Marga Madhuri

Dr. Marga Madhuri is passionate about sharing the joy of literacy and feels fortunate for being able to do so for over two decades. As an educator for over 26 years, she began her career teaching middle school English /Language Arts in the Glendale Unified School District, where she was voted Teacher of the Year. She joined the faculty at the University of La Verne in 2002, and teaches courses focused on literacy instruction to pre-service teachers. Dr. Madhuri earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Michigan in 1987, with a major in English Literature, minor in chemistry, and a Single Subject Teaching Credential. She received her Masters in in Reading Education in 1998, along with a Language Arts Specialist Credential from California State University of Los Angeles, and her Ph.D. in Education from Claremont Graduate University in 2006.

Dr. Madhuri’s desire to share the love of literacy has led to the creation of the Family Literacy & Math Conference held annually on campus for over 10 years, involving many student groups on campus and throughout the community. She has also spearheaded multiple family nights in local schools, libraries and bookstores in order to foster engaging literacy practices in the home. She partners with a local middle school to bring first generation students and parents to campus to explore the possibility of going to college. In order to better connect with the families she works with, Dr. Madhuri has embarked on the journey to learn Spanish, which has led to organizing and running book clubs in Spanish with parents who are working on their Spanish literacy skills.

Along with her work in family literacy, Dr. Madhuri’s scholarship has ranged from teaching methods for early elementary literacy to incorporating the arts in education. She has shared her research and experiences through multiple conferences and publications.

Dr. Madhuri’s interests include natural healing, nutrition, daily vigorous movement, and brain based teaching and learning, i.e. Brain Gym.