Dr. Margaret Policastro is a professor of language and literacy at Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois where she directs the language and literacy program and is the founding director of the Summer Reading Clinic for children. Margaret has over 30 years of teaching both undergraduate and graduate students in language and literacy at Roosevelt University. She has worked over 10 years on grant funded literacy projects in Chicago Public Schools and is currently the principal investigator of the Improving Teacher Quality (ITQ) grant from the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), funded by No child Left Behind (NCLB). Margaret grew up in South Bend, Indiana and attended Indiana… University where she received her B.S. in art and elementary education and her M.S. in reading. After teaching art and reading in Indiana, she moved to Chicago, Illinois and earned her Ph.D. at Northwestern University in reading and language. Dr. Policastro's research interests currently focus on access to books for parents, children, and teachers and ongoing professional development for teachers and what effects these have on student learning.
Dr. Becky McTague is an associate professor of language and literacy at Roosevelt University. She has over 30 years of experience, ranging from elementary schools to the university level. She holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Southern Illinois University, a master's degree in reading from Northeastern Illinois University, and an Ed.D. from National-Louis University. Her teaching experiences include trainer for Reading Recovery; primary teacher in Illinois, Oklahoma, and England; and reading specialist/coach for several public school districts. She has written several articles and chapters that have been published in professional journals. Over the past 10 years, she has… directed many local grants as well as worked on federal grants focused on school improvement. Her current research interests include teacher development, struggling readers, best practices in literacy for all students, school change especially in urban settings, and supporting English Language Learners.