The principal investigator for this program is Dr. Terri Purcell, additional principal investigators include Dr. Markita Warren, Dr. Laura Northrop, Dr. Beth Nagy, and Dr. Marius Boboc.
Dr. Terri Purcell
Dr. Purcell teaches literacy courses at the Levin College of Public Affairs and Education at Cleveland State University and serves as literacy education program coordinator. She specializes in early literacy—examining the factors influencing reading development, vocabulary acquisition, and writing. With a strong commitment to the community, Dr. Purcell has supported early childhood centers and school districts through program evaluation, literacy program design, professional development, and literacy coaching.
In recent years, Dr. Purcell has expanded her research interests to explore the intersection of literacy, teacher preparation, racial justice, and urban education.
Dr. Laura Northrop
Dr. Northrop is an Associate Professor of literacy and education policy at Cleveland State University. Her research focuses on middle school literacy, literacy for English learners, and education policy. Prior to joining CSU, Laura worked as a middle school teacher and a K-12 literacy specialist.
Dr. Markita Warren
Dr. Warren is an Assistant Professor of Practice and Middle Childhood Education Program Coordinator in the Department of Teacher Education. Her research focuses on the linguistic needs of African American students, culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogies, and the experiences of Black or urban students in educational settings. She has served as a practitioner, coach and leader in multiple school districts and non-profit educational institutions.
Dr. Beth Nagy
Dr. Nagy is an Associate College Lecturer of Planning Practice for the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs at the Levin College of Public Affairs and Education. Dr. Nagy holds a Bachelor of Urban Planning (BUP) and Master of Community Planning (MCP) from the College of Design, Art, Architecture, and Planning (DAAP), and Ed.D. in Urban Educational Leadership from the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, all housed at the University of Cincinnati (OH). Before becoming full-time faculty at CSU, Dr. Nagy spent 18 years as a planning & development practitioner in the public and nonprofit sectors in Cincinnati, Ohio, and adjunct faculty at the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University, Dr. Nagy's teaching interests are urban planning, community development, and geospatial analysis, driven by urbanism, critical planning theory, spatial justice, professional ethics, action research, and engaged learning.
Dr. Marius Boboc
Dr. Boboc is Professor of Education and chair of the Department of Teacher Education at Cleveland State University. Marius earned his M.A. in Teacher Leadership from Roosevelt University in Chicago, and his Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. His work experience at CSU over the past 21 years includes being the Director of the Office of Student Learning Assessment (from 2008 to 2012), serving as chair of the Department of Educational Studies, Research and Technology in the College of Education and Human Services (from 2012 to 2016), followed by work as Vice Provost of Academic Planning (from 2016 to 2022). In the latter capacity, he managed strategic planning, student learning assessment, academic program review and institutional research and analysis, e-Learning, Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, space management, General Education as well as technology fee allocation, among other responsibilities.
Marius’ research interests relate to online instruction (ranging from design to implementation and evaluation), institutional effectiveness, assessment and accreditation in higher education, postmodern education, leadership in higher education, teacher preparation reform, adult learning, and change management in higher education. His work has been published as books by Palgrave Macmillan, Sage Publications, IGI Global, Information Age Publishing, and Cengage Learning, as book chapters by Information Age Publishing and IGI Global, in journal articles in Brock Education Journal, TechTrends, International Journal of Learning and Development, International Journal of Education, Journal of Engaged Learning, Academic Exchange Quarterly, Electronic Journal of eLearning, Science Scope, and the Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, as well as book reviews by Teachers College Record. Research currently under contract by Sense Publishers focuses on the use of assessment data to inform curriculum development in higher education, as well as postmodernism in education, both representing book expected to be in print by the end of 2023. His numerous peer-reviewed international and national conference presentations support the same scholarship agenda.