Fagan

Dr. Drew S. Fagan is an internationally distinguished, multi-award winning scholar, educator, and advocate for multilingual learners and all stakeholders connected to these learners' success. Having been in the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) field for more than 20 years, his professional philosophy is that for multilingual learners to be successful, all stakeholders connected to these learners must come out of their siloes and collaborate. As such, he ensures that all of his work connects with higher education and P-12 academes across disciplines, departments and ministries of education, state- and federal-level policy makers, governmental agencies, and not-for-profit organizations.

Currently, he is Clinical Professor of Applied Linguistics and Language Education, Director of the Ed.D. in School System Leadership Program- TESOL and Dual Language Education Specialization, and Coordinator of the TESOL Teacher Leadership M.Ed. and TESOL Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Programs. Prior to this, he worked as an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher and teacher educator in PreK-12, higher education, and adult education settings across the United States, Japan, China, Spain, and Mexico, and was the first English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Fulbright Fellow to the Slovak Republic.  

He has authored numerous publications in language learning, applied linguistics, and education peer-reviewed research and practitioner-oriented journals and edited books, as well as reports and monographs with professional associations and state departments of education. He is the co-author the Maryland TESOL Handbook for Educators of English Learners and A Guide to School for Families of English Learners (English, Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish). Presently, Dr. Fagan is Co-PI for the inter-institutional Maryland Initiative for Literacy and Equity (MILE) Grand Challenges Grant, which brings together specialists from education, speech pathology, library sciences, linguistics and languages, and public policy to ensure that all students regardless of background and lived experiences have opportunities for literacy education at all stages of their lives (early childhood through adult).

Outside of university collaborations, Dr. Fagan works closely with many professional entities. He is a member of the Institute of International Education's (IIE) National Screening Committee for the U.S. Student Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program (2024-2027). In March 2025, he will begin his elected three-year term as a member of the TESOL International Association's Board of Directors. Prior, he was the 2022-2023 President of the Maryland TESOL Association, during which he established the first-ever state-wide Maryland TESOL Mentorship Program. Dr. Fagan also collaborates with policymakers in the Maryland Legislature, the Maryland State Department of Education, and the Maryland Higher Education Commission to enact change for laws, teacher certification policies, public school assessment and accountability standards, and higher education programming related to multilingual learners' access to education.