KINGSTON, R.I. – Jan. 4, 2023 – Danielle Dennis, professor of literacy, teacher education and policy, and former director of the University of Rhode Island School of Education, has been named dean of the Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Education and Professional Studies at URI.
A former elementary science and environmental education specialist in Duluth, Minnesota; middle school teacher in Thornton, Colorado; and UNESCO Facilitator in Kenya, Dennis has led the URI college as interim dean since July 2021.
Dennis came to URI in August 2019 to serve as director of its School of Education. During her time as director, URI’s undergraduate and graduate elementary teacher preparation programs were named among the best in the country by the National Council on Teacher Quality. Last year, the school earned full, seven-year accreditation from the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation.
Under her leadership as interim dean, the College of Education and Professional Studies was one of only 14 in the country selected to address the national teacher shortage, systematic exclusion of prospective students of color, as well as policy and practices.
Prior to her arrival in Rhode Island, from 2018 to 2019, Dennis returned to the classroom as a half-time kindergarten/first-grade teacher at Cottenham Primary School in the United Kingdom.
Dennis’ research focuses on building the capacity of literacy educators across the professional lifespan and the role of coaching to support teacher development. Additionally, she works closely with several primary schools in the United Kingdom, studying the support necessary for developing teacher and leader knowledge while designing and implementing new curricula. Other research includes the use of assessment data to make instructional decisions and the ways literacy-focused policies enhance or inhibit equitable educational practices for children.
In addition to being a member of the International Literacy Association Board of Directors, Dennis served as chair of the Policy and Legislative Committee for the Literacy Research Association, is a director of the National Center for Clinical Practice in Educator Preparation, and was a member of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Clinical Practice Commission.
Laura Beauvais, who led the process and who recently concluded her tenure as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, said Dennis’ appointment is the result of an intensive process that began in summer 2022.
“Faculty and staff at the college endorsed her wholeheartedly for the permanent role,” Beauvais said. “They praised her leadership and her work to improve the college and its programs.” Beauvais noted that Dennis “has the enthusiastic support of faculty, staff and administrators.”
Beauvais said Dennis established a strong advising structure to better serve underrepresented students, and she headed the re-accreditation effort for the School of Education, “which we passed with flying colors.” But, Beauvais said, “she brings so much more than her strong record at URI to the job.” Dennis is a national and international leader, having served on several national boards and agencies to advance teacher education and having worked in the United Kingdom and Kenya.
“I am thrilled to continue working with the Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Education and Professional Studies community as we align our strengths with the priorities of URI’s new strategic plan,” Dennis said. “We have incredible talent in our college, and we will continue to build on our successful programs, further our research reach, and develop new and creative programs that meet the needs of today’s educators and leaders.”
Provost Barbara Wolfe, who served as dean of the College of Nursing at URI for six years, said, “Danielle has exhibited exemplary leadership as interim dean of the college, and she has been a thoughtful and respected partner to fellow deans and University leaders.” Wolfe also gave praise to Beauvais for leading the process and “for all that she has done to advance this University during her time as provost and over her more than 30 years of dedicated service to URI.”
Prior to her arrival at URI, Dennis was associate professor at the University of South Florida from 2013 to 2019, where she served as coordinator of its Urban Teacher Residency Partnership Program, designing and developing one of the first undergraduate urban teacher residencies in the country; program director of the Cambridge (United Kingdom) Schools Experience; professor-in-residence at Cottenham Primary School, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom; and Global Faculty Fellow with USF’s Global Citizens Project. As associate professor, she received the Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award.
She was an assistant professor at South Florida from 2007 to 2013. In 2005, she was a UNESCO Facilitator in Nairobi and Njoro, Kenya, where she designed professional development and research programs with teachers in diagnostic teaching strategies.
Dennis earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Florida Gulf Coast University, a master’s degree in education from the University of Minnesota, and a Ph.D. in language and literacy education from the University of Tennessee. She holds a certificate in adolescent literacy from the University of Colorado.