Prior to coming to the University of Cincinnati, he taught junior high school and middle school English and developmental reading in New York and Pennsylvania. He received his MA (English Literature) and PhD (Language Education) degrees from the Pennsylvania State University. His research appears in Written Communication, Reading Research and Instruction, College Composition and Communication, the Journal of Basic Writing, Research in the Teaching of English, English Education, and the Volta Review. His current research foci are preservice teachers in urban classrooms, large scale writing assessment, school and college collaboration, and reading and writing instruction in content classrooms.