Susan V. Piazza

Chair, Professor

Location:

4121 Sangren Hall, Mail Stop 5276

Mailing address:

Department of Teaching, Learning and Educational Studies
Western Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5276 USA

Education:

Wayne State University – EdD, MEd
University of Windsor – BEd, BA, Sp.Ed.Cert.

Bio:

Susan V. Piazza is Chair of the Teaching, Learning, and Educational Studies Department at Western Michigan University and a Professor of Literacy Studies. Dr. Piazza has over 25 years of experience in urban and rural schools and teacher education. A former Canadian, elementary teacher, business owner, and first-generation college student, Dr. Piazza is passionate about increasing educational opportunities and outcomes for first-time, economically challenged, and minoritized students of all ages. She received the Teacher Educator of the Year Award from the Michigan Reading Association in 2016 and has authored publications on literacy learning, teacher research, whole community initiatives, digital pedagogies, caregiver engagement, and research on effective teaching practices for racially, ethnically, linguistically, and economically minoritized students.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Dr. Piazza has consulted with urban and rural public schools across the Great Lakes Region on curriculum development and school improvement, led multiple community-university partnerships, directed the university reading center serving the broader community, and has been the principal investigator for federal and state teacher education grants that focus on improving teacher effectiveness for traditionally marginalized and minoritized learners. She also serves on the executive board of the Literacy Research Association as the organization’s Treasurer, earned distinguished research and scholarship awards, held national and local leadership fellowships, and is currently engaged with regional education agencies, community colleges, and external stakeholders to improve curriculum programming, access to degrees, and addressing the teacher shortage in the state of Michigan.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Piazza, S. V., Summy, S. & Herrera, R. (2023). Whole community early literacy improvement: K-3 academic vocabulary instruction. In Robertson, D., Hall, L.A., & Brock, C. (Eds). Innovation, Equity, and Sustainability in Literacy Professional Learning. Guilford Press.
Teichert, L., Piazza, S., & Hinga, J. (2023). Teachers’ digital pedagogies and experiences in virtual classrooms. Improving Schools, 26(1), 54-69.
Teichert, L. & Piazza, S.V. (2022). Taking stock of teacher practices during COVID-19: Using a sociocultural and 4D model of digital literacies. Technology, Pedagogy and Education. DOI: 10.1080/1475939X.2022. 2158923
Piazza, S.V., Williams, C. T., Protacio, M.S., David, V., Tigchelaar, S. M. & Kuo, H. (2020). Improving instruction for English Learners: A professional development study using SIOP. Journal of Teacher Education and Educators, 9(3), 383-405.
Piazza, S. V., Rao, S. & Protacio, S. M. (2015). Converging recommendations for culturally responsive literacy practices: Students with learning disabilities, English language learners, and socioculturally diverse learners. International Journal of Multicultural Education 17, 1-20.
Piazza, S. V. (2011). It’s not black and white: Stories of lived experience, reading, and assessments. In Malu, K. F. (ed.), Voices in the Middle: Narrative Inquiry by, for, and about the Middle-Level Community. AERA Handbook of Middle-Level Research. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.