Tara Kirton Selected for 2026 Critical Perspectives in Early Childhood Dissertation Award

Tara Kirton was selected as the recipient of the 2026 Critical Perspectives in Early Childhood (CPECE) Dissertation Award.

According to the Dissertation Award Committee, they were deeply impressed by Tara’s dissertation, which examines how Black families experience early childhood education in New York City. Tara’s work centers narratives of resilience and joy, offering a timely counternarrative to dominant deficit-oriented discourses about Black children and families.

Tara will accept the award in person at the American Educational Research Association’s Annual Meeting in Los Angeles in April.