Jennifer Dees, M.Ed.

Jennifer Dees is the Associate Director of ENL Educational Outreach for the ALMA Initiative in the Institute of Educational Initiatives and the Alliance for Catholic Education at the University of Notre Dame. English learning students represent the fastest growing student population in the United States, and as the number of English learners entering schools increases, educators, school leaders, and school staff are finding it increasingly necessary to possess a repertoire of instructional skills that meet the unique academic needs of these students. Under Jennifer's leadership for more than a decade, the ALMA team offers a number of ways for educators to increase their expertise in serving English learners including engaging online learning modules and Zoom calls for educators, engaging graduate-level coursework, virtual and online professional development.

In her role, Jennifer spearheads the professional development initiatives of the ALMA team, where she plays a crucial role in designing and delivering educational programs to over 11,000 educators to date. Her responsibilities extend to overseeing a team of presenters, authoring and delivering professional development sessions, designing research-based resources, conducting conference presentations, and managing the ENL licensure program, all of which contribute to the enhancement of teaching practices across diverse educational settings. She deeply enjoys walking alongside teachers and impacting student learning.

Jennifer holds a Bachelor's degree in Secondary Social Studies Education from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and a Master of Education (M.Ed.) from the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana. She loves teaching and has had extensive teaching experience. She has taught high school and middle school social studies, fourth grade, and been an elementary instructional coach. She has also taught courses at Holy Cross College and the University of Notre Dame. These courses include content methods, courses related to English learners and has overseen Holy Cross College's student teaching program.

Her academic and professional interests are deeply rooted in linguistics and early literacy, areas where she has made substantial contributions. She has co-authored several influential works, including English Oral Language Assessment (ACE Press, 2013), Our Legacy and Our Future: A Framework for Serving English Learners in Catholic Schools (NCEA Press, 2017), Serving English Learners: A Diocesan Handbook for K-12 (NCEA Press, 2018), and 10 Days to Becoming a Better Educator of English Learners (NCEA Press, 2018). In her role, Dees has contributed to the creation the most extensive library of resources (podcasts, videos, books, blogs, and media) focused on ELs in Catholic schools with a reach of over 10,000 viewers.

Jennifer resides in Mishawaka, Indiana with her husband and five children.