, NCTE James R. Squire Office of Policy Research in English Language Arts. https://ncte.org/resources/policy-briefs/ Mirra, N. & Garcia, A. (2021, January 19). The same old civics ed won’t save us. Education Week. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-same-old-civics-ed-wont-save-us/2021/01 Garcia, A. & Mirra, N. (2020, June 17). Teachers need opportunities to heal before the school year begins. EdSource. Retrieved from https://edsource.org/2020/teachers-need-opportunities-to-heal-before-the-schoolyear-begins/633287 Mirra, N. & Garcia, A. (2020, May 6). The profound civics lesson kids are getting from the U.S. government’s response to the covid-19 pandemic. Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/05/06/profound-civics-lesson-kids-are-getting-usgovernments-response-covid-19-pandemic/ Mirra, N. & Garcia, A. (2020, April 25). Make your own gathering: Lessons learned from co-organizing the #SpeculativeEd Colloquium. The American Crawl. http://www.theamericancrawl.com/?p=1831 Mirra, N. (2020, January 23). Building critical civic empathy across time and space: Fostering digital democratic dialogue with the 3D project. The Current. Retrieved from https://thecurrent.educatorinnovator.org/collection/building-critical-civic-empathy-across-time-and-spacefostering-digital-democratic-dialogue-with-the-nwp-3d-project Mirra, N. (2017). Classrooms, connected learning, and civic engagement. The Connected Learning Alliance. Retrieved from http://dmlcentral.net/person/nicole-mirra/ Mirra, N. (2014, March 12). Why the Common Core flunks on civic education. Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2014/03/12/why-the-common-core-flunks-oncivic-education/ Mirra, N. (2014). Teaching toward the third c: Developing Common Core-aligned units that prepare students for college, career, and citizenship. The Current. Retrieved from https://thecurrent.educatorinnovator.org/resource/teaching-toward-the-third-c-developing-common-corealigned-units-that-prepare-students-for-college-career-citizenship Reviews Mirra, N. (2021). The conundrum of (mis)information literacy [Review of the book Unpacking fake news: An 6 educator’s guide to navigating the media with students, by W. Journell (Ed.)]. Democracy and Education, 29(1), 1-2. Mirra, N. (2019). [Review of the book Why learn history (when it’s already on your phone), by S. Wineburg]. Teachers College Record. Retrieved from https://www-tcrecord-org.proxy.libraries.rutgers.edu Mirra, N. (2017). [Review of the book Homegoing, by Y. Gyasi]. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 60(5), 594-596. Mirra, N. (2017). [Review of the book Hamilton: The revolution, by L.M. Miranda & J. McCarter]. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 60(4), 483-484. Mirra, N. (2011). [Review of the book Public engagement for public education: Joining forces to revitalize democracy and equalize schools, by M. Orr & J. Rogers (Eds.)]. Interactions: UCLA Journal of Education and Information Studies, 7(2). Grant Funding 2021-2022 Other Suns: Designing for Racial Equity through Speculative Education Spencer Foundation Conference Grant, $48,510 (PI) 2020-2021 Shakespeare Teacher Inquiry Project Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, $10,000 (PI) 2019-2020 Digital Democratic Dialogue (3D) Project National Writing Project, $10,000 (Co-PI) 2018-2020 Digital Democratic Dialogue: Reimagining Youth Civic Engagement through Participatory Politics National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, $70,000 (PI) 2017-2018 Youth in Action: NBPS-RU GSE Partnership for Civic Learning and Engagement Rutgers Community-University Research Partnership Grants for New Brunswick, $22,000 (Co-PI) 2016-2017 Exploring Photovoice as a Strategy to Support Latina Teenagers’ Educational, Health, and Civic Outcomes UTEP University Research Initiative Grant Program, $4,885 (PI) 2015-2016 Exploring Connected Learning as a Framework for Transforming Digital Literacy Teacher Education National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Conference on English Education (CEE) Research Initiative Grant, $2,500 (PI) 2015-2016 Exploring Connected Learning as a Framework for Transforming Digital Literacy Instruction UTEP Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, $500 (PI) Keynote Addresses Mirra, N. (2022, March). On our own terms: How youth are resisting injustice and transforming society. Pennsbury High School’s Pennsbury for Change Youth Conference. Keynote address presented at Pennsbury High School, Fairless Hills, PA. Mirra, N. (2022, February). Composing the future: Fostering civic engagement through literacy education. Hudson 7 Valley Writing Project Saturday Conference. Keynote address presented at Hudson Valley Writing Project, virtual. Garcia, A. & Mirra, N. (2021, September). Teaching for the world to come: Speculative civic education in the literacy classroom. Victorian Association for the Teaching of English Conference. Keynote address presented at 2021 Victorian Association for the Teaching of English state