Susan Lenski, EdD, is Professor at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, where she teaches graduate reading and language arts courses. Before joining the faculty at Portland State, she taught in public schools for 20 years and at Illinois State University for 11 years. Her teaching experiences include working with children from kindergarten through high school. Dr. Lenski has been recognized by several organizations for her commitment to education. She is a recipient of the Nila Banton Smith Award from the International Reading Association; was instrumental in her school receiving an Exemplary Reading Program Award from the International Reading Association; and was inducted into the Illinois Reading Hall of Fame. She also served as a member of the International Reading Association Board of Directors. Dr. Lenski has conducted numerous presentations and has published over 60 articles and 15 books. Her research interests focus on strategic reading, English language learners, and adolescent literacy.

 

Frances Verbruggen, MA, is a student in the Doctor of Education program at Portland State University. She earned a BA in Spanish from the University of Maryland and an MA in teaching French from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She became fluent in Dutch while living for 7 years in Belgium. Ms. Verbruggen has worked as an elementary-level classroom teacher and a reading specialist in the Portland area since 2003. Her areas of research interest include struggling readers and writers and English language learners.