Jon Kittle

Jonathan M. Kittle is a Ph.D. candidate in Education with a literacy specialization at the University of Delaware’s School of Education. Drawing on quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods approaches, he examines how the home languages of multilingual students who have been classified as English learners (ML-ELs) shape their English literacy development and the knowledge that educators need to provide effective literacy instruction for ML-ELs. His broader goal is to inform literacy instruction and educator preparation to better support ML-ELs’ English literacy development.

As a former Peace Corps volunteer (Panama), faculty member at UD’s English Language Institute and AmeriCorps reading interventionist, he brings the perspectives of a language learner and practitioner to his research.

His work has been published in Educational Psychology Review and The Reading Teacher, and he is a 2026 National Academy of Education/Spencer Dissertation Fellow and recipient of the International Literacy Association’s Jeanne S. Chall Research Fellowship.

Education

• M.A., Education, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 2023
• M.A., Teaching English as a Second Language, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 2019
• B.A., History, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 2008

 Professional Experience

• Graduate Research Assistant, School of Education, University of Delaware, 2021–present
• Instructor on Record, EDUC 440: Teaching Literacy to Multilingual Learners, School of Education, University of Delaware, 2025
• Teaching Assistant, EDUC 472: Teaching English as a Second Language, School of Education, University of Delaware, 2024
• Instructor, English Language Institute, University of Delaware, 2017–2020
• AmeriCorps Reading Interventionist, Wilmington Manor Elementary School, New Castle, DE, 2015–2017

Honors and Awards

• NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship, National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, 2026
• Frank B. Murray Award for Excellence in Graduate Research, School of Education, University of Delaware, 2025
• Love of Learning Award, Phi Kappa Phi, 2023, 2025
• Jeanne S. Chall Research Fellowship, International Literacy Association, 2024
• 1st Place Graduate Poster Award, 38th Annual Marion H. Steele Research Symposium, University of Delaware, 2023

Publications

• Budde, C. M., Amendum, S. J., & Kittle, J. M. (2026). An enhanced science of reading for multilingual learners: The importance of leveraging multilingualism. The Reading Teacher, 79(5).
• Kittle, J. M., Amendum, S. J., & Budde, C. M. (2024). What does research say about the science of reading for K-5 multilingual learners? A systematic review of systematic reviews. Educational Psychology Review, 36(108), 1–31.

Invited Talks

• Budde, C. M., Kittle, J. M., & Amendum, S. J. (2026, April 22–23). An enhanced science of reading for multilingual learners: Leveraging multilingualism to strengthen literacy outcomes. 6th Annual Delaware Department of Education Multilingual Learner Virtual Conference.
• Budde, C. M., Kittle, J. M., & Amendum, S. J. (2024, April 17–18). Leveraging multilingualism within the science of reading. 4th Annual Delaware Department of Education Multilingual Learner Virtual Conference.

Selected Presentations

• Amendum, S., Babinski, L., Knotek, S., Kittle, J., Mann, J., & Coull, E. (Accepted, 2026, July 16–18). Do professional learning and teacher characteristics impact teachers’ asset and deficit orientations toward multilingual learners? [Poster presentation]. Society for the Scientific Study of Reading (SSSR) Annual Meeting, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
• Amendum, S., Babinski, L., Knotek, S., Carrig, M., Mann, J., & Kittle, J. (2025, December 3–6). Is there a relationship between participation in an evidence-based professional learning program to support multilingual learners and implementation of instructional strategies for decoding and language comprehension? [Paper presentation]. Literacy Research Association (LRA) Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV, United States.
• Amendum, S., Babinski, L., Knotek, S., Carrig, M., Mann, J., & Kittle, J. (2025, July 16–19). Exploring teachers’ use of instructional strategies for decoding and language comprehension within an evidence-based professional learning program to support multilingual learners [Paper presentation]. Society for the Scientific Study of Reading (SSSR) Annual Meeting, Calgary, Canada.
• Post, I., Kittle, J. M., Budde, C. M., Bergwall, E., & Zhuang, Z. (2025, April 23–27). Exploring perceptions and practices: Pre-service teachers’ engagement with translanguaging pedagogy in primarily White, English-dominant contexts [Paper presentation]. American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, United States.
• Kittle, J. M. (2024, December 4–7). Cross-linguistic transfer of oral language and reading skills for K-3 Spanish-speaking multilingual learners in U.S. public school settings: A systematic review [Paper presentation]. Literacy Research Association (LRA) Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA, United States.