Anna McNulty Taylor, a student in the PhD in Literacy Education program in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, has earned a spot in the selective Doctoral Dissertation Development program organized by the College of Liberal Arts (CLA). The program expands and improves formal dissertation prospectus and grant proposal development for humanities and social science doctoral students at the University of Minnesota.

Chosen students participate in an intensive workshop in spring, followed by independent summer research and another workshop at the end of summer before research grant proposal deadlines. Faculty instructors work closely with students to prepare research questions and literature reviews, identify grant opportunities and work plans and write proposals. Student participants receive up to $4,000 in summer research funding.

McNulty Taylor’s dissertation will focus on the challenges of creating change in adolescent reading instruction in a large, urban school district serving youth marginalized predominantly because of racial and linguistic identities. 

This summer, McNulty Taylor is looking forward to building relationships within the program to help support this critical work. “This isn’t research I can or should do alone; working closely with educators from across a school system is essential to truly understand and seek to create change about actual challenges and opportunities, in context,” she says. 

McNulty Taylor is grateful for support from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and CEHD, including from her advisor Professor Lori Helman and co-adviser, the late Professor David O’Brien – who sparked her interest in adolescent literacy. 

Learn more about doctoral programs and the student research experience in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.