Shaunté Duggins, Ph.D.
Associate Director, New Worlds Reading Initiative, UF Lastinger Center for Learning
Phone
352-273-4103
Address
618 SW 12th Street
0711 Norman Hall
PO Box 117052
Gainesville, FL 32611
Connect
About
Shaunté Duggins, Ph.D. is the associate director for the New Worlds Reading Initiative at the UF Lastinger Center for Learning. As associate director, Shaunté manages all aspects of the statewide home reading program so that more books and reading resources are delivered directly to the homes of eligible students and their families. Shaunté has spent her career working to improve education, starting with her Early Childhood Education bachelor’s degree from Florida State University. From there, she taught in inclusive, high-poverty schools, completed her doctoral studies in Special Education at the University of Florida, and wrote and facilitated professional development in literacy and coaching for educators in early childhood through 12th grade. Her research includes early literacy, teacher education and professional development. In 2022, Shaunté was recognized as a member of the Leadership Florida Education Class 7. With this program, Shaunté worked with education leaders from across the state to examine opportunities and challenges in public education in order to improve K-12 student outcomes.
Affiliations
- International Literacy Association
- Leadership Florida
- Literacy Research Association
- National Book Access
- Holmes Program Scholar
Research Interests
Early Intervention, Family Engagement, Language and Literacy Development, Literacy, Professional Development
Education
- 2015 - Doctor of Philosophy: Special Education with Emphasis on Early Literacy Intervention and Teacher Education. University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
- 2010 - Master of Education: Curriculum and Instruction with Emphasis on Teacher Leadership for School Improvement. University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
- 2007 - Bachelor of Science: Early Childhood Education with honors and a minor in Psychology. Florida State University, Tallhassee, FL
Professional Appointments
- 2023-Present: Associate Director, UF Lastinger Center for Learning
- 2021-2023: Assistant Director, UF Lastinger Center for Learning
- 2021: Literacy Implementation Senior Manager
- 2019-2021: Literacy Implementation Manager
- 2015-2019: Literacy Programs Coordinator
- 2016-2017: Graduate Dyslexia Certification Assistant
- 2013-2015: Graduate Coordinator and Facilitator, University of Florida Literacy Institute
Activities and Honors
- 2022: Education Class 7, Leadership Florida
- 2011-2015: Holmes Scholar, University of Florida
Selected Grants
New Worlds Reading Initiative: Statewide Book Delivery and Engagement
Role
- Co-Principal Investigator
Funding Agency
- Florida Department of Education
Project Period
- 2021-2026
Award Amount
- $177,175,459
James Patterson Literacy Challenge
Role
- Investigator
Funding Agency
- James Patterson Family Foundation
Project Period
- 2020-2023
Award Amount
- $4,500,000
Flamingo Literacy Matrix: Statewide Reading Professional Development
Role
- Investigator
Funding Agency
- Florida Department of Education
Project Period
- 2020-2021
Award Amount
- $2,000,000
James Patterson Literacy Challenge
Role
- Investigator
Funding Agency
- Foundation
Project Period
- 2017-2020
Award Amount
- $3,000,000
Trident United Way Reading by Third Innovation Demonstration Project
Role
- Investigator
Funding Agency
- South Carolina
Project Period
- 2017-2020
Award Amount
- $1,500,000
Selected Publications
Articles
- Cheyney-Collante, K., Chapman, L., & Duggins, S. (in press) “We’re not walking schools.”: Storying the pandemic schooling experiences of mothers of children with disabilities. The Qualitative Report.
- Acosta, M. M., & Duggins, S. (2021). Growth Through Crisis: Preservice Teachers Learning To Enact Culturally Relevant Literacy Teaching. Action in Teacher Education, 43 (2). https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01626620.2021.1926371
- Cheyney-Collante, K., Gonsalves, V., Duggins, S.E., Bader, J. (2020) A misunderstood fundamental: Developmentally appropriate strategies for letter formation practice in preschool. Dimensions of Early Childhood Journal, 48(2), 18-23.
- Acosta, M. M., & Duggins, S. (2018). Community-Based Literacy Learning Spaces as Counterhegemonic Figured Worlds for African American Readers. Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts, 57 (3).
- Gonsalves, V., Cheyney, K., Bader, J., & Duggins, S. (2018). The Power to ROAR: Reaching Out to All Readers by Using Shared Storybook Reading To Cultivate Self-Efficacy and Social-Emotional Growth. Accepted for publication in Dimensions of Early Childhood.
Presentations
- Duggins, S., (January 2024). Increasing Caregivers Confidence and Capacity to Support Striving Readers. Presentation at the Florida Literacy Association Conference, Orlando, FL.
- Duggins, S., (December 2023). Families as First Teachers: Supporting Home Literacy Environments with a State-Sponsored Large-Scale Book Distribution Program. Presentation at the Literacy Research Association Conference, Atlanta, GA.
- Cheyney-Collante, K., Chapman, L., & Duggins, S. (2021). Mothers of children with disabilities navigating school closures and remote learning during the COVID 19 pandemic. Paper presented at the Annual Conference for the American Educational Research Association.
- Pullen C. P., Hammerschmidt-Snidarich, S., Duggins, S., Maki, K., Lane, H.B., Pico, D.L., O’Dea, M., Richards, J., Bratsch-Hines, M. (February 2020). Multicomponent Reading Interventions Effectiveness: Lessons from Research and the Field. Panel accepted for presentation at the Pacific Coast Research Conference. Virtual Presentation.
- Lane, H.B., Duggins, S., & Pullen, P.C. (January 2019). Scaling up evidence-based literacy practices with online professional development. Paper accepted for presentation at the annual meeting of the Council for Exceptional Children, Indianapolis, IN.
Other Publications
- Duggins, S. (September 2022). The New Worlds Reading Initiative is working to increase children's reading skills, one free book at a time. Podcast. University of Florida News.
- Duggins, S. (September 2022). Florida program aims to create a life-long love of reading one (free) book at a time. Op-Ed. Miami Herald