Presentations 

• Saal, L., Struloeff, K., Levine, B. L., Lee, V. J., &. Reinsburrow, A. (2020, June 30-July 8)). Civic education for adults: Learning from the “highest performing” countries. Presentation at the Coalition on Adult Basic Education Conference, August 16-19, 2020, Baltimore, MD.
  
• Lewis Grant, K. S., Lee, V. J., & Williams, V. (2019, October 27-30). Making meaningful connections with culturally and linguistically diverse families. Workshop presented at the Family Involvement Conference, Harrisburg, PA.
• Lewis Grant, K. S., Lee, V. J., & Hoekje, B. (2019, November 6-10). Social justice leadership and family engagement in culturally and linguistically diverse schools. Paper presentation at the 29th Annual Conference of the National Association for Multicultural Education, Tucson, Arizona.
• Lee, V. J., Meloche, A., Grant, A., Neuman, D., & Tecce DeCarlo, M. J. (2019, December 4-7). Critical literacy in world AP history: Teaching adolescents to evaluate source reliability and bias. Roundtable presentation at the Literacy Research Association Annual Conference, Tampa, FL. 
• Lee, V., Hoekje, B., & Levine, B. (2018, July 21-23). Using technology with immigrant families to promote early literacy learning. Roundtable presentation for the Technology in Literacy Education Special Interest Group of the International Literacy Association, Austin, TX.
• Lee, V., Hoekje, B., & Levine, B. (2018, March 16-17). The use of technology to support immigrant parents’ and children’s agency in an early literacy program.
  Presented at the PA National Association for Multicultural Education Conference, Philadelphia, PA. 
• Flowers, A., Allen-Handy, A., Chavez, J., Lee, V. J., Wright, C. (2018, March 16-17). Narratives of microaggressions as experienced by faculty of color in the classroom. Presented at the PA National Association for Multicultural Education Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
• Lee, V., Grant, A., Neuman, D., & DeCarlo, Mary Jean Tecce. (2017, July 15-17). Teaching young children how to be information and digitally literate using the I-LEARN model and Little Bird Tales. Roundtable presentation for the Technology in Literacy Education Special Interest Group of the International Literacy Association, Orlando, FL.
• DeCarlo, M. J. Tecce, Grant, A., Lee, V. (2017, April 27-May1). Bridging the Information and Digital Literacy Divide: An I-LEARN project with urban middle school students. Paper presentation at the American Educational Research Association Conference, San Antonio, TX.
• Lee, V. & Levine, B. (2017, April 27-May 1). Engaging in early literacy and technology practices with immigrant parents. Roundtable paper presentation at the American Educational Research Association Conference, San Antonio, TX.
  
• Lee, V. & Levine, B. (2016, November 30-December 3).  Fostering the early literacy and technology practices of immigrant parents through Project LIFE. Roundtable paper presentation at the Literacy Research Association 66th Annual Conference, Knoxville, TN.

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles 

• Hoekje, B., Lewis Grant, K. S., Lee, V. J., & Escalante, K. (in press). Bridging multicultural Families and schools: Cultural brokering as social justice leadership. Journal of Family Diversity in Education.
• Lee, V. J., Lewis Grant, K. S., & Hoekje, B. (2020). Social justice leadership: A case study of engagement practices with multilingual families. Journal of Educational Leadership in Action. https://www.lindenwood.edu/academics/beyond-the-classroom/publications/journal-of-educational-leadership-in-action/all-issues/volume-6-issue-3/
  
• Impellizeri, W. & Lee, V.L. (in press). A comparison of IHEs and Non-IHEs as anchor institutions and lead agents of promise neighborhood projects. Education and Urban Society.
• Meloche, A., Lee, V. J., Grant, A., Neuman, D. & Tecce DeCarlo, M. J. (2020). Critical literacy as a lens for students’ evaluation of sources in an AP World History class. The Social Studies. doi: 10.1080/00377996.2020.1727828 
• Lee, V., Meloche, A., Grant, A., Neuman, D., & Tecce DeCarlo, M. J. (2019). “My thoughts on gun violence”: An urban adolescent’s display of agency and multimodal literacies. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. 
• Grant, K. S., Lee, V. J., & Lyttle, C. F. (2018). White preservice and inservice teachers’ engagement with multicultural content in online courses.
  Multicultural Education, 26(1), 17-23.
  
• Lee, V., Hoekje, B., & Levine, B. (2018).  Introducing technology to immigrant families to support early literacy development and two-generation learning.  Language Arts 95(3), 133-148. 
• DeCarlo, M. J. Tecce; Grant, A., Lee, V., & Neuman, D. Information and digital literacies in a kindergarten classroom: An I-LEARN case study. (2017). Early Childhood Education. doi:10.1007/s10643-017-0857-7
• Ruane, R. & Lee, V. (2016). Analysis of discussion board interaction in an online peer-mentoring site. Online Learning Journal, 20(4), 79-99.
• Lee, V., Tecce DeCarlo, M. J., Grant, A., Neuman, D. A collaborative I-LEARN project with kindergarten and second-grade teachers and students at a university- assisted school (2016). Urban Education. doi:10.1177/0042085916677344
• Neuman, D., Grant, A., Lee, V., & Tecce DeCarlo, M.J. (2015). Information and digital literacy in a high-poverty urban school. School Libraries Worldwide, 21(1), 38- 53.
• Lewis Grant, K. & Lee, V. (2014). Wrestling with issues of diversity in online courses. The Qualitative Report, 19(12), 1-15.
• Lee, V. (2013). Teachers of Color: Creating and recreating identities in suburban schools. The Qualitative Report, 18(16), 1-16.
• Lee, V. (2012). Uncovering the professional lives of suburban Teachers of Color. Multicultural Education, 19(3), pp. 39-43.

