Susan L. Lytle

Dr. Susan L. Lytle is a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where she began her career in the early 1970s as a supervisor of secondary English interns and later held the Joseph L. Calihan Term Chair in Education. She is the founding director of the Philadelphia Writing Project (PhilWP), a collaborative initiative with the School District of Philadelphia focused on teacher inquiry and professional development. Her work bridges literacy education, teacher leadership, and social justice through university-school partnerships.

Dr. Lytle's research examines the intersections of practitioner inquiry, professional knowledge, and pedagogical practice, with emphases on:

• Literacy acquisition in adolescence/adulthood
• Critical and feminist theories in education
• Urban teacher development networks
• School-university collaborative models

Her publications consistently explore themes of teacher research and educational reform, most recently analyzing inquiry-based leadership frameworks in K-12 settings. Major recognitions include:

• AACTE Outstanding Professional Writing Award (1995)
• David Imig Award for Distinguished Teacher Education Research (2011)

She has secured significant grants from the Spencer and MacArthur Foundations supporting urban teacher leadership initiatives. Currently, she is co-authoring a book with graduate students investigating literacies in academic professional development.