conference (Australia), virtual. Mirra, N. (2021, April). I hesitate but I do have hope: Critical civic empathy in troubled times. National Writing Project in the South Conference. Keynote address presented at 2021 NWP in the South conference, virtual. Mirra, N. (2020, July). The digital is not a place. Critical Digital Pedagogies Symposium. Keynote address presented at 2020 CU Boulder Critical Digital Pedagogies symposium, virtual. Mirra, N. (2019, October). Teacher research and knowledge: A celebration of writing and literacy. Philadelphia Writing Project Conference. Keynote address presented at 2019 Philadelphia Writing Project conference, Philadelphia, PA. Mirra, N. (2019, March). Teaching literacies of critical civic empathy in troubled times. New York City Writing Project Conference. Keynote address presented at the 2019 New York City Writing Project conference, Bronx, NY. Mirra, N. (2019, February). Teaching critical civic empathy in troubled times. Drew University Writing Project Conference. Keynote address presented at the 2019 Drew University Writing Project conference, Madison, NJ. Mirra, N. (2019, January). Beyond the golden rule: Fostering critical civic empathy through transformative literacies. Capital District Writing Project Midwinter Retreat. Keynote address presented at the 2019 Capital District Writing Project Midwinter Retreat, Albany, NY. Mirra, N. (2018, February). On our own terms: Youth resisting injustice and transforming society. Hip Hop Youth Summit. Keynote address presented at the 2018 Hip Hop Youth Summit, New York, NY. Mirra, N. & Garcia, A. (2016, October). Composing the future: Designing digital writing experiences that foster connection, participation, and justice. 4T Virtual Conference on Digital Writing. Keynote address presented at the 2016 4T Virtual Conference on Digital Writing, Ann Arbor, MI. Invited Presentations Mirra, N. (2022, April). Critical civic empathy: Teaching for solidarity and justice in divisive times. Siena College Education Department’s Committee on Teaching and Faculty Development. Invited Address to be presented to Siena College, virtual. Mirra, N. (2022, March). Literacy learning for new social futures: The purpose and practice of critical civic empathy. Toronto Writing Project Speaks. Invited address to be presented to the Toronto Writing Project (Canada), virtual. Mirra, N. (2021, November). Empathy to what end? Dreaming of alternate futures through speculative civic literacies. Civic Education and Social Justice: Model Approaches and Visions for the Field. Invited symposium speaker to be presented at the 2021 Conference of the Association for Moral Education, virtual. Mirra, N. (2021, July). What freedom looks like: Literacies of critical civic imagination and empathy. Reimagining the Post-Pandemic Literacy Classroom. Invited address presented to the National WRITE Center at the University of California, Irvine, virtual. Mirra, N. (2021, April). In what ways can youth media creation teach multiple literacies? Media Creation as a Pathway to Amplifying Diverse Youth Voices in Civic Learning. Invited address presented to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), virtual. 8 Mirra, N. (2021, March). Reimagining Schooling. Reimagining Schooling Colloquium Series. Invited address presented to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Curriculum & Instruction, virtual. Mirra, N. & Garcia, A. (2021, January). I hesitate but I do have hope: Speculative civic literacies for troubled times. Expanding Equity in Educational Research Speaker Series. Invited address presented to the University of California, Davis, virtual. Mirra, N. (2019, October). Educating for empathy. Teaching the Soft Skills of Literacy: Social Emotional Learning, Civic Engagement, and Motivation. Invited address presented to the University of California, Irvine, Writing Project, Irvine, CA. Mirra, N. & Garcia, A. (2019, October). Fostering collaborative inquiry and civic engagement through youth participatory action research. Research-Based Strategies to Enhance Learning for All Students. Invited workshop presented to University of California, Irvine, Writing Project, Irvine, CA. Mirra, N. (2019, October). I hesitate but I do have hope: Critical civic empathy in troubled times. Long Island Writing Project Speaker Series. Invited address presented to the Long Island Writing Project, Garden City, NY. Mirra, N. (2019, July). Overcoming obstacles to connection: A humanities + tech approach. Learning Power: Examining the Future of Education Amid Automation and Artificial Intelligence. Invited address presented to the Western Pennsylvania Writing Project and New America, Pittsburgh, PA. Mirra, N. (2019, April). Forging a new digital commons: Youth re-imagining and re-claiming public life. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Invited presidential address presented at the 2019 American Educational Research Association conference, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Mirra, N. (2019, April). Excellence in education research: Early career scholars and their work. