Dr. Margaret-Mary Sulentic Dowell is Professor of Literacy, Leadership and Urban Education,
School of Education, College of Human Sciences and Education, Louisiana State University,
Baton Rouge. Sulentic Dowell is Director of the LSU Writing Project. Her research
agenda includes three strands focused on literacy in urban settings, specifically
the complexities of literacy leadership, providing access to literature, writing,
and the arts, and service-learning as a pathway to preparing pre-service teachers
to teach literacy authentically in urban environs. Sulentic Dowell is a career educator,
spending the majority of her 20-year public school teaching experience in Iowa, Minnesota,
Mississippi, and most recently, serving public education as Assistant Superintendent
of 64 elementary campuses in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System in Louisiana.
Sulentic Dowell has been nationally recognized for her scholarship and teaching, most
recently being honored by LSU as a senior Rainmaker (2022) and she was recognized
by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities as the Light Up for Literacy awardee
in 2019. Sulentic Dowell co-authored Productivity and Publishing: Writing Processes
for New Scholars and Researchers (SAGE, 2022) to assist novice academics and researchers
with demystifying scholarly academic writing. Her favorite saying: WRITE ON!
Louisiana Department of Education - Mentor Training for Year-Long Student Teacher
Residencies Grant. Submitted fall 2016/Awarded Fall 2017. (Co-Principal Investigator)
[$97,500.00]
Louisiana Board of Regents 2017-2019 LaSIP Grant. Writing That Works: Ongoing Professional
Development to Improve Students’ Argumentative Writing Using Informational Texts,
Grades 7-10. Submitted November 30, 2016. (Co- Principal Investigator) [$280,343.00]
2017-2018 National Writing Project SEED Invitational Leadership Institute Grant (Principal
Investigator) [$15,000.00] (indirect cost recovery rate 8%).
Louisiana Board of Regents 2015-2017 LaSIP grant. Writing that Works: Developing Ongoing
Professional Development on Integrating the CCSS to Improve Student Writing.” Submitted
November 9, 2015. (Co- Principal Investigator) [$148,253.00].
Believe and Prepare Grant with City of Baker Schools, “Professional Development Arts
Integration.” Submitted September 15, 2015. (Principal Investigator) [$50,000].
National Writing Project, Louisiana State University Writing Project High Needs Grant
2014-2015. Submitted April 10, 2014. (Principal Investigator) [$20,000].
National Writing Project, Louisiana State University Writing Project Teacher Leadership
Development SEED Grant 2014-2016. Submitted February 1, 2014. (Principal Investigator)
[$20,000].
East Baton Rouge Parish School System. “East Baton Rouge Parish School System Louisiana
State University College of Education Professional Development Writing Initiative
Partnership (EBRPSS LSU COE PDWIP)” Submitted September 3, 2010. (Principal Investigator)
[$70,000.00].
The LSU/SU Pilot Professional Development Project (PPDP) at Louisiana State University,
a Board of Regents LaSIP grant. 2009-2012. (Co-Investigator) Submitted June 15, 2009.
[$956,344.50].
2022 LSU Rainmaker for Research and Creative Activity
2019 Light Up for Literacy Award, Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities
