The Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts is honored to recognize Dr. Ashley Schlafly as the 2026 recipient of the Dr. Roni Dean-Burren Literacy Leader Award. This award celebrates a campus or district leader whose work advances literacy for all, strengthens instructional practice, and supports educators at scale. Dr. Schlafly exemplifies this vision through her bold leadership, deep content expertise, and unwavering commitment to student-centered, equitable literacy instruction.

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As the Director of Secondary Reading Language Arts and Advanced Academics for Tomball ISD, Dr. Schlafly has transformed literacy teaching and learning across the district. Under her leadership, Tomball ISD has achieved historic gains in student performance, including top-ranked secondary RLA achievement in Region 4 and the highest extended constructed response writing scores in Harris County. She has led a comprehensive curriculum redesign that reintroduced full-length novels, strengthened cross-genre instruction, and aligned writing expectations through district-wide calibration protocols. Her strategic use of Depth of Knowledge has elevated rigor across all content areas, ensuring students engage in complex thinking and authentic learning experiences. Beyond the classroom, her leadership has expanded advanced academic opportunities, increased UIL participation, strengthened SAT and ACT readiness, and launched innovative initiatives such as the Advanced Academic Research Conference.

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What truly sets Dr. Schlafly apart is how she leads. She is a collaborative partner, a master teacher at heart, and a tireless advocate for educators and students alike. She walks alongside teachers, models instructional practices, listens deeply, and builds systems that empower others to do their best work. Her leadership reflects the legacy of Dr. Roni Dean-Burren by placing literacy at the center of learning and by cultivating a culture where reading, writing, and critical thinking are celebrated and sustained. TCTELA is proud to honor Dr. Ashley Schlafly for her extraordinary impact and exemplary literacy leadership.