Teaching & curriculum professor selected for Cultivating New Voices among Scholars of Color program
William O’Neil-White, assistant professor of teaching & curriculum at the ’s , has been selected as a fellow in the 2026-28 cohort of the National Council of Teachers of English’s (NCTE) program. The prestigious two-year fellowship provides mentoring, professional support, and networking opportunities to early-career scholars of color.
Since its launch in 2000, the program has supported more than 150 fellows, encouraging emerging faculty to draw on their own cultural and linguistic perspectives in shaping research agendas while connecting them with established scholars in the field.
O’Neil-White earned his PhD in curriculum, instruction, and the science of learning from the University of Buffalo. A former high school English teacher for eight years, his qualitative studies—primarily ethnographic and design-based—investigate the literate lives of Black youth in Rust Belt cities. His work includes studies on critical literacy practices in urban schools, racial battle fatigue, and Black youth learning ecologies. He has published articles in the English Journal, Urban Education, and the Journal of Language and Literacy Education.
O'Neil-White is still deeply committed to working in his hometown community of Buffalo, N.Y. He directs a research-literacy learning lab for Black boys at Math, Science, Technology Prep High School in Buffalo and serves on the board of the Western New York Network of English Teachers.
As a CNV fellow, O’Neil-White will collaborate with an assigned mentor and fellow cohort members to address contemporary issues in language, teacher education, English and cultural studies, while advancing his research and teaching practice.
“I’m honored to have been accepted into the CNV fellowship through NCTE,” says O’Neil-White. “Many of the scholars who inspired me to become a community literacy researcher are former CNV fellows. I look forward to carrying on the important legacy of CNV scholars that came before me.”
For more information about the Cultivating New Voices among Scholars of Color program, .