In my research, I think with posthumanism to imagine more expansive conceptions of literacy and explore how these conceptions intersect with teachers’ visions — their ideal images of literacy practice. Based on my research agenda, I have published writing in practitioner-oriented outlets such as Literacy Today Magazine and have written articles for the Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. More theoretical pieces have found homes in peer-reviewed journals such as The Critical Social Educator and English Leadership Quarterly. 

My scholarship also takes up children's "disruptive" play — play that is risky and uncomfortable, wild and chaotic, and shocks and challenges normative conventions, especially in school. In my work, I encourage adults to consider the affordances and limitations of intervening in children's disruptive play and the role empathy and wonder play in adults' responses to disruptive play.

A part-time instructor at Teachers College, I teach masters'-level courses focused on literacy and play to pre-and in-service teachers. I also contribute to university projects focused on the importance of play and well-being across the lifespan through my affiliation with the Digital Futures Institute, Columbia University’s interdisciplinary hub for digital innovation. 

Recent Publications

Arlington, K.C. (in press). "Starting with Visions: Using Teachers' Visions as Lines of Flight for Reimagining K-12 English Language Arts Instruction." English Leadership Quarterly.

Vitullo, A. & Arlington, K.C. (in press). "'We're Going to Kill Your Father': Disruptive Play and Its Affective Dimensions." The Critical Social Educator.

Arlington, K.C. (2024). "Leaning into Messiness: Documenting play." Playandwellbeing.com. 

Vaughn, M., Mameli, C., Grazia, V., Solheim, O.J., Kennedy, E., Lammert, C., Arlington, K.C, & Sæbø., J.U. (2024). "A cross-cultural perspective of agency in primary contexts: Validation of the Student Agency Profile across multiple sites." International Journal of Educational Research.

Arlington, K.C. & Vitullo, A. (2023, April). "Dark Play in the Classroom: Using Literacy and Play as Identity Making Tools. " Literacy Today. 

Arlington, K.C. (2022, September). "How to Maintain Your Teacher Visions." Association for Supervision and 

Curriculum Development.

Arlington, K.C., & Ryan, M. G. (2021, December). "Battling Initiative Fatigue." School Administrator.