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Invited poster presented at the 2019 American Educational Research Association conference, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Mirra, N. & Garcia, A. (2019, April). Speculative civic literacies: Learning designs for social transformation. Teachers College English Education Speaker Series. Invited address presented to the English Education Program at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY. Mirra, N. (2019, February). Beyond the golden rule: Critical civic empathy in literacy instruction. Educating with Empathy Conference. Invited address presented at the 2019 Learning & the Brain Educating with Empathy conference, San Francisco, CA. Mirra, N. & Filipiak, D. (2018, July). Sustaining youth voice in the classroom: Exploring inquiry, dialogue, and performance as civic literacies. Transformative Teacher Education Conference. Invited workshop presentation to the 2019 Transformative Teacher Education Conference, Glenside, PA. Mirra, N. & Garcia, A. (2018, June). Doing youth participatory action research. UCLA Declaration Project. Invited workshop presentation to the University of California, Los Angeles Declaration Project, Los Angeles, CA. Mirra, N. (2018, April). Decolonizing teacher education: Learning from YPAR and critical literacies. Center for Innovation in Teacher Education and Development. Invited address presented to the Teachers College, Columbia University Center for Innovation in Teacher Education and Development, New York, NY. Mirra, N. (2018, March). Critical literacy and the bard: Teaching Shakespeare today. Folger Shakespeare Library. Invited address presented to the Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC. Mirra, N. (2018, February). (Re)constructing citizenship: Civics education and political engagement. American Educational Research Association. Invited address presented to Division G of the American Educational 9 Research Association, online webinar. Mirra, N. & Garcia, A. (2018, January). Engaging in youth participatory action research. EduCon. Invited workshop presented at the 2018 EduCon conference, Philadelphia, PA. Mirra, N. (2017, December). Methods and methodologies for conducting literacy research with youth of color. Literacy Research Association Annual Meeting. Invited address presented at the 2017 Literacy Research Association annual meeting, Tampa, FL. Mirra, N. (2017, November). Critical issues in English education: Research by CEE Research Initiative award winners. National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Invited paper presented at the 2017 National Council of Teachers of English conference, St. Louis, MO. Mirra, N. & Garcia, A. (2017, November). Reimagining youth civic engagement. National Writing Project Webinar Series. Invited address presented to the National Writing Project Educator Innovator Network, online webinar. Mirra, N., Garcia, A., & Filipiak, D. (2016, October). Designing youth participatory action research pathways: Toward collaborative inquiry, participatory culture, and social justice. Digital Media & Learning Conference. Invited workshop presentation at the 2016 Digital Media and Learning conference, Irvine, CA. Mirra, N. (2016, June). Like islands in the sea: Building powerful futures through connected learning. Aurora Public Schools Leadership Summit. Invited address presented at the 2016 Aurora Public Schools Leadership Summit, Aurora, CO. Mirra, N. (2016, April). Doing youth participatory action research: Transforming inquiry with researchers, educators, and youth. University of Texas, El Paso, Book Talk Series. Invited address presented to the University of Texas, El Paso, English Department, El Paso, TX. Mirra, N. (2016, March). Doing youth participatory action research: Transforming inquiry with researchers, educators, and youth. University of California, Los Angeles, Speaker Series. Invited address presented at the UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, Los Angeles, CA. Mirra, N. (2015, January). Not one more thing: Relatively pain-free strategies for integrating connected learning into the real world classroom. California Writing Project Conference. Invited address presented at the 2015 California Writing Project conference, Davis, CA. National and International Conference Presentations Mirra, N. (upcoming 2022, April). Envisioning new paradigms for civic learning and engagement. American Educational Research Association Annual Convention. Organizer and panelist for invited presidential session at the 2022 American Educational Research Association conference, San Diego, CA. Mirra, N. (upcoming 2022, April). Expanding digital citizenship to confront racism and promote democracy. American Educational Research Association Annual Convention. Paper presented at the 2022 American Educational Research Association conference, San Diego, CA. Mirra, N. (upcoming 2022, April). Beyond fake news: Culturally relevant media literacies for a fractured