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Faculty Bios - Jill Lewis-Spector

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    Dr. Jill Lewis-Spector
    Professor 

    Email: jlewis@njcu.edu 
    Phone: (201) 200-3325
    Office: Professional Studies Building, 345
    Specializations: Adolescent literacy, education policy

    Click here for Dr. Lewis-Spector's full CV.

    Education

    Ed.D. Rutgers University   

    Biography

    Dr. Jill Lewis-Spector, a professor of literacy education at New Jersey City University, served as a member of the International Reading Association’s Board of Directors from 2004 until 2007 and is currently running for IRA Vice President.  With a doctorate from Rutgers University, she teaches graduate education courses in reading as well as reading basic skills courses for freshmen.  She has also taught in public schools, grades 7 through 12, in Virginia and New York.

    Throughout her career, she has worked extensively with various governmental agencies advocating for better schools and more resources for teachers. Lewis-Spector served as a volunteer for IRA’s  Secondary Education Project in Macedonia and has also worked there and in Kazakhstan and Albania for IRA’s Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking Project.  She chaired the board of directors for the American Reading Forum and is a former president for IRA’s LEADER Special Interest Group.

    Dr. Lewis-Spector has been a faculty fellow at Princeton University and was recipient of New Jersey Reading Association’s Distinguished Service Award in 2002 and the IRA Special Service award in 2008. She has authored numerous articles on topics such as professional development, advocacy, and adolescent literacy.  In addition, she has co-authored or edited several texts including Academic Literacy:  Readings and Strategies and Educators on the Frontline:  Advocacy Strategies for Your School, Your Students, and Your Profession. One of her most recent books is Essential Questions in Adolescent Literacy: Teachers and Researchers Describe What Works in Classrooms, which was published by Guilford Press.

    Awards and Honors

    President, International Reading Association (2014-2015)

    Distinguished Faculty Award, NJ Office of the Secretary of Higher Education and New Jersey Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

    Board Member, International Reading Association (2004-2007)

    Special Service Award, International Reading Association (2008)

    Special Service Award, New Jersey Reading Association (2004)

    Distinguished Service Award, New Jersey Reading Association (2002)

    Selected Publications and Presentations

    Lewis, Jill, Essential Questions in Adolescent Literacy: Teachers and Researchers Describe What Works in Classrooms, (Guilford Press): 2009.

    Lewis, Jill, Academic Literacy: Readings and Strategies, 4th ed., (Wadsworth Publishing): 2006.

    Lewis, Jill and Jongsma Lewis, Educators on the Frontline:  Advocacy Strategies for Your School, Your Students, and Your Profession, (International Reading Association): 2004.