Dana A. Robertson is a former fifth-grade teacher, K–5 literacy specialist, and K–5 literacy coach. He is currently an associate professor of Reading/Literacy Education at Virginia Tech.
He received a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, a Master’s in Education in Elementary Education from University of Massachusetts, Boston, and a Doctor in Education in Developmental Studies: Literacy and Language from Boston University.
Dana is a former membership director and state coordinator for the Wyoming State Literacy Association. He was a contributing writer to ILA's Standards for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals 2017 and lead author of the Coaching Assessment Protocol. He has served ILA in numerous roles, including as a member of the ILA Nominations Committee (2020) and a reviewer for ILA’s Certificate of Distinction program (now the ILA National Recognition program) since 2019. He also is a reviewer for The Reading Teacher, the annual conference, literacy coaching credential, and ILA's journals and book program from 2014 to 2016. His publications with ILA include The Reading Teacher, Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Literacy Today, the Instructional Practices collection, and numerous annual conference presentations.
Dana’s research centers on professional learning, coaching, and whole-school literacy reform. He is also currently helping to develop a dual immersion curriculum on the Wind River Reservation in efforts to revitalize the Northern Arapaho language and culture. He was named an Emerging Scholar with the Reading Hall of Fame and spends most of his professional time with schools and clinical contexts working with teachers and children in agentive ways to advance evidence-tested and equitable instructional practices. His work has been published in two books (a third forthcoming), four chapters, several leading journals, and in Wyoming policy and guidance documents.