Books

• Neuman, D. Grant, A., Tecce DeCarlo, M. J., Lee, V. J., Greenwell, S., & Grant, A. (2020) Learning in Information-Rich Environments: I-LEARN and Construction of Knowledge from Information (2nd Ed.). New York: Springer. 

Book Chapters 

• Mathew, K., Lee, V., Mengel, T., & Gentile, C. (in press). Empowering young children’s literacy development through writing. In T. Hodges (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Writing Instruction Practices for Equitable and Effective Teaching. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.
• Lee, V., J., Reinsburrow, A., Levine, B., Saal, L., & Struloeff, K.  (in press).  Exploring adult civic education policy and curricula in Germany, Estonia, the United States and Australia to promote critical democratic adult education.  In P. A. Robinson, K. V. Williams, and M. Stojanovic (Eds.)., Global Citizenship for Adult Education:  Advancing Critical Literacies for Equity and Social Justice.  New York: Routledge.
• Neuman, D., Grant, A., Tecce De Carlo, M. J., & Lee, V. (2016). Implementing I-LEARN with K-2 students: The story of a successful research
  partnership. In P. Bracy, C. Rawson, & S. Hughes-Hassell (Eds.). Libraries, Literacy, and African American Youth: Research & Practice. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited. (invited chapter)
• Richardson, T., Tecce DeCarlo, M. J., Connell, J. E., Grant, A., Lee, V. J., & Wallace, B. (2016). Partnering in a promise zone: the McMichael—Drexel—Mantua Civic Association Collaboration. In J. J. Slater, R. Ravid, & R. M. Reardon (Eds.). Building and Maintaining Collaborative Communities: Schools, University, and Community Organizations. Scottsdale, AZ: Information Age Publishing.
• Lee, V. & Hoekje, B. (2013). The role of an online discussion board in fostering a critical collaborative learning community in an ESL specialist credential program. In J. Nagle (Ed.), English Learner Instruction through Collaboration and Inquiry in Teacher Education. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

Other

• Lee, V. (2017). Review of the book Assessing Writing, Teaching Writers: Putting the Analytic Writing Continuum to Work in Your Classroom, by M. A. Smith and S. S. Swain. Teachers College Record. Retrieved from: http://www.tcrecord.org ID Number: 22024.
• Lee, V. (2013). Overcoming socialization obstacles faced by new teachers: Challenges that "come with" being a new teacher of color. Teachers of Color Magazine, Spring, 46-47. (invited)

• Family literacy in urban communities
• Sociocultural perspectives of literacies in diverse communities
• Language and literacy development of multilingual parents and children
• Family, school, community partnerships

• Drexel University, School of Education (2011-present)
  Assistant Clinical Professor, Literacy Studies
• Drexel University, School of Education (2010-11)
  Instructor, Literacy Studies
• Drexel University, College of Arts & Sciences (2007-10)
  Adjunct Instructor, English and Philosophy
• Drexel University, School of Education (2008-10)
  Adjunct Instructor
• Drexel University, English Language Center
  Instructor (International Leaders in Education Program Issues in Secondary Education 2007, International Teaching Assistants Program 2008, Fulbright Pre-Academic Preparation Program Research and Writing Course 2009 & 2010)
• University of Pennsylvania (2006)
  Teaching Assistant (ED 629 Teaching English/Language and Literacy in Middle and Secondary Schools)
• Haddonfield Memorial High School (2001-03)
  English Teacher
• Downingtown Middle School (1996-2001)
  Language Arts Teacher

Certification Areas:

• PA Instructional II Language Arts/English 7-12
• NJ Language Arts/ English 7-12
• MA English 7-12
• Coursework completed for PA Reading Specialist Certification

Dr. Vera Lee is a Clinical Professor in the Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum department. She teaches courses for the prek-4, ESL Specialist, and Reading Specialist programs/certifications. She has expertise in literacy studies K-12, instructing English Language Learners, multicultural education, and pre-service and in-service teacher development. Prior to joining Drexel in 2010, Dr. Lee was a former middle school and high school English teacher, and has experience teaching adult second language learners in U.S. and international contexts.

Dr. Lee’s current research interests center on the development of information and digital literacies of urban youth, two-generation language and literacy models for multilingual families, and fostering second language and literacy learning for adults and children through sociocultural and culturally relevant approaches. She is an active member of the American Educational Research Association in Division K (Teaching and Teacher Education), the Writing and Literacies SIG, and the Language and Social Processes SIG), as well as the Literacy Research Association.

Outside of Drexel, Dr. Lee has been actively involved in a local PA task force for Love146, an international anti-human trafficking organization, for the past several years. She is an arts enthusiast and enjoys attending any arts related venue with her husband and friends. She is a doting mother of two middle school daughters and lives with her family in the Garden State.