School of Education

Michelle C.S. Greene is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Urban Teacher Education in the School of Education (SOE) at IU Indianapolis. Her professional identity is rooted in her experience as a K-12 ESL teacher in an urban district and is informed by her academic focus on Critical Literacy and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. Her work is fundamentally driven by a deep commitment to advancing equity and justice for linguistically and culturally diverse learners. Dr. Greene has been recognized for her excellence in teaching, receiving the 2023 IUI School of Education Trustee’s Teaching Award. She has a record of widespread impact through her leadership in curriculum development for the fully online IU Online ENL Certification Program. This initiative provides an accessible pathway for educators to better serve multilingual learners, directly addressing a statewide need. She also contributes to curriculum development for the Secondary Education Program and mentors ENL adjunct instructors. Looking forward, she is expanding her instructional reach internationally by creating a virtual exchange program, supported by the Virtual Global Learning Fellowship and a Mexico Program Development Grant, to connect IU Indianapolis teacher candidates with peers in Mexico City and Tijuana. Her scholarship is cohesive and collaborative, focusing on equity for multilingual learners. She has established a consistent record of peer-reviewed publications, including an article in the high-impact journal TESOL Quarterly, as well as a forthcoming book chapter. To translate research into actionable policy, she co-authored a white paper for INTESOL concerning state funding for multilingual learners, providing direct utility for practitioners and legislators. Dr. Greene demonstrates sustained leadership and deep community engagement through her service. She has served on the INTESOL Board of Directors since 2018, including five years on the Executive Board, and currently holds the position of Editor of the Indiana TESOL Journal. Within the SOE, she has embraced institutional citizenship, including a two-year role as Chair of the Committee on Teacher Education (COTE). In the local community, she has served as the Co-Executive Director of the CDF Freedom School at St. Luke’s UMC, where she directed a summer literacy and cultural enrichment program for over 70 urban youth, applying her professional expertise to serve the Indianapolis community. She has also organized and moderated a public education symposium on "Confronting Issues of Book Banning and Revisionist Histories". Dr. Greene was recently selected for the Fulbright Specialist Program Roster, extending her opportunity to apply her expertise to support educational institutions abroad.

• Ph.D., Literacy, Culture, and Language Education, 2015, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
  • Areas of Concentration: English as a Second Language Education, Immigrant Identity Development, Critical Literacy, Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Critical Multiculturalism,
  • Practitioner Research Minor: International and Comparative Education
• M.S., Language Education, 2002, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
  • Areas of Concentration: English as a Second Language, Foreign Language Instruction
• B.A., Telecommunications, 1998, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
  • Areas of Concentration: Writing, Broadcast Journalism
  • Minor: French

• L524: Issues in Multicultural Education
• L539: Second Language Acquisition (including Independent Study)
• L540: Methods for Teaching English Language Learners
• L503: Assessment for Literacy Development
• L505: Second Language Literacy Development
• L525: Practicum in ENL Education
• Y520: Strategies for Educational Inquiry
• T650: Teaching Internship in Teacher Education

• L441: Issues in Multicultural Education
• L436: Methods for Teaching English Language Learners
• L403: Assessment for Literacy Development
• L405: Second Language Literacy Development
• M420: ESL Student Teaching Seminar