海角社区

BATON ROUGE, LA - Margaret-Mary (MM) Sulentic Dowell, PhD, professor in the 海角社区 Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education, was invited to present a featured workshop session at the 2025 Joint Conference of the Iowa Reading Association and the Iowa Association of School Librarians, held in Cedar Falls, Iowa, in June 2025. This year鈥檚 conference theme was , and Sulentic Dowell was invited given her national reputation as a writing scholar and scholar of Literacy Leadership, one of her established lines of research. 

Sulentic Dowell鈥檚 presentation provided a recap of writing research in PK-12 environments, revisiting Graves's classic writing workshop, and then led participants in a workshop where approximately 125 teachers, librarians, and educational leaders spent time writing about their professional lives, creating narratives reflecting their positioning in the current challenging and chaotic educational landscape. 

鈥淲riting remains a means of knowing,鈥� Sulentic Dowell provided. 鈥淚t was a perfect time and space to engage with teachers, librarians, scholars, and researchers from Iowa and across the Midwest about their identities as educators." 

Sulentic Dowell serves as the Director of the 海角社区 Writing Project and coordinates the PhD Program in Educational Leadership. She has spent decades shaping the way writing and literacy are taught, understood, and used as tools for change and how school leaders need to play a pivotal, informed role in the process. Through the 海角社区 Writing Project, a site of the National Writing Project, she helps educators and students find their voices by engaging in meaningful, passion-driven writing. 

鈥淒r. Sulentic Dowell鈥檚 work exemplifies the Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education鈥檚 mission to empower educators as leaders of change,鈥� said Laura H. Choate, Director of the Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education. 鈥淗er scholarship and dedication to the craft of writing inspire teachers and school leaders to embrace writing not only as a tool for instruction, but also as a means for reflection and advocacy in today鈥檚 complex educational landscape.鈥�

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About the 海角社区 Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education
A school of the 海角社区 College of Human Sciences & Education, the Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education (SOE) offers undergraduate programs for students who want to pursue a career as a pre-kindergarten through 12th grade teacher or acquire dual certification in both traditional elementary and special education classrooms. In addition, SOE offers 3 graduate certificates, 17 master鈥檚 degree program areas, 9 EdS certificate programs, and 2 PhD degrees in 11 areas of focus. SOE鈥檚 focus is not only on preparing highly qualified teachers but also in preparing educational leaders, curriculum studies scholars, educational technology experts, applied researchers, higher education professionals, school counselors, and clinical mental health counselors. SOE specializes scholarly expertise regarding pressing educational and wellness issues across the entire lifespan. 

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About the College of Human Sciences & Education 
The College of Human Sciences & Education (CHSE) is a nationally accredited division of 海角社区. The college is comprised of the School of Education, the School of Information Studies, the School of Kinesiology, the School of Leadership & Human Resource Development, and the School of Social Work. CHSE has two model demonstration schools, the Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool, enrolling birth to age four and the University Laboratory School enrolling Kindergarten through grade 12. The college also has four centers and institutes: the Early Childhood Education Institute, the Healthy Aging Research Center, the Leadership Development Institute, and Social Research & Evaluation Center. The college is committed to achieving the highest standards in teaching, research, and service and aims to improve quality of life across the lifespan.

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