Susan Zoll

Co-coordinator, Early Childhood Education program, Rhode Island College

Dr. Susan Zoll is associate professor and co-coordinator of the Early Childhood Education (Birth-2nd grade) program at Rhode Island College. She has served in leadership roles on several Early Reading First projects (ERF, 2004, 2006, 2009) funded by the U.S. Department of Education, and her work on the development of Personal Literacy Plans, a tool to share individualized assessment outcomes with teachers and families, was recognized by the Doing What Works initiative. Her dissertation, “From ‘At Risk’ to ‘At Promise’: An Evaluation of an Early Reading First Project,” speaks to the need for increased access to high-quality early language and literacy opportunities to prepare all children for reading success.

Dr. Zoll holds a 3–6 Montessori credential (AMS) and has served as a classroom teacher, a teacher trainer for the Language curriculum, and a Head of School. Her recent research includes historical analysis of early adopters of Montessori education (2017), the development of a Montessori logic model to inform education research (2019), and an overview of assessment and observation practices in Montessori classrooms (2023).