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Jameelah Wright, who just completed William Paterson University’s Pre-Doctoral Teaching Fellowship program in the Department of Teacher Education, has been recognized by the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (NAECTE) with its “Outstanding Dissertation Award.”
Wright, who served as a teaching fellow on campus starting in 2023 and completed her doctoral studies in May 2025, was subsequently hired as an assistant professor in WP’s Department of Teacher Education. She officially joins the University faculty for the fall 2025 semester and is serving as the Early Childhood Education Undergraduate Program Director, co-advisor of the Education Club, and co-advisor of WP’s chapter of Kappa Delta Pi – an honor society for educators.
Wright’s dissertation, “Understanding the Work Lives and Career Intentions of Black Women Prekindergarten Teacher Assistants,” is being recognized by NAECTE for its excellence and “potential to have a positive impact on the field of early childhood education,” the organization announced.
WP’s Pre-Doctoral Teaching Fellowship Program, which brought Wright to campus in 2023, aims to advance diversity in higher education faculty by supporting candidates from historically underrepresented backgrounds on their professional path to becoming exceptional instructors in their field. Wright decided to start her post-fellowship path right here at William Paterson.
Heading into her first semester on the WP College of Education faculty, Wright says she looks forward to continuing her research into early childhood workforce development and engaging her students in “joyful learning experiences.”