civic landscape. American Educational Research Association Annual Convention. Paper presented at the 2022 American Educational Research Association conference, San Diego, CA. Mirra, N. (upcoming 2022, April). Guns, schools, and digital storytelling: Redesigning media literacy education for uncertain futures. American Educational Research Association Annual Convention. Paper presented at the 2022 American Educational Research Association conference, San Diego, CA. 10 Mirra, N. (2022, February). Futures bound: Redesigning literacy research as a conduit for connected civic dreaming. National Council of Teachers of English Assembly on Research Midwinter Conference. Paper presented at the 2022 National Council of Teachers of English Assembly on Research conference, virtual. Mirra, N. (2021, November). Imagining worlds worthy of our youth: Designing speculative approaches to literacy education. National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Paper presented at the 2021 National Council of Teachers of English conference, virtual. Mirra, N. (2021, November). Physically-distanced but socially connected literacies: Centering youthengaged arts, activism, and community in virtual spaces. National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Paper presented at the 2021 National Council of Teachers of English conference, virtual. Mirra, N. (2021, November). Designing antiracist ELA pedagogy through and beyond pandemic: Extending lessons learned from NCTE gatherings. National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Discussant for session at the 2021 National Council of Teachers of English conference, virtual. Mirra, N. (2021, April). Critical digital pedagogies: Educators, parents, and researchers co-designing consequential learning through play and transformative agency. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Discussant for session at the 2021 American Educational Research Association conference, virtual. Mirra, N. (2021, April). Division K graduate student pre-conference seminar. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Mentor/Discussant for session at the 2021 American Educational Research Association conference, virtual. Mirra, N. (2020, December). (Dis)connected democracy: The possibilities and tensions of civic education in a digital age. National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference. Paper presented at the 2020 College & University Faculty Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, virtual. Mirra, N. (2020, December). Unpacking criticality: How do you show up? National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference. Discussant for session at the 2020 College & University Faculty Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, virtual. Mirra, N. (2020, November). Literacy with a public purpose: Leveraging multimodality, equity, and civic engagement in the ELA classroom. National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Discussant for session at the 2020 National Council of Teachers of English conference, virtual. Mirra, N. (2020, November). Composing critical civic futures: Convening community artists, activists, educators, and youth to imagine together. National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Paper presented at the 2020 National Council of Teachers of English conference, virtual. Mirra, N. (2020, April). Civic dreaming together: Building an authentic teacher-researcher collaborative inquiry partnership. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper scheduled to be presented at the 2020 American Educational Research Association conference, San Francisco, CA. (Conference cancelled) Mirra, N. (2020, April). Designing a new public sphere: Learning and civic dreaming through digital democratic dialogue. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper scheduled to be presented at the 2020 American Educational Research Association conference, San Francisco, CA. (Conference cancelled) Mirra, N. (2020, April). Beyond pro and con: Critical performance debate and the reimagining of civic reasoning. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper scheduled to be presented at the 2020 American Educational Research Association conference, San Francisco, CA. (Conference cancelled) Mirra, N. (2020, April). Speculative civic literacies. Exploring how youth are redesigning the digital public sphere. