Best Practices of Literacy Leaders Keys to School Improvement

Allison Swan Dagen, PhD, is Professor in the College of Education and Human Services at West Virginia University, where she also serves as Program Coordinator for the Literacy Education/Reading Specialist graduate program. Her research interests include effective professional learning for literacy educators, reading specialist/literacy coach preparation, teachers’ literacy leadership, National Board Teaching Certification, and emergent literacy practices. Dr. Swan Dagen was a member of the Standards Revision Committee 2017 of the International Literacy Association and serves on the editorial board of Reading and Writing Quarterly.

Rita M. Bean, PhD, is Professor Emerita in the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh, where she served as director of the Reading Center for 25 years. Prior to joining the university, she taught at the elementary school level and also served as a reading supervisor for grades K-12. Dr. Bean has developed elementary and middle school reading curriculum materials and has published numerous articles and book chapters on reading curriculum, assessment and instruction in reading, professional learning, and the role of reading specialists and literacy coaches. She served as a researcher on several large grants, including Reading First in Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania’s Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy Grant. She is a member of the Reading Hall of Fame, a former board member of the International Literacy Association (ILA), and served as chair of the ILA's Commission on the Role of the Reading Specialist. Dr. Bean also served as co-chair of the ILA committee that developed the Standards for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals 2017. She is a recipient of the University of Pittsburgh’s Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching and Distinguished Service Awards, as well as awards from the Keystone State Reading Association, the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers, The ILA, and the Pennsylvania branch of the International Dyslexia Association.