Faculty

Nell K. Duke, Ed.D., is a professor in literacy, language, and culture and in the combined program in education and psychology at the University of Michigan. Duke’s work focuses on early literacy development, particularly among children living in poverty. Her specific areas of expertise include the development of informational reading and writing in young children, comprehension development and instruction in early schooling, and issues of equity in literacy education. She has served as Co-Principal Investigator of projects funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, the National Science Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, and the George Lucas Educational Foundation, among other organizations. Duke works with educators and organizations across the country to support literacy development in the infant through elementary school years. In recent work, Duke and collaborators have successfully narrowed achievement gaps between children in low- and high-SES school settings using a project-based learning approach. Among other roles, Duke currently serves as advisor to the Aspen Institute Urban Literacy Leadership Network, expert for the NBC News Parent Toolkit, and advisor for the Public Broadcasting Service/Corporation for Public Broadcasting Ready to Learn initiative.

Ed.D Harvard School of Education; Ed.M Harvard Department of Human Development and Psychology; B.A. Swarthmore College