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper scheduled to be presented at the 2020 American Educational Research Association conference, San Francisco, CA. (Conference cancelled) 11 Mirra, N. (2019, December). (Re)designing YPAR for a digital learning context: Lessons from the 3D Project. Literacy Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2019 Literacy Research Association conference, Tampa, FL. Mirra, N. (2019, December). Toward the unknown-but-soon-to-be: Imagining literacy education & research within the context of youth epistemologies. Literacy Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2019 Literacy Research Association conference, Tampa, FL. Mirra, N. (2019, November). Forging civic connections across time and space: The Digital Democratic Dialogue (3D) Project. National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Paper presented at the 2019 National Council of Teachers of English conference, Baltimore, MD. Mirra, N. (2019, November). Forefronting justice and equity in the design of digital learning opportunities. National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Paper presented at the 2019 National Council of Teachers of English conference, Baltimore, MD. Mirra, N. (2019, November). Fostering democratic dialogue through online social networks. National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Paper presented at the 2019 National Council of Teachers of English conference, Baltimore, MD. Mirra, N. (2019, April). All politics is glocal: Reimagining critical democratic community through a digital civic learning collaborative. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2019 American Educational Research Association conference, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Mirra, N. (2019, February). Hearts and minds: The possibilities and pitfalls of researching youth civic identity development across formal, informal, and multimodal learning spaces. Ethnography in Education Research Forum. Paper presented at the 2019 Ethnography in Education conference, Philadelphia, PA. Mirra, N. (2018, November). “It’s not a test or anything”: The struggle to redefine teacher identity in a YPAR context. Literacy Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2018 Literacy Research Association conference, Indian Wells, CA. Mirra, N. (2018, November). My life is my evidence: Fostering critical civic empathy through performative debate. Literacy Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2018 Literacy Research Association conference, Indian Wells, CA. Mirra, N. (2018, November). Cultivating empathy in classrooms and communities through connected teaching. National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Paper presented at the 2018 National Council of Teachers of English conference, Houston, TX. Mirra, N. & Garcia, A. (2018, May). Managing tensions in youth participatory action research. Urban ResearchBased Action Network Conference. Paper presented at the 2018 Urban Research-Based Action Network (URBAN) conference, Denver, CO. Mirra, N. (2018, April). Thoughts on fire: Performative youth debate as a form of critical civic interrogation. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2018 American Educational Research Association conference, New York, NY. Mirra, N. (2018, April). Connected learning to connected teaching: Toward a new vision of digital literacy teacher education. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2018 American Educational Research Association conference, New York, NY. Mirra, N. (2017, December). Dialogue on whose terms? Reimagining debate as a critical civic literacy practice. Literacy Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2017 Literacy Research Association conference, Tampa, FL. 12 Mirra, N. (2017, November). Promoting civic agency in the English classroom. National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Paper presented at the 2017 National Council of Teachers of English conference, St. Louis, MO. Mirra, N. (2017, November). Rejecting neutrality: Literacy and political engagement in the ELA classroom. National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Paper presented at the 2017 National Council of Teachers of English conference, St. Louis, MO. Mirra, N. (2017, November). Fostering students’ civic imagination: How to get started with youth participatory action research. National Writing Project Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2017 National Writing Project conference, St. Louis, MO. Mirra, N. (2017, June). Critical civic empathy as a guiding principle for English education and school design. Conference on English Education Conference. Paper presented at the 2017 Conference on English Education conference, Columbus, OH. Mirra, N. (2017, April). The political identities and civic education practices of America’s high school English teachers. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2017 American Educational Research Association conference, San Antonio, TX. Mirra, N. (2017, April). Reading and writing with a public purpose: Fostering critical community literacies through debate. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2017 American Educational Research Association conference, San Antonio, TX. Mirra, N. (2017, April). Critical conceptions of 21st century learning. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2017 American Educational Research Association conference, San Antonio, TX. Mirra, N. (2017, April). Latina teenagers forging community counternarratives through multimodal photovoice literacy practices. