Associate Dean of School of Education, Assistant Professor of Educational Reading and Language Arts
Email: mqueenan@bridgeport.edu
Phone: (203) 576-4218
Fax: (203) 576-4200
Office: Carlson 106
Degrees
Ph.D. in English Education, Teachers College Columbia University, May 1991, dissertation: Teacher Research: A Case Study, Advisor Lucy McCormick Calkins.
M.Phil in English Education, Teachers College Columbia University, May 1991.
M.A. in English, Southern Connecticut State University, Thesis: “My Father’s Arms,” book of poetry, advisor Vivian Shipley.
B.S. in English Education, Southern Connecticut State University, Magna Cum Laude, English Prize
Biography
Margaret Lally Queenan earned her B.S. in English Education Magna cum Laude from Southern Connecticut State University where she was awarded the English Prize. She went on to earn a Master’s degree in English from the same university, writing a book of poetry, My Father’s Arms. Her advisor was professor and poet Vivian Shipley. She received a Ph.D. degree from Columbia University. Her dissertation advisor was Lucy McCormick Calkins for a case study in action research: Teacher Research: A Case Study. Her doctoral qualifying examinations were in the field of reading and writing.Dr. Queenan is currently Associate Dean of the School of Education and Assistant Professor of Educational Reading and Language Arts. She teaches Methods and Materials of Teaching Language Arts, Early Childhood Literacy, and Developmental Reading and is director of the Elementary Education Program in the School of Education. She has been appointed Accreditation Coordinator for the School of Education in preparation for its accreditation site visit in April 2012. In 2008-2009 she served as Assistant Director for the Center for Learning and Teaching (CELT) at the University of Bridgeport.
For many years she was an elementary, middle school, and secondary school teacher in the Stamford Public Schools. In elementary school she taught all subjects; in middle school she taught language arts; and in high school she taught English and served as English Department Chair for English and ESL teachers. She also served as an administrator in the Stamford Public Schools. Her positions included Reading Success Administrator, World Languages Administrator, Social Studies Administrator, Interim Director of Curriculum and Instruction, and Executive Director of Content and Performance Standards. During that time she served as adjunct professor in the NEAG School of Education at the University of Connecticut Stamford and at the University of Bridgeport Stamford Center.
She has served in many capacities on literacy and assessment committees for the Connecticut State Department of Education. She was on the committee to review and select the “Connecticut Foundations of Reading Test.” She served as a Connecticut Literacy Leader. She served on the Connecticut Standards Writing Committee and the Standards Setting Committee for the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT). She served on the committee to create the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) and reviewed the reading tests to set passing standards annually. She served on the Crosswalk Committee to determine the alliance between the Connecticut State Standards and the Common Core State Standards. She is certified by the State as a trainer of Data Driven Decision Making and Making Standards Work.
She was awarded the “Distinguished Literacy Award” from the International Reading Association and the Connecticut Reading Association for significant contributions to literacy. She achieved National Board for Professional Teaching Standards status in Young Adulthood and English Language Arts and was Stamford Teacher of the Year,
Her research is in the field of reading comprehension strategies in the content area in elementary school. She has published a variety of articles resulting from her research and has presented papers on her findings at various conferences.
She has served as president of the Connecticut Association for Reading Research (CARR) and co-president of Connecticut Reading Association Fairfield County Chapter. She is the immediate past president of both organizations and the nominations chair of Connecticut Association for Reading Research. She serves on the Language Arts Think Tank of university professors advising the Connecticut State Department of Education on matters of literacy. She has been on the conference committee and breakfast chair of the Connecticut Reading Association annual conference for the past six years. She was Recording Secretary and Vice President of the Connecticut Association for Reading Research.
She holds current Connecticut certification licenses to teach Grades 1-8 and Secondary English in Grades 7-12. She also holds current Connecticut certification licenses as Department Chair and in Intermediate Administration or Supervision.