Rate My Professor Mary Ellen Oslick

Mary Ellen Oslick, PhD, is a Professor of Education and Co-Chair of the Department of Education at Stetson University. She earned her undergraduate degree in history and humanities and her master's degree in teaching, with emphases on reading and special education, from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. She holds a PhD in curriculum and instruction, with a specialization in children's literature and literacy, from the University of Florida. Prior to joining Stetson University, Dr. Oslick taught for five years in elementary and intermediate schools in urban and suburban areas of Texas. At Stetson, she teaches undergraduate courses in reading methods and best practices in education, as well as graduate and pre-service teacher education courses in literacy content areas. She conducts and supervises field placements and works in diverse educational settings.

Dr. Oslick's research interests encompass social justice and critical literacy applications, multicultural children's literature, reading and writing instruction with diverse learners, and pre-service teacher instruction in elementary and middle-level education, children's literature, and reading. Her areas of expertise include dyslexia. She has secured research grants and published scholarly papers in peer-reviewed journals and books. Notable among her achievements is the 2014 Virginia Hamilton Essay Award for her article, "Children's Voices: Reactions to a Criminal Justice Issue Picture Book." Key publications include the edited volumes Immigrant Experiences: Expanding the School-Home-Community Dialogue (2019) and Land of Opportunity: Immigrant Experiences in the North American Landscape (2019). Recent works feature "Write about what you read: Preservice teachers consider Notable Books for a Global Society" (Florida Literacy Journal, 2023), co-edited "2024 Notable Books for a Global Society: A book list for grades PreK-12: The importance of sharing our stories" (The Dragon Lode, 2024), "Responsive math pedagogy: The role of diverse picture books in the K-5 classroom" (Dimensions in Mathematics, 2024), and "Preservice teachers examine translanguaging in children’s literature" (The Leaflet, 2022). Dr. Oslick has been tenured and promoted, contributing significantly to literacy education through her teaching, research, and publications.