Dr. Margaret-Mary Sulentic Dowell is Professor of Literacy Leadership and Urban Education,
School of Education, College of Human Sciences & Education, Louisiana State University,
Baton Rouge. Sulentic Dowell is also Director of the LSU Writing Project. Sulentic
Dowell’s research agenda includes three strands focused on literacy in urban settings,
specifically the complexities of literacy leadership, providing equitable access for
marginalized students to literature, writing, and the arts, and service-learning as
a pathway to preparing pre-service teachers to teach literacy authentically in urban
environs. Sulentic Dowell is a career educator and fierce advocate for public education,
spending the majority of her 20-year public school teaching experience in Iowa, Minnesota,
Mississippi, and she served public education as Assistant Superintendent of 64 elementary
campuses in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System in Louisiana (2020-2006). Sulentic
Dowell’s career accomplishments include being nationally and regionally recognized
for her scholarship and teaching as well as being honored by Louisiana State University
as a senior Rainmaker (2022). The College of Human Sciences and Education (CHSE) recognized
her as the inaugural recipient of the Mentoring Award in 2023, and she was the CHSE’s
2022 awardee of the Distinguished Research. Sulentic Dowell was recognized by the
Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities as the state’s Light Up for Literacy awardee
in 2019. She has also been awarded the Outstanding Faculty Contributions to Service-Learning
in Higher Education from the Gulf South Summit (2014); she received the LSU Outstanding
Faculty Service Learning Award (2013), she was named LSU Flagship Faculty (2012),
and was recipient of the (LSU) College of Education’s Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award (2012). In addition, she was named
recipient of The Kenneth S. Goodman “In Defense of Good Teaching Award” in 2007. The
University of Southern Mississippi named Sulentic Dowell an Academic Service-Learning
Faculty Fellow (2001), and she was finalist of the International Reading Association’s
annual competition for Outstanding Dissertation of the Year (2000).
Sulentic Dowell, M-M, Saal, L, DiCarlo, C. & Willingham, T. (2022). Productivity & Publishing: Writing
Processes for New Scholars & Researchers. SAGE.
Lau, J., Meidl, T. and Sulentic Dowell, M-M. (December, 2019). The Literacy Leadership Guide for Elementary Principals: Reclaiming
Teacher Autonomy and Joy. Landham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Meidl, T. & Sulentic Dowel, M-M. (March 2018). Service-Learning Initiatives in Teacher Education Programs. Hershey,
PA: IGI Global.
Sulentic Dowell, M-M. & Meidl, T. (October, 2016) Expanding Elementary Teacher Education Teacher Education
through Service-learning: A Handbook on Extending Literacy Field Experiences for 21st
Century Teacher Preparation. Landham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Louisiana Department of Education - Mentor Training for Year-Long Student Teacher
Residencies Grant. Submitted fall 2016/Awarded Fall 2017. (Co-Principal Investigator)
[$97,500.00]
Louisiana Board of Regents 2017-2019 LaSIP Grant. Writing That Works: Ongoing Professional
Development to Improve Students’ Argumentative Writing Using Informational Texts,
Grades 7-10. Submitted November 30, 2016. (Co- Principal Investigator) [$280,343.00]
2017-2018 National Writing Project SEED Invitational Leadership Institute Grant (Principal
Investigator) [$15,000.00] (indirect cost recovery rate 8%).
Louisiana Board of Regents 2015-2017 LaSIP grant. Writing that Works: Developing Ongoing
Professional Development on Integrating the CCSS to Improve Student Writing.” Submitted
November 9, 2015. (Co- Principal Investigator) [$148,253.00].
Believe and Prepare Grant with City of Baker Schools, “Professional Development Arts
Integration.” Submitted September 15, 2015. (Principal Investigator) [$50,000].
National Writing Project, Louisiana State University Writing Project High Needs Grant
2014-2015. Submitted April 10, 2014. (Principal Investigator) [$20,000].
National Writing Project, Louisiana State University Writing Project Teacher Leadership
Development SEED Grant 2014-2016. Submitted February 1, 2014. (Principal Investigator)
[$20,000].
East Baton Rouge Parish School System. “East Baton Rouge Parish School System Louisiana
State University College of Education Professional Development Writing Initiative
Partnership (EBRPSS LSU COE PDWIP)” Submitted September 3, 2010. (Principal Investigator)
[$70,000.00].
The LSU/SU Pilot Professional Development Project (PPDP) at Louisiana State University,
a Board of Regents LaSIP grant. 2009-2012. (Co-Investigator) Submitted June 15, 2009.
[$956,344.50].
2022 LSU Rainmaker for Research and Creative Activity
2019 Light Up for Literacy Award, Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities
