Reading/Writing/Literacy (RWL)

M.S.Ed.           Ed.D.               Ph.D.

The Reading/Writing/Literacy program prepares students as practitioners, researchers, and policy makers in educational settings that include K-12 schools, colleges and universities, community-based literacy programs, and educational publishing and government programs.

Four principles guide the program. (1) It is interdisciplinary because literacy, language, and culture interact in rich and complex ways. Literacy and language are studied from sociopolitical, cultural, psychological, historical, linguistic, and literary perspectives. (2) The program is inquiry-based, intended to raise questions about the relationships among theory, research, policy, and practice while encouraging students to build their own theories of research and practice. (3) It focuses on diversity and on urban settings, and the contexts of different schools, communities, families, and cultures. (4) The program is committed to educational change, recognizing that educational institutions are sites in which to work for social justice, equity, and transformation.

Through internships in settings such as the Weingarten Learning Resources Center, public and independent schools, and community and social service agencies, students in RWL work with learners across generations. Students collaborate with RWL faculty in research associated with some of the most distinguished research centers and professional development projects in the country: the Philadelphia Writing Project; the Penn Literacy Network; the National Center on Fathers and Families; the National Center on Adult Literacy; Penn's Early Childhood and Family Studies Institute; and the International Literacy Institute.

The faculty's research and scholarly interests include early literacy, critical and feminist theory and pedagogy, literacy in families and communities, adolescent, intergenerational, and adult literacy, multiculturalism, curricular organization and design, practitioner inquiry assessment and evaluation, children's responses to literature, post-secondary literacies, and teacher education/professional development/teacher leadership.

Master of Science in Education (M.S.Ed.)

In developing their plans of study with an advisor, master's students in RWL draw from a range of course and field-based options. The plan of study consists of 11 course units (12 for those entering without teaching certification), which may include one transferred course. Students in this program have the option of working toward Commonwealth of Pennsylvania certification as reading specialists. Master's students may also choose to explore other areas of interest in more depth by focusing their elective courses on a particular conceptual strand. In addition to knowledge, theory, research and practice in literacy/literacy education, students are prepared for leadership opportunities in pre-K-16 education.

K-12 Literacy

This strand gives students a broad background in literacy theory, research, and practice, from pre-kindergarten through secondary school. It is intended for current (already certified) teachers as well as prospective teachers who are not yet certified.

Post-secondary Literacies

This strand allows students to focus on learning environments and academic literacies in colleges, universities, and community colleges. Field experiences and internships can be coordinated through Penn's Learning Resource Center.

Adult, Family, and Community Literacy

This strand allows students to focus on the wider social and cultural contexts of schooling in relationship to adult literacy, family and intergenerational literacy, and home-school-community relationships.

Literacy Studies

Students in this strand focus on interdisciplinary approaches to conceptualizing and studying literacy and on the relationships of culture, language, and literature, including literature for children and adolescents, literary criticism, and theory and research on responses to literature. This strand may involve courses from other departments, programs and graduate groups, such as English, Anthropology, Folklore, Africana Studies, Women's Studies, and Urban Studies.

Courses include:

EDUC 533 Forming and Reforming the Elementary Reading/Writing/Literacy Curriculum

EDUC 535 Literature for Children and Adolescents

EDUC 629 Teaching English/Language and Literacy in Middle and Secondary Schools; Adolescent Literacies

EDUC 635 Assessing Language and Learning Differences

EDUC 735 Tutorial Work in Reading/Writing/Literacy

To view GSE course offerings, click here.

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

The Ed.D. and Ph.D. programs require a minimum of 20 course units. The programs emphasize the interrelationships and integration of theory, research, and practice. The Ed.D. degree is intended for graduate study leading to an emphasis on the practice of education in schools, school districts, colleges and universities, government agencies, foundations, and consulting positions. The Ph.D. degree is intended for graduate study leading to positions in research and teaching at colleges and universities.

Doctoral students will construct an individual program of study with their advisor to suit their interests. The programs are designed by combining the core courses with additional courses in research methodology and electives. Doctoral students are encouraged to develop one or more areas of concentration. There are many options, including teacher education and professional development; leadership and policy; postsecondary learning environments; adult literacy education; reading, writing, and literacy across elementary, middle, and secondary curricula; children's literature; families, schools, and communities; and urban education.

Though a master's degree is usually required for entrance into the Ed.D. and Ph.D. programs, particularly strong candidates may be accepted into these programs without a master's degree.

Courses include:

EDUC 622 Responding to Literature: An Interdisciplinary Perspective

EDUC 723 Multicultural Issues in Education

EDUC 724 Literacy: Social and Historical Perspectives

EDUC 737 Research in Teaching Writing

EDUC 834 Theories of Reading

EDUC 836 Issues in Instructional Leadership in Reading/Writing/Literacy

To view GSE course offerings, click here.

Program Faculty

Vivian Gadsden, Ed.D., University of Michigan

Susan L. Lytle, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania

Lawrence Sipe, Ph.D., Ohio State University

Brian Street, Ph.D., Oxford University

Diane Waff, Ed.D., University of Pennsylvania

Affiliated Faculty:

Myrna Cohen, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania

Miriam Camitta, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania

A. Heidi Gross, Ed.D., University of Pennsylvania

Rhoda Kanevsky, MA, Lesley College

Program Contact

Penny Creedon, LLE Coordinator

University of Pennsylvania

Graduate School of Education

3700 Walnut Street

Philadelphia, PA 19104-6216

pennyc@gse.upenn.edu

215-898-3245 (direct) 

Mary Schlesinger, LLE Admissions Assistant

University of Pennsylvania

Graduate School of Education

3700 Walnut Street

Philadelphia, PA 19104-6216

maryzs@gse.upenn.edu

215-898-7912 (direct)