Reading Specialist

Erika Thulin Dawes is chair of the Language and Literacy Department and Professor of Language and Literacy in the Graduate School of Education at Lesley University. Erika also serves as the program director of the graduate Early Childhood Education program. 

A former elementary classroom teacher, reading specialist, and district literacy administrator, Erika now teaches and mentors courses in early childhood literacy, children's literature, and elementary literacy methods. Prior to Lesley, Erika taught literacy methods courses at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Along with Mary Ann Cappiello, she is the co-author of Teaching with Text Sets (Shell, 2012) and Teaching to Complexity: A Framework for Evaluating Literary and Content-Area Texts (Shell, 2014) and a forthcoming book with Stenhouse Publishers in 2019. She is a co-author of a book on writing instruction, Learning to Write with Purpose: Effective Instruction in Grades 4-8 (2009), and the author of ancillary materials for the well-established textbook Charlotte Huck's Children's Literature, now in its tenth edition, authored by her mentor Dr. Barbara Kiefer. In 2016, Erika was appointed chair of the Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children committee of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), for a two-year term.

She blogs about children's and young adult literature currently at "The Classroom Bookshelf," and reviews children's and middle grade books for Language Arts.

Professor Valerie Harlow Shinas is the chair of the Ph.D. in Educational Studies department and a faculty member in the Graduate School of Education. She joined Lesley University in 2012 after more than a decade working with middle school students and teachers. 

“As a teacher educator, I use my teaching experiences to make visible the connections between theory and practice for my students. Much of my work at Lesley University has centered on preparing teachers and teacher candidates to develop and deliver effective literacy and disciplinary literacy instruction. With expertise in the areas of technology-integrated literacy instruction and the TPACK theoretical framework, my research interests include integration of digital tools to support literacy and learning in K-12 classrooms.

"In addition, recent scholarly work has focused on teacher development and assessment of teacher practice. My transition to the PhD department has allowed me to use my experiences as a teacher educator and more than ten years as an educational researcher to support doctoral students on their academic journeys."

Education: BA, Anna Maria College; M.Ed., University of Massachusetts-Lowell; PhD, University of Delaware.

Dr. Enriquez teaches a variety of courses for the Language & Literacy and PhD in Educational Studies programs. A former English Language Arts teacher and literacy staff developer, she bridges her work with teachers and students through collaborative, humanizing, ethnographic, and critical research in high-needs urban populations to examine literacy instruction in school contexts. Specifically, her scholarship focuses on reader response; children’s literature for social justice; critical literacies; intersections of literacies, identities, and embodiment; and the teaching of writing.

Grace’s work has been published in a variety of national and international refereed journals and books. She also serves on national literacy committees and editorial review boards. She is the recipient of the CHLA Diversity Research Grant, the CLA Research Award, and the NCTE Research Foundation Grant. Currently, she is the Children's Literature Feature Editor for The Reading Teacher, as well as co-author of the weekly blog, The Classroom Bookshelf.

"The creative impulse, like love, can be killed, but it cannot be taught. What a teacher or librarian or parent can do, in working with children, is to give the flame enough oxygen so that it can burn. As far as I'm concerned, this providing of oxygen is one of the noblest of all vocations." - Madeleine L'Engle, A Circle of Quiet

Dr. Mary Ann Cappiello is a Professor of Language and Literacy in the Graduate School of Education at Lesley. Prior to that, she served as a curriculum facilitator for English Language Arts and Social Studies at the middle level, and she taught English Language Arts and Humanities at the middle and high school level in New York and New Hampshire.

At Lesley, she teaches courses in children's and young adult literature and literacy methods, including a specialized course in nonfiction for children and young adults. She also mentors the content literacy and children’s literature courses and advises doctoral students. Previously, she served as program director of the Collaborative Internship Program, a residency-based teacher preparation program in its fifth decade.

