Mary Beth Schaefer

Mary Beth Schaefer is an Associate Professor of Adolescent Education in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at St. John’s University’s School of Education, Queens, New York. She specializes in adolescent literacies, college and career readiness, and martial arts literacies in middle grades education.

• Education:
  • EdD in Literacy from University of Pennsylvania
  • MA in Supervision and Administration from Texas Woman’s University
  • MA in English Literature from Queens College (CUNY)
  • BA in Secondary Education from Queens College (CUNY)

Her research focuses on college and career readiness in secondary schools, middle grades pedagogy, literary responses among young adolescents, and intersections of martial arts with literacy education. Recent trends in her publications include student voice, digital literacies during the pandemic, and collaborative learning models.

She has served as co-guest editor for The Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy (2022) and co-edited a book on parent-child research (2020). Schaefer teaches graduate courses on middle grades teaching methods, literacy acquisition, and innovative strategies for secondary education.