April Sanders is an associate professor in the Department of Education at Spring Hill College. Dr. Sanders received her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in language and literacy from the University of North Texas where she was named the 2011 Outstanding Doctoral Student in Curriculum and Instruction. Prior to entering higher education, she taught English to middle school and high school students. Also, Dr. Sanders worked as a K-12 language arts curriculum specialist. Dr. Sanders teaches courses for pre-service teachers focusing on content-area literacy and language arts methods for the classroom and technology literacy; Dr. Sanders is a Certified Google Educator. In 2017, Dr. Sanders was awarded the St. John Berchmans Teaching Award given to an individual who motivates and encourages academic excellence while promoting personal growth in students.
Dr. Sanders's primary research interests include the use of the New Literacies in the K-12 classroom and how pre-service teachers are prepared to teach in a modern classroom with the New Literacies. Additional research focuses on LGBTQ+ curriculum development and preparing preservice teachers for edTPA. She currently serves as a co-editor for the Journal of Teacher Action Research. In 2014, her dissertation received Honorable Mention for Best Dissertation Award from the University of North Texas. Dr. Sanders has received the Mitchell Faculty Grant for research development. Her research has appeared in journals such as The Journal of Praxis in Multicultural Education and Confero as well as publishing several book chapters. In 2019, she was awarded the Dawson Research Award given to a faculty member for research published over a three year period. Her most recent book publication was an edited collection of research titled Incorporating LGBTQ+ Identities in K-12 Curriculum and Policy, which was published in January 2020.
Dr. Sanders's primary research interests include the use of the New Literacies in the K-12 classroom and how pre-service teachers are prepared to teach in a modern classroom with the New Literacies. Additional research focuses on LGBTQ+ curriculum development and preparing preservice teachers for edTPA. She currently serves as a co-editor for the Journal of Teacher Action Research. In 2014, her dissertation received Honorable Mention for Best Dissertation Award from the University of North Texas. Dr. Sanders has received the Mitchell Faculty Grant for research development. Her research has appeared in journals such as The Journal of Praxis in Multicultural Education and Confero as well as publishing several book chapters. In 2019, she was awarded the Dawson Research Award given to a faculty member for research published over a three year period. Her most recent book publication was an edited collection of research titled Incorporating LGBTQ+ Identities in K-12 Curriculum and Policy, which was published in January 2020.
