Yang Hu

Dr. Hu brings over 20 years of experience teaching writing and mentoring literacy educators across diverse contexts. She has worked with college students in China and the U.S., with students and teachers from pre-K through grade 12 in urban and suburban settings, and in inclusion, self-contained, and bilingual classrooms.

Throughout her career, Dr. Hu has focused on building communities of students and teachers who are passionate about literature and writing. While pursuing her doctoral degree at Columbia University Teachers College, she worked with the TC Writing Project, creating networks of reflective practitioners in New York City schools and implementing writing and literature initiatives that established richly literate communities. Since earning her Ed.D. in English Education from Teachers College, she has taught full-time at the university level, preparing pre-service and in-service teachers to teach writing effectively.

Dr. Hu’s work bridges theory and practice, drawing on extensive classroom experience to develop research-informed approaches that are immediately applicable in K-12 settings. Her classroom-tested methods are grounded in real stories, voices, and writing samples from both students and teachers.

• Ed.D. English Education, Columbia University Teachers College
• ED.M and M.A. English Education, Columbia University Teachers College

• EDLIT 733 – Theories & Process of Teaching Writing
• EDLIT 753 – Methods of Teaching Writing
• EDLIT 731/EDLIT 756 – Literacy Assessment
• EDLIT 742 – Literacy Practicum
• EDLIT 736 – Practicum in Literacy Assessment
• EDLIT 737 – Practicum in Literacy Intervention
• QSTA 401 – Developmental Reading
• CEDC 704 – Teaching Development Reading

Dr. Hu’s research explores critical intersections in literacy education: writing instruction that bridges process and skills as complementary rather than competing approaches, Asian immigrant students’ literacy learning, video-mediated mentoring in literacy teacher education, literacy instructional coaching in urban schools, arts-based inquiry and pedagogy in literacy teacher education, cross-cultural studies of literacy teachers’ beliefs in China and the U.S.

• Hu, Y., & Dong, B. (2024). Similar foci, different lenses: Literacy education beliefs and practice of Chinese and U.S. Teachers. Current Issues in Comparative Education, 26 (1):27-53. https://doi.org/10.52214/cice.v26i1.12036
• Hu, Y. & Tuten, J. (2021). Shoulder to shoulder: Why stance matters in instructional coaching. International Journal of Educational Leadership. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2021.1972163
• Hu, Y. & Tuten, J. (2017/2018) Literacy teachers’ learning through a recursive coaching cycle. The Reading Professor, 40(2): 6-13.
• Hu, Y. & Tuten, J. (2015). Zooming in and out: Scaffolding the use of video for inquiry and reflection. In E. Ortlieb, L. Shanahan, & M. McVee (Eds). Video Reflection in Literacy Teacher Education and Development: Lessons from Research and Practice. Emerald Press. Pp. 105-123.
• Hu, Y. (2014). Four ways of looking at my learning: Encouraging and deepening reflective practice. MCNRC, Making Connections National Resource Center. http://hc.mcnrc.org/ref-practice-literacy/
• Hu, Y. (2014) A “wide-angled” ePortfolio initiative in Hunter College School of Education. MCNRC, Making Connections National Resource Center. http://hc.mcnrc.org/category/outcomes-assessment/
• Jensen, D. A. , Tuten, J. A., Hu. Y., & Eldridge, D. B. (2010). Teaching and learning in the (dis)comfort zone: A guide for new teachers and literacy coaches. (30% of book). Palgrave Macmillan.

• Integrating the Science of Reading in Teacher Education. CUNY Office of Teacher Education, 2024 to 2025
• Teaching Writing from the Inside Out. PSC-CUNY-55 Research Award, 2023 to 2024
• Computing Integrated Teacher Education (CITE), CUNY. 2023