Mary Ann Poparad, Ph.D.

Title:

Director, Reading Recovery / Descubriendo La Lectura Center for Literacy
Assistant Professor in Reading, Language and Literacy

Programs/Classes Taught:

Teacher Leader of Reading Illinois Endorsement
Note: Enrollment in these particular post-graduate level courses are limited to individuals who are nominated by their school district administrators (employers), meet specific criteria and are working in PK-12 schools.

RLL 563 Models and Theories of Literacy Development
RLL 562 Research on the Acquisition of Literacy
RLL 559 Comprehensive Literacy for School Improvement
RLL 569 Early Literacy Assessment
RLL 568A Reading & Writing Interventions Supervised Practicum I
RLL 561A Literacy Lessons Designed for Individuals Supervised Practicum I
RLL 561B Literacy Lessons Designed for Individuals Supervised Practicum II
RLL 566A Reading Teacher Leadership I
RLL 566B Reading Teacher Leadership II
RLL 570 Literacy Coaching for School Improvement
RLL 566C Reading Teacher Leadership and Implementation
RLL 568B Reading & Writing Interventions Supervised Practicum II
RLL 561C Literacy Lessons Designed for Individuals Advanced Practicum III
RLL 565 Intervention Designs for Struggling Readers and Writers

Areas of Expertise:

Systematic school improvement processes, early literacy learning, the assessment and diagnosis of reading difficulties, diversity among learners of all ages, continuous professional learning, effective instructional leadership and microgenetic methods for studying cognitive change processes.

Biography:

Dr. Mary Ann Poparad is an Assistant Professor in the National College of Education and Director of the Illinois Reading Recovery Center at National Louis University Lisle Campus. She holds Illinois certification as a K-12 Reading Specialist, Secondary English Teacher and K-12 Principal.

Before joining the faculty at National-Louis, she taught reading and English in the secondary and primary grades and held positions of reading specialist, Title I Director, Student Teacher Supervisor, grant writer, andrecently Reading Recovery Teacher Leader.

As the Illinois Reading Recovery Director and Trainer, she prepares liteacy coaches and leaders as they engage in a full year of post-graduate course work that includes clinical, instructional techniques, leadership, coaching and mentoring skills, academic, research and report writing and district / regional program management. After a year of study, Teacher Leaders provide initial and ongoing professional development for Reading Recover Teachers in local school districts across the state of Illinois.

As Director of the Reading Recovery & As the Illinois Reading Recovery Director and Trainer, she prepares Reading Recovery Teacher Leaders as they engage in a full year of post-graduate course work that includes clinical, instructional techniques, leadership, coaching and mentoring skills, academic, research and report writing and district / regional program management. After a year of study, Teacher Leaders provide initial and ongoing professional development for Reading Recover Teachers in local school districts across the state of Illinois.

As Director of the Reading Recovery and Descubriendo La Lectura Center, Dr. Poparad conducts
annual program reviews and research at local, state, national, and international levels. Research on Reading Recovery and Descubriendo la Lectura (RR in Spanish) uses systematic, empirical methods to collect data annually on all participating children. Data collection, analysis, and assessment are standardized within a quasi-experimental research design. Data are also collected on random sample of grade level peers to provide a comparison group. Implementation, leadership, and direct instruction are refined based upon research findings. Annual program results for Illinois are published each year in an annual Executive Summary. [See www.illinoisreadingrecovery.org for additional information and location of affiliated school sites.]

Center, Dr. Poparad conducts annual program reviews and research at local, state, national, and international levels. Research on Reading Recovery and Descubriendo la Lectura (RR in Spanish) uses systematic, empirical methods to collect data annually on all participating children. Data collection, analysis, and assessment are standardized within a quasi-experimental research design. Data are also collected on random sample of grade level peers to provide a comparison group. Implementation, leadership, and direct instruction are refined based upon research findings. Annual program results for Illinois are published each year in an annual Executive Summary. [See www.illinoisreadingrecovery.org for additional information and location of affiliated school sites.]

Education:

Post Doctoral National Certification: Reading Recovery Trainer of Teacher Leaders,
The Ohio State University, Columbus OH, 2006-2007

Post Doctoral National Certification: Partnerships in Comprehensive Literacy Model Coach Trainer
University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2009

Ph.D. Administration, Curriculum and Instruction
University of Nebraska, Lincoln NE
Dissertation: Teachers in Professional Transition, 1995

K-12 Education Administrative Certification Program
University of Texas Permian Basin, Odessa TX

Reading and English Education Master of Science
Secondary English Education Bachelor of Science
Indiana State University, Terre Haute IN

Research and Interests:

Dr. Poparad is interested in studying the effects of in-the-moment teacher decision making that most positively affects the accelearted acheivement of students who experience the most difficulty with literacy learning, the assessment and diagnosis of reading difficulties, diversity among learners of all ages, continuous professional learning, effective instructional leadership with effective school system structures.