Dr. Leigh Reagan Alley, coordinator of teacher education and assistant professor of education at the University of Maine at Augusta, has earned two top honors in the 2026 Nautilus Book Awards for School Seasons xSELeratED: A Year of Community and Collective Growth for Educators, a book she co-wrote with Heather Lageman and Walter McKenzie.
The book received Gold in Social Sciences & Education and a Special Honors Gold for Best in Small Press, placing Alley’s work among Nautilus-recognized authors that include the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Eckhart Tolle. “This recognition is deeply meaningful because the Nautilus Book Awards celebrate books written in service of a better world,” Alley said.
Alley describes the book as an invitation for educators to lead with humanity, moving through the school year with intention, reflection, and collective care. Built around the rhythms of school life, it offers a seasonal framework for strengthening community, supporting professional growth, and teaching social-emotional learning across the year.
At its center are the educators themselves. “Our work is rooted in the belief that educators deserve spaces for reflection, restoration, and collective growth,” Alley said. “School transformation begins with the educator and grows through the everyday interactions that shape school culture.”
For UMA education students, Alley’s recognition is a reminder that they are learning from faculty whose work is helping shape the field they are entering. It affirms UMA’s role in preparing educators through scholarship that is current, practical, and deeply attentive to the communities they will help build.
What does it take to lead in today’s classrooms? Explore UMA’s Education programs and learn how UMA prepares future educators with purpose, care, and practical skill.
School Seasons xSELeratED and its companion, xSELeratED Schools Framework: Social-Emotional Learning at the Speed of Life, are available now from major booksellers.