At the center of my research are questions about writing as a social practice and how people learn to write across their lifespan.  I am especially interested in how written communication and our knowledge of writing can be put to use in the service of social progress. These interests lead me into thinking a lot about teachers, teaching, and schooling, and other areas related to writing such as language development, assessment, and knowledge production. I have taught a wide range of graduate and undergraduate courses in my 20 years of teaching writing, including professional, technical, and academic writing, as well as courses in composition theory and qualitative research methods.