Kathryn Leech, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the UNC School of Education, has been selected as a recipient of the 2025 Phillip and Ruth Hettleman Prizes for Artistic and Scholarly Achievement. The prize is awarded annually to five promising UNC-Chapel Hill faculty members who exemplify groundbreaking and innovative research, along with strong potential for future career success.
The late Phillip Hettleman, a member of the Carolina Class of 1921, and his wife, Ruth, established the award in 1986 to recognize the achievements of outstanding junior faculty. In addition to receiving an $8,000 prize, each recipient will present their research during University Research Week, October 20–24. This year’s University Research Week theme is “UNC Research is North Carolina.”
Leech investigates how everyday conversations between adults and children shape early language, literacy, and STEM development. Her work spans observational studies in authentic environments, experimental research to uncover causal mechanisms, and the design of innovative interventions that empower families to support their children’s learning.
She explores early childhood language and literacy development, focusing on how children’s social interactions with caregivers support these foundational skills. Her work, sitting at the intersection of education and developmental psychology, informs both her teaching and research in translating evidence-based practices into strategies that enhance family functioning and child development.
“Dr. Leech’s impact on early childhood learning and development is deepening our understanding of the role language and literacy play in the lives of young learners, and the vital role that caregivers play in language and literacy development,” said Jill V. Hamm, dean of the School of Education and William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of Education. “We are proud to see her contributions to early literacy, which are helping North Carolina children and families, recognized with this recent Hettleman Prize.”
Leech’s research has reshaped how scholars and practitioners think about early childhood learning. By identifying the specific conversational features that drive development, she has provided a roadmap for designing interventions that are both effective and scalable. Her work has demonstrated that even brief, well-targeted supports can optimize a family’s social interactions to significantly enhance children’s language and literacy outcomes.
“I am honored to receive the Hettleman Prize and grateful for this recognition,” Leech said. “I’ve been fortunate to work alongside incredible students and collaborators whose ideas continue to shape my own. This support enables us to translate developmental science into practical tools that help caregivers support children’s language and early learning at home.”
Leech’s research has provided insight into how the quality of adult-child interactions plays a more critical role in children’s development than the quantity of those interactions. Her studies have shown that decontextualized language, such as references to past or future events and explanatory dialogue, is linked to stronger vocabulary, narrative skills, and scientific reasoning in young children.
Leech directs the Early Learning Lab at the School of Education, where she leads a team of doctoral students, undergraduate research assistants, and post-baccalaureate researchers investigating the connections between family dynamics, children’s development, and future educational achievement. Projects within the lab focus on the social interactions between children and adults — particularly how parent-child conversations support early language and literacy skills, scientific thinking, and school readiness.
Her work is funded by the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program Award, with additional support from the National Institutes of Health and partnerships funded by the Gates Foundation.
“We’re also looking ahead to new questions and methods to better understand how adult-child interaction shapes early learning, and how to support these interactions more effectively at scale,” Leech said.
This story has been adapted from a news release by UNC Research.