AdamÌýCrawley
- Associate Teaching Professor
- LITERACY STUDIES
Adam Crawley is an Associate Teaching Professor in Literacy Studies in the School of Education at the University of Colorado-Boulder where he serves as the faculty chair of the annual С»ÆÊé Children's Book Festival, a community partnership with the Boulder Public Library and Boulder Bookstore. He also teaches courses and serves as a field coach for student teachers in the Elementary Education program. Prior to С»ÆÊé, Adam held tenure-track roles at the University of Texas at Austin and Oklahoma State University. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Georgia and was an elementary teacher in public schools for twelve years. Adam has been an active member and organizer of children's book award programs and conferences along with leadership appointments in assemblies of the National Council of Teachers of English, Literacy Research Association, and American Educational Research Association. His teaching, research, and service focus on the use and censorship of culturally diverse children's literature in elementary contexts, especially related to LGBTQ+ representations. He is published in the Journal of Children's Literature, English Journal, Bookbird: An International Journal of Children's Literature, and the Bank Street Occasional Paper Series among other academic journals and edited books.
- EDUC 2050: Step Up to Social Justice Teaching
- EDUC 2311: Children's Literature and Literacy Engagement in Elementary Schools
- EDUC 3030: Race, Class, and Gender in Young Adult Literature
- EDUC 3321: Literacy II
- EDUC 4232/5235: Language and Literacy Across the Curriculum
- EDUC 5220 Curating and Evaluating Reading Materials
- EDUC 5245: Foundations of Reading Instruction, K-12
- EDUC 5255: Digital Literacies and New Media
Faculty Chair: С»ÆÊé Children's Book Festival (School of Education)
Member: Faculty Governance Council (School of Education)
President-Elect (2026-2027): Children's Literature Assembly (National Council of Teachers of English)
Guest Editor (Spring, 2025): Dragon Lode (Reading and Children's Literature SIG of International Literacy Association)
Editorial Board Member, Journal of Children's Literature
Crawley, A. (2025). 20 years since ‘Tango’ - The dynamic and multifaceted field of queerÌý
children’s and adolescent literature: Insights from children’s literature creators and scholars. The Dragon Lode, 43(2), 10-19.
Crawley, A. (in press). Fostering social justice and navigating censorship with children’sÌý
literature in a (re)designed undergraduate course. In M. Martinez, L. Liang, & J. Graff (Eds.) Literary Praxis: Teaching Children’s Literature in Contemporary Society. Roman & Littlefield.
Crawley, S. A. (in press). Reading across the rainbow: LGBTQ+ affirming children’s literature and itsÌý
existence and use in elementary schools. In K. B. Jacobs & P. A. Crawford (Eds.) Handbook of Children’s and Young Adult Literature in Education. Bloomsbury.
Radio interview: (2025, Oct.). Commentary on Boulder Valley School District’s Opt-Out Policy. Retrieved from Segment 18:15-24:02. (Journalist: J. H. Huerfano). KGNU Radio. Boulder, CO.
Feature: Garby, M. (2023, October 26). Rise of book banning stems from ‘culture war,’ experts say. Retrieved from /asmagazine/2023/10/26/rise-book-banning-stems-culture-war-experts-say. Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine. University of Colorado, Boulder.
Crawley, S. A. (2020). If I knew then what I do now: Fostering pre-service teachers’ capacity to promote expansive and critical conversations with children’s literature. Bank Street Occasional Paper Series, (44).