Womack Department of Teaching, Learning, and Innovation

McClain, Dr. Janna

Multilingual Learners Lab

About the Lab

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Current Projects

Disentangling Disproportionality: A Qualitative Exploration of Collaborative Decision-Making in the Referral and Identification of Elementary-Aged Students Designated English Learner in Middle Tennessee (Janna McClain, PI). Funding provided by MT-IGO Grant.
Informing Effective Literacy Intervention with Literacy Profiles of Spanish-English Bilingual Elementary Students (Janna McClain & Eric Oslund, Co-PIs. Tiffany Anderson, Project Manager). Funded provided by the COE-IGO Grant.
An SRSD Writing Intervention with Adolescent English Learners: Effects on Writing and Academic Language (Caitlyn Osborne-Parris, PI). Funded provided by the Ethel Bowden Stricklin Grant.
Exploring the relationship between Spanish L1 Language Comprehension and English L2 Reading Comprehension: A Meta-Analysis (Tiffany Anderson, PI)
A Systematic Review of Adolescent Multilingual Writing in the U.S. (DeAnna D. Osborne, PI)
‘Against All Hope, I Hope’: A Phenomenological Interview Study of Schooling in Wartime Kyiv. (Amanda Denning, PI)
A Systematic Review of the REWARDS Reading Intervention: Effects on Word Reading and Reading Comprehension in Secondary Struggling Readers. (Clarissa Hooper, PI)

Lab Members

Current Publications

McClain, J.B., MacDonell, L.*, Kloberdanz, K.*, Odegard, T. (2025). Multiply minoritized: Science of reading for multilingual learners in an English-only state. Education Policy Analysis Archives.

Marshall, S.P., McClain, J.B., & McBride, A. (2023) Reframing translanguaging practices to shift mathematics teachers’ language ideologies. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education.

McClain, J.B., Mancilla-Martinez, J., Flores, I. & Buckley, L.E. (2021). Translanguaging to support emergent bilingual students in English dominant preschools: An explanatory sequential mixed-method study. Bilingual Research Journal 44(2), 158-173.

McClain, J.B. & Schrodt, K. (2021). Making space for multilingualism: Using translanguaging pedagogies to disrupt monolingual language ideologies within a culturally responsive kindergarten curriculum. The Reading Teacher, 75(3), 385-388.

McClain, J.B., Harmon, M., & Phillips Galloway, E. (2021). Eliminating prerequisites for personhood: A framework for antiracist language instruction. Language Arts 99(1), 25-35..

McClain, J.B., Oh, M., & Mancilla-Martinez, J. (2021). Questioning the monolingual norm with conceptually scored vocabulary assessments: Findings from a researcher-practitioner partnership. TESOL Journal 12(3), 585-590.

	Janna McClain, Ph.D Associate Professor Teaching, Learning, Innovation Janna.McClain@mtsu.edu Janna McClain, Ph.D, is the director of the Multilingual Learners Literacy Lab, associate professor in the department of Teaching, Learning and Innovation, and program coordinator for the undergraduate major in elementary education at Middle Tennessee State University. Her scholarship focuses on multilingual learners, translanguaging pedagogies, culturally responsive teaching, and equitable language assessment. Her research examines how educators can challenge monolingual ideologies and create inclusive learning environments for emergent bilingual students. She has published extensively in leading literacy, bilingual education, and teacher education journals, advancing antiracist and asset-based approaches to language and literacy instruction.
	Caitlyn Osborne Parris, M.Ed., is a Ph.D. candidate in MTSU’s Literacy Studies program, with plans to defend her dissertation in spring of 2027. She is active in public education, entering her 11^th year in the ESL classroom, and has been the ESL lead teacher at her school for 8 years. She has been integral in MTSU’s ESL practicum, a collaboration between local district schools and MTSU’s undergraduate education program. She has received awards such as: Teacher of the Year (2024-2025) for her school, High School Teacher (2024-2025) of the Year for her district, and Outstanding Student award (2025-2026) from MTSU’s Literacy Studies program. She is passionate about advocating for English learners and their families, providing professional development, and pursuing best practices for English learners in order to provide a culturally and linguistically responsive, equitable, and rigorous education.
	Clarissa Hooper, M.Ed., is a Ph.D. student in Literacy Studies at Middle Tennessee State University and serves as an Assistant Professor of Education at Bismarck State College. With experience as a classroom teacher and English Learner specialist, she has supported multilingual learners across K–12 settings while mentoring educators in evidence-based instructional practices. Clarissa serves on the advocacy committee of DAKOTA TESOL, where she works to support policies and practices that advance educational opportunities for multilingual learners. As a 2025 Fulbright-Hays scholar in Oaxaca, Mexico, she studied language, literacy, and culture in Indigenous and multilingual communities. Her research interests include literacy interventions, language development, and equitable access to education for multilingual learners.
	Amanda Denney, M.Ed., has been a classroom teacher for 15 years, with a decade of experience in schools overseas. Having taught both ELA and ESL, Amanda joined the Literacy Studies Ph.D. program at MTSU to gain a better understanding of how English Language Learning and English Language Arts intersect, particularly for students who have experienced trauma or sudden changes in their literacy journeys. In addition to her studies at MTSU, Amanda teaches secondary ESL.
	Angelica DaSilva (Alumnae) is a post-doctoral fellow for literacy and technology at the Sesame Street Workshop / Joan Ganz Cooney Center in New York, NY. Her work focuses on multilingual learners, educational technology, and equity. She has taught at the K–12 and university levels, contributed to Tennessee’s TISA initiative, coordinated the Seal of Biliteracy, and provided teacher professional development. Her research examines multilingual identity, translanguaging, writing interventions for English learners, and equitable access to diverse classroom libraries, reflecting her commitment to research-driven literacy innovation.
	DeAnna DeBow Osborne, Ed.S., is a K-12 educator and Ph.D. student in Literacy Studies at Middle Tennessee State University. Teaching for nearly three decades in PK-Adult classroom settings, DeAnna has served in rural, suburban, and urban districts. She is active in community organizations and advocacy efforts related to education, diversity, and disability. Her research interests center on augmenting the voices of learners and families, understanding the intersectional realities of learners with differences, and advancing equitable access and assessment practices.
	Lauren M. MacDonell, M.Ed., is a researcher, instructional design consultant, and teacher educator specializing in inclusive language and literacy learning. Her work as a researcher and instructional designer focuses on making language and literacy learning accessible to students of all language backgrounds and abilities. Lauren has expertise in student-centered instructional methods and Universal Design for Learning. She is currently an adjunct instructor in Middle Tennessee State University’s (MTSU) College of Education, a doctoral student and research assistant in MTSU’s Literacy Studies program, and an instructor and course designer in College Unbound’s teacher preparation program.