Steve Amendum

SOE Interim Director, Professor

Dr. Steve Amendum is a professor specializing in literacy education and Interim Director of the School of Education at the University of Delaware. He teaches courses related to literacy research, assessment, and instruction at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. His research areas include early reading intervention, literacy development and instruction for multilingual learners, and evidence-based classroom instruction, as well as professional development for teachers in each of these areas.

Currently, Dr. Amendum serves as a co-PI of two Institute of Education Sciences (IES)-funded efficacy grants to: (a) test the efficacy of a professional development program (developed in a previous grant) to improve collaboration among classroom and ESL teachers, incorporate students’ cultural wealth, and improve language and literacy outcomes for K-2 Latino multilingual learners; and (b) create an online version of the same professional development program that could be widely scaled.  Dr. Amendum also completed a recent project as the principal investigator for an IES-funded grant to test an early reading and professional development intervention to improve early reading outcomes for K-1 multilingual learners.

His research has been published in Reading Research Quarterly, American Educational Research Journal, The Elementary School Journal, The Journal of Educational Psychology, Educational Psychology Review, Child Development, the Journal of Literacy Research, and The Reading Teacher.

Educational Background

• Ph.D., Literacy Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 2008
• M.Ed., Reading Education, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 1996
• B.A., Psychology & teacher certification, Hobart College, Geneva, NY, 1994

Professional Experience

• Interim Director, School of Education, University of Delaware, 2022–present
• Professor, School of Education, University of Delaware, 2020–present
• Associate Professor, School of Education, University of Delaware, 2013–2020
• Delaware Center for Teacher Education (DCTE) Faculty Scholar in Literacy, University of Delaware, 2013–2018
• Assistant Professor, North Carolina State University, 2008–2013
• Project Director, Targeted Reading Intervention, University of Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2006–2008
• Clinical Literacy Faculty Instructor, University of Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2005–2006

Recent Grants

• Babinksi, L. (PI), Amendum, S. & Knotek, S. (co-PIs). DCCS Online: ESL and Classroom Teachers Working Together with Students and Families. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. English Learners – Development & Innovation Grant (Goal 2); 2022-2026; $3,500,000 (sub-award $239,532 to University of Delaware)
• Babinksi, L. (PI), Amendum, S., Knotek, S., Sanchez, M. (co-PIs). Efficacy of the DCCS Program: ESL and Classroom Teachers Working Together with Students and Families. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, English Learners – Efficacy & Replication Grant (Goal 3), 2017–2022. ($3,299,206)
• Amendum, S. (PI), May, H., Karpyn, A., Pasquarella, A., Vernon-Feagans, L., Bratsch-Hines, M., and Babinksi, L. (co-PIs). The Targeted Reading Intervention: Investigating the Efficacy of a Web-Based Early Reading Intervention Professional Development Program for K-1 English Learners. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, English Learners – Efficacy & Replication Grant (Goal 3), 2016–2021. ($3,299,115)

Recent Professional Awards

• CEHD Dean’s Research Award, College of Education, University of Delaware, 2018
• Early Career Achievement Award, Literacy Research Association, 2015
• Delaware Center for Teacher Education (DCTE) Faculty Scholar in Literacy, University of Delaware, 2013–2018