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2017 American Educational Research Association conference, San Antonio, TX. Mirra, N. (2016, December). Latina teenagers forging community counternarratives through multimodal photovoice literacy practices. Literacy Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2016 Literacy Research Association conference, Nashville, TN. Mirra, N. (2016, December). Encouraging teachers to mess around and geek out with multimodal literacies. Literacy Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2016 Literacy Research Association conference, Nashville, TN. Mirra, N. (2016, November). Inspiring civic engagement in the English classroom through youth participatory action research. National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Paper presented at the 2016 National Council of Teachers of English conference, Atlanta, GA. Mirra, N. (2016, November). Revolutionizing inquiry in the English classroom through youth participatory action research. National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Paper presented at the 2016 National Council of Teachers of English conference, Atlanta, GA. Mirra, N. (2016, April). Participation and transformation: Considering the goals and tensions of university-initiated youth participatory action research projects with K-12 youth. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2016 American Educational Research Association conference, Washington DC. Mirra, N. (2016, April). Research with a (public) purpose: Benefits and challenges of conducting inquiry for equity through youth participatory action research. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. 13 Paper presented at the 2016 American Educational Research Association conference, Washington DC. Mirra, N. (2015, December). YPAR as transformative literacy research methodology. Literacy Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2015 Literacy Research Association conference, Carlsbad, CA. Mirra, N. (2015, December). Warrior scholars and bridge builders: Fostering critical civic literacies in urban high school English classrooms through imaginative texts. Literacy Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2015 Literacy Research Association conference, Carlsbad, CA. Mirra, N. (2015, November). Literacy for social change: Youth as critical researchers and community advocates. National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Paper presented at the 2015 National Council of Teachers of English conference, Minneapolis, MN. Mirra, N. (2014, November). Getting the news from poems: Storytelling as a springboard for civic action in high school English classrooms. National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Paper presented at the 2014 National Council of Teachers of English conference, Washington, DC. Mirra, N., Rollag, S., & Garcia, A. (2014, November). Connected learning in the classroom: Linking readers, writers, and the world. National Writing Project Annual Meeting. Workshop presented at the 2014 National Writing Project conference, Washington, DC. Mirra, N. (2014, April). Innovative student research for digital literacy and critical civic engagement. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2014 American Educational Research Association conference, Philadelphia, PA. Mirra, N. (2014, April). Keeping pace or falling behind: Analyzing learning time as a resource for educational innovation and equity. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2014 American Educational Research Association conference, Philadelphia, PA. Mirra, N. (2013, November). Storytelling as a practice of freedom. National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Paper presented at the 2013 National Council of Teachers of English conference, Boston, MA. Mirra, N. (2013, April). Youth participatory action research as transformative civic engagement: Toward a grounded theory of practice. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Poster presented at the 2013 American Educational Research Association conference, San Francisco, CA. Mirra, N. (2013, April). Harnessing students’ aspirational capital: Literacy, learning, and identity development in the Council of Youth Research. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Poster presented at the 2013 American Educational Research Association conference, San Francisco, CA. Mirra, N. (2012, November). Rewriting our worlds: Harnessing the power of stories in the classroom to empower students personally, academically, and politically. National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Paper presented at the 2012 National Council of Teachers of English conference, Las Vegas, NV. Mirra, N. (2012, April). Pedagogy of digital media: Transformative uses of technology in the Council of Youth Research. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2012 American Educational Research Association conference, Vancouver, Canada. Mirra, N. (2012, April). Literacy as social movement: Critical civic pedagogy in urban high school English classrooms. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2012 American Educational Research Association conference, Vancouver, Canada. Mirra, N. (2012, April). Teachers as civic agents: Toward a critical democratic theory of urban teacher development. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2012 American 14 Educational Research Association conference, Vancouver, Canada. Mirra, N. (2012, February). Digital democracy: Harnessing the power of participatory media to inspire new forms of civic engagement and learning. Ethnography in Education Research Forum. Paper presented at the 2012 Ethnography in Education conference, Philadelphia, PA. Mirra, N. (2011, November). Getting the news from poems: Critical civic pedagogy in urban high school English classrooms. National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Paper presented at the 2011 National Council of Teachers of English conference, Chicago, IL. Mirra, N. (2011, April). Learning for social change: Youth as critical researchers and community advocates. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2011 American Educational Research Association conference, New Orleans, LA. Mirra, N. (2011, April). Civic agency in the Council of Youth Research. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2011 American Educational Research Association conference, New Orleans, LA. Mirra, N. (2011, April). Redefining the public sphere: Empowering youth of color through the practice of citizenship. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2011 American Educational Research Association conference, New Orleans, LA. Mirra, N. (2011, April). Youth research, Civic agency, and educational justice: Lessons from the Council of Youth Research. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2011 American Educational Research Association conference, New Orleans, LA. Mirra, N. (2011, February). Educators without borders: A Freirean approach to urban teacher education. Ethnography in Education Research Forum. Paper presented at the 2011 Ethnography in Education conference, Philadelphia, PA. Mirra, N. (2010, April). Education in crisis: Civic learning opportunities in times of political and economic turmoil. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2010 American Educational Research Association conference, Denver, CO. Mirra, N. (2010, April). As I learn from you, I guess you learn from me: Civic education lessons from the Mississippi Freedom School citizenship curriculum. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2010 American Educational Research Association conference, Denver, CO. Mirra, N. (2009, April). Counter-narratives of civic identity development and democratic citizenry among students of color. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. Paper presented at the 2009 American Educational Research Association conference, San Diego, CA. Professional Activities Scholarly Service 2023 Journal of Learning Sciences, Guest Co-Editor of Special Issue, “Other Suns: Designing for Racial Equity through Speculative Education” 2021-present National Council of Teachers of English Assembly on Research, Early Career Cohort Mentoring Program Committee Chair 2021-present Literacy Research Association, Field Council Sub-Committee Member 2020-present McDonnell Foundation, Digital Discourse Project, Advisory Board Member 15 2020 National Council of Teachers of English, Organizer and Convener of the NCTE Summer Sandbox 2019-present National Academy of Education, Panelist for the NAEd Civic Reasoning and Discourse Project 2019-present Spencer Foundation, Ad hoc grant proposal reviewer 2019-2021 American Educational Research Association, Division C, Section 1a Program Co-Chair 2019-present Research in the Teaching of English, Editorial Review Board 2018-2021 National Council of Teachers of English, Studies in Literacies and Multimedia (SLAM) Assembly President 2018-present National Council of Teachers of English, Standing Committee on Research 2018-2021 English Journal, Editorial Review Board 2017-2021 Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE), English Section Editor 2017-present National Council of Teachers of English, English Language Arts Teacher Educators, Executive Committee 2019 National Council of Teachers of English, Co-Chair of the Alan Purves Award Committee 2017-2018 National Council of Teachers of English, Lead Ambassador 2015-2018 National Council of Teachers of English, Standing Committee on Global Citizenship 2014-2015 School Library Journal, Advisory Board University Service 2021-present Coordinator of the Rutgers GSE English Education Program 2018-2020 Member of the Rutgers GSE Convocation Committee 2017-present Member of the Rutgers GSE English Education Program Committee 2017-present Member of the Rutgers GSE Urban Education Course Development Committee Community Service 2020-2021 Literacy Consultant for the Social Justice Leadership Institute, Inglewood, CA 2020-2021 Literacy Consultant for the Half Hollow Hills Central School District, Dix Hills, NY 2015-present Literacy Consultant for the New York City Department of Education, New York, NY