Francis McKee

My academic background and teaching experience have always reflected my belief in an interdisciplinary approach to course content and student learning. I earned my B.A. in English with a minor in Education from LaSalle (1971), completing my secondary teaching certification (1972). I have masters’ degrees from Villanova University in English (1976) and Educational Administration (1978). I have taken doctoral level courses in Educational Leadership at Lehigh University, studied the use of technology in the teaching of writing at Temple University, and completed the requirements for the Pennsylvania Superintendent Letter of Eligibility at Saint Joseph’s University.

Before returning to LaSalle, I spent forty years in public and private education as a teacher, department chair, subject area supervisor, and principal at both the middle and high school levels. My experiences in each of those positions have proven to be invaluable over the past five years teaching at LaSalle. Probably the most direct link from those years has been a team taught, interdisciplinary American Studies course that I co-wrote and taught with a social studies colleague. That course integrated content from the social sciences, the arts, and contemporary culture. My experience there, coupled with my time at LaSalle, has confirmed the importance of an interdisciplinary approach in fostering authentic learning. In all of my courses I also provide instruction in and opportunities for students to develop their skills in various modes of written and spoken communication.

Areas of Experience and Interest

• Teaching of research and academic writing
• Interdisciplinary American studies
• Instructional technology

Education

• M.A. Educational Administration, Villanova University (1978)
• M.A., English, Villanova University  (1976)
• B.A., English, LaSalle University (1971)

Certifications

• Pennsylvania Superintendent Letter of Eligibility (2006)
• Pennsylvania Principal’s Certificate (1978)
• Pennsylvania Instructional Teaching Certificate in Secondary English (1972)

Teaching

• La Salle University—Adjunct Professor American Studies and History
• Lower Moreland Middle School and High School Principal
• Lower Moreland High School—English and Humanities

Presentations

• Session chair and commentator, Eastern American Studies Association Conferences, 2014—2017.
• American Studies presenter—National Council of the Teachers of English Spring Conference, University of Chicago. (2000)
• Interdisciplinary Approach to American Studies, Pennsylvania technology conference, Hershey, PA (1999)

Grants

• Philadelphia Museum of Art, “Visual Arts as a Source for Teaching” grant (1997)
• National Endowment for the Arts, “Boswell’s Life of Samuel Johnson (1988)
• Fulbright Scholarship (Amsterdam) to study Dutch Education System (1986)
• National Endowment for the Arts, “Paintings as Texts” (1985)

Awards

• Cornell University Presidential Scholar’s Outstanding Teacher Award (1990)
• Outstanding Educator Award and grant from Franklin and Marshall College (1984)
• Outstanding Teacher Award, University of Chicago (1982)

Professional Organizations

• Eastern American Studies Association