LSU professor of literacy and urban education Margaret-Mary Sulentic Dowell was selected for the 2019 Light Up for Literacy Award for her years of dedication to providing Louisiana students access to literature and the humanities and preparing future teachers to promote literacy skills, especially in urban environments.
The award is presented by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities in partnership with the State Library of Louisiana’s Center for the Book. It recognizes an individual who has made significant and lasting contributions to the study and understanding of the humanities in Louisiana.
“My chosen profession and my lifelong profession has been as a literacy teacher,” Sulentic Dowell said.
Sulentic Dowell refers to herself as a “career educator.” She spent 15 years as a public school teacher before moving to Mississippi and working at the University of Southern Mississippi for three years.
In 2002, Sulentic Dowell moved to Louisiana and became the Assistant Superintendent for 64 elementary schools in East Baton Rouge Parish. She began working at LSU as a professor of literacy and urban education in the School of Education in 2006.
Sulentic Dowell has taught at every grade level, except kindergarten and eighth grade, and has been passionate about literacy since the beginning of her career.
“I began teaching and wanting to teach literacy skills, whether that meant teaching an appreciation of literature in high school, working with middle school children to elevate their skills or teaching basic literacy skills to elementary school children,” Sulentic Dowell said.
At the University, Sulentic Dowell coordinates the Elementary Grades Teacher Education Program, which prepares University students to become educators certified to teach in grades 1-5. She also teaches a literacy assessment class that is required for undergraduate students in the program, as well as several graduate level courses.
Sulentic Dowell assists both “pre-service” student teachers, who are working toward a degree and certification, and “in-service” teachers, who have experience as educators, in becoming the best teachers of literacy that they can be. Part of her role includes partnering with colleagues in local school systems to send student teachers from the University to gain experience teaching in elementary schools.
Sulentic Dowell said that student teaching is a critical part of University students’ preparation for a career in education and would not be possible without the support of local schools, particularly in East Baton Rouge Parish.
“I believe that all children deserve the best prepared and educated teachers that are available, and that’s my goal in partnering,” Sulentic Dowell said. “We can give students background, but then we have to rely on local schools and teachers to help us finish that process.”
Sulentic Dowell is also the Director of the LSU Writing Project, which seeks to improve the teaching of writing and help Louisiana students develop their writing and learning skills.
Sulentic Dowell has published three books promoting service-learning and literacy in schools. Her most recent book, “The Literacy Leadership Guide for Elementary Principals: Reclaiming Teacher Autonomy and Joy,” was published in December 2018 and was co-written by Tynisha D. Meidl and Jason Lau.
Sulentic Dowell was overjoyed to receive recognition for her years of dedication to promoting literacy.
“I am both thrilled and humbled by this,” Sulentic Dowell said. “This feels like it’s close to the pinnacle of my career.”
Sulentic Dowell and other award winners will be honored on April 4 at the 2019 LEH Bright Lights Awards Dinner held at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.