Margaret Vaughn is the Connally Family Distinguished Professor of Literacy Education at the University of Georgia. Her research focuses on building the capacity of effective literacy practices with educators across their career.
Vaughn's career as a teacher began in the Philadelphia School District. As a former classroom teacher, she works with schools and organizations to develop professional learning communities focused on supporting effective literacy practices. She has collaborated with several organizations nationally and internationally. In a recent project, Vaughn worked across several schools to examine how reader agency supports literacy skills. Recently, she was selected as a U.S. Fulbright Specialist to examine classroom learning environments abroad on ways to support literacy learning. She is a leader in work on supporting student agency in literacy environments. Vaughn has authored and co-authored several books including Student Agency in the Classroom: Honoring Student Voice in the Curriculum; Principles of Effective Literacy Instruction, Grades K-5; Accelerating Learning Recovery for All Students: Core Principles for Getting Literacy Growth Back on Track; Overcoming Reading Challenges: Kindergarten through Middle School; and Teaching with Children’s Literature: Theory to Practice. In addition to this, Vaughn has served on other leadership organizations such as the Literacy Research Association, Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers, and the United States Board on Books for Young People. She is very active in state policy work and focuses on how to support and enhance the profession.