Mary Ann co-chaired the writing team for the National Council of Teachers of English’s (NCTE) 2023 Position Statement on the Role of Nonfiction Literature (K-12). From 2015-2018 she was a member of the National Council of Teachers of English's Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction (K-8) Committee, serving two years as chair. In 2022, Mary Ann led the national “Kids Love Nonfiction” campaign with Dr. Xenia Hadjioannou.

With Erika Dawes, Grace Enriquez, and Katie Cunningham, she is the coauthor of Reading with Purpose: Selecting and Using Children’s Literature for Inquiry and Engagement (Teachers College Press, 2023). With Erika Dawes, she is the co-author of Text Sets in Action: Pathways Through Content Area Literacy (Stenhouse, 2021), as well as Teaching with Text Sets (Shell, 2012) and Teaching to Complexity: A Framework for Evaluating Literary and Content-Area Texts (Shell, 2014). Mary Ann is also the author of the 2021 historical essay, “Searching for Dinah Tuck.”

Mary Ann has been a guest on public radio and a consultant to public television, and her work has appeared in The Reading Teacher, English Journal, Language Arts, The Dragon Lode, School Library Journal, and School Library Connection. She champions the use of biography in the K-12 classroom at The Biography Clearinghouse.  Previously, Mary Ann reviewed children's and middle-grade books for Language Arts and blogged about children's and young adult literature for over a decade at "The Classroom Bookshelf," a School Library Journal blog. Mary Ann was also a consultant on the PBS kids' show "Molly of Denali." Read more about her participation.

Mary Ann serves on the Advisory Board of the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLIF), the Program Committee of the American Independence Museum (AIM), and is the 2023 Co-Chair/2024 Lead Chair of the Children’s Literature Assembly of NCTE’s Expert Class Committee.

As Associate Director for Academic Advising and Student Services in the Coordinated Student Success department, Maude provides academic advisement to Graduate School of Education elementary, ESL and bilingual, and reading specialist students. She serves as liaison between students and university support offices, including the Registrar, Financial Aid, and Student Accounts. In collaboration with the department chair, program directors, and faculty, Maude supports student retention through tracking of academic enrollment, academic progress, and timely completion of program requirements.

Prior to joining Lesley University, Maude worked at Northeastern University in Boston, MA, in the areas of academic advising and administrative services for over 20 years within different schools/departments including the President’s Office, the School of Law, and the Graduate School of Business Administration. Maude’s passion for seeing others succeed extends to her volunteer work with high school students in youth ministry at her local church, encouraging social, spiritual, and academic development through coordination and delivery of presentations and workshops during the school year, and at annual retreat and conferences during summer vacation. She serves on her church Scholarship committee responsible for reviewing high school graduates application for financial award and annual recognition for academic success and pursuit of higher education.

Maude is a member of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA).

Education:  Northeastern University, Boston MA; BA, Sociology/Anthropology; M.Ed., Higher Education Administration with concentration in College Student Development and Counseling  

Honors and Awards:

• Northeastern University: Sigma Epsilon Rho Honor Society
• Northeastern University:  Phi Beta Delta, Honor Society for International Students
• Tabernacle Congregation: Mother of the Year Award (2015)

Presentations

• March 2016: “An Advising Team Greater than the Sum of Its Parts”  A presentation by Lesley University Academic Advising Team at NACADA East Region Conference. March 2016, Maine MA.
• 2000-2018: “Preparing for College” Annual presentation to high school students and parents on the importance of maintaining academic progress through senior year, understanding the admissions process, financial aid award, and the different ways to save for college. Tabernacle Congregation, Youth Ministry.  September 2000-present, Boston, MA.
• 2013-2018: “Strategies for Surviving First Year of College” Annual presentation to first year college students on tips for maintaining academic success, physical, social and spiritual health on college campuses. Tabernacle Congregation, Young Adult Ministry. January 2013-2017, Boston, MA.
• 2011: “Teamwork in Rebuilding the Wall” A presentation encouraging teamwork among women while facing challenges for building, restoring, and fulfilling family, fellowship, ministerial and professional responsibilities. Tabernacle Congregation, Women Ministry conference. September 2011, Boston, MA.