Literacy Research Center and Clinic Faculty Profiles

Alfred W. Tatum, Ph.D., is a Professor of Literacy Education in the School of Education, Executive Director of the MSU Denver Literacy Research Center and Clinic (LRCC). Prior to joining MSU Denver in 2021, he was dean of the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He also served as director the UIC Reading Clinic from 2007-2020.

Dr. Tatum, who served as the President of the Literacy Research Association, is the foremost expert on the literacy development of African American boys. He has authored more than 80 publications on the topic. He authored four books that include the award-winning book, Teaching Reading to Black Adolescent Males: Closing the Achievement Gap; Reading for Their Life: (Re) building the Textual Lineages of African American Males; Fearless Voices: Engaging a New Generation of African American Adolescent Male Writers; and Teaching Black Boys in the Elementary Grades: Advanced Disciplinary Reading and Writing to Secure Their Futures. His most recent research project focused on the roles of texts and writing to advance the literacy development of boys in grades, 3, 4, and 5.

Dr. Tatum earned a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Literacy. Language, and Culture Program. He was a middle school teacher and reading specialist in the Chicago Public Schools.

Dr. Roland K. Schendel was an elementary classroom teacher for nine years while serving as a differentiated instruction coach, service-learning liaison, literacy coach, and curriculum mapper for School District #51 in Grand Junction, Colorado. He has also taught in middle and high schools throughout his 27-year career in education.

Upon leaving the elementary classroom to pursue a doctorate in literacy research at the University of Northern Colorado, Roland shifted his efforts to creating, conducting, and understanding literacy research. Roland’s work is showcased in multiple books, articles, and presentations that are connected to the Clinical Practice Commission, the Library of Congress, and Teaching with Primary Sources.Dr. Schendel’s current research and teaching interests involve partnerships between teacher preparation programs and classrooms and nurturing school-based culture through food and play. The impact of partnerships on student learning, pre-service teacher preparation, teacher professional development, and university instructor experience are of particular interest.

Dr. Dennis-Canges received her doctorate in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Teacher Education in Multicultural Societies from the University of Southern California (USC). She completed her undergraduate work in Psychology at California State University, Long Beach where she also completed both her master’s in special education and education specialist teaching credential.

Dr. Dennis-Canges started her career teaching literacy as a middle school special education teacher in California. It was during that time that she also worked to promote acceptance of students with disabilities by implementing district-wide awareness programs. She has studied and provided trainings for improving instruction for English Language Learners and currently researches methods for improving teacher preparation programs so all teachers can better support students with disabilities.

Dr. Krista Griffin is a Professor of Literacy Education in the School of Education where she has taught for 14 years. In her own words, “I love teaching at MSU Denver.” Dr. Griffin taught for six years at University of Northern Colorado. She has also taught first grade in Greeley District and served as the director of a Montessori preschool and childcare center in the Colorado mountains. She has taught grades (K-6) on the Eastern Plains. Since 1994, Dr. Griffin has taught in some form and in some town in Colorado.

Dr. Griffin loves to read, which works out well as a literacy professor. She is very passionate about helping new teachers find ways to make literacy fun and meaningful to their future students. Her research interests include motivation and engagement in literacy, joy in teaching, teacher retention, and researching with children.

Dr. Lina M. Martín-Corredor is an Associate Professor in the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) Education program at Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver). She earned her Ph.D. in Culture, Literacy, and Language from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She coordinates both the CLD Endorsement and the Bilingual Education Specialist Endorsement programs. Her primary teaching duties involve courses on bilingual education research, CLD and bilingual instructional methods, and bilingual language and biliteracy development. Her previous teaching experience includes English as a Second Language (ESL), Dual Language Bilingual Education (DLBE), and Spanish as a heritage language in K-12 classrooms.

Dr. Martín-Corredor’s research and scholarship center on interdisciplinary issues of diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice in education. At MSU Denver, she is a co-author and advisory board member of the grant Disrupting Inequality: Designing School of Education Programs for Traditionally Underrepresented Students, funded by the Augustus F. Hawkins Center of Excellence Program. She also initiated and contributes to a Lesson Study team that designs justice-oriented lessons at the intersection of CLD, bilingual, special education, and literacy courses. Additionally, she co-leads a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) dedicated to researching and promoting translanguaging practices among faculty across various disciplines. She is also a Faculty Research Affiliate for the MSU Denver Literacy Research Center and Clinic.

Beyond her research, Dr. Martín-Corredor is the faculty leader of the Educación Bilingüe Affinity Group in MSU Denver’s School of Education. She also serves as the Co-Chair of the Advocacy Working Group within the Bilingual Education Special Interest Group (SIG) of the American Educational Research Association (AERA).

Dr. Dorothy Shapland Rodriguez is a Professor in the Special Education, Early Childhood, and Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Education Department at the School of Education, Metropolitan State University of Denver where she has taught future teachers for the past 10 years. She has served as a teacher leader, curriculum writer, instructional coach, consultant, and professional development provider for schools, centers, educators, and leaders across the US. Dr. Shapland Rodriguez is active in the Early Childhood Education (ECE) community and serves as a member of multiple state boards and city councils. She is a Master Trainer and Equity Consultant for IREE working on projects across the country on equity, culturally responsive practices, language justice, and belonging in ECE Settings.

Having obtained a BA in Psychology with concentrations in English and Theater from Muhlenberg College, Dr. Shapland Rodriguez earned a Montessori Pre-Primary (3-6) credential and taught preschool and early elementary for over 30 years adding teaching endorsements in ECE (0-8), Elementary Ed. (K-6), Gifted and Talented Specialist.(Pre K-12), Special Ed. Generalist (5-21), Instructional Technology (K-12), Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Education (K-12), and English Language Arts (7-12) to her professional teaching license. She earned an MA in Educational Leadership Advocacy & Policy with a concentration in ECE from the University of Denver, and an Ed.D in Leadership for Educational Equity with a concentration in Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education from the University of Colorado, Denver. She holds a Colorado Childcare Center Director Certificate and has recently added the Colorado Professional Coaching Credential

Dr. Shapland Rodriguez recently co-authored the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s book: Becoming a Culturally Responsive Teacher: Sustaining the Cultures of Young Children. She is committed to transforming education through compassion, justice, and reflection, equipping educators to meet the needs of all learners and communities.

Dr. Astrid Sierra is Assistant Professor of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Her research focuses on teacher education, literacy and biliteracy development in multilingual educational settings, including dual language bilingual education, educator learning, family-school partnerships, and educational leadership. She is particularly interested in how literacy practices intersect with language ideologies, educator identities, professional learning, and educational opportunities for multilingual learners. Her work seeks to amplify the experiences of multilingual learners, families, and educators. Her scholarship has been published in the International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, International Journal of Multicultural Education, and the Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education.

Dr. Astrid Sierra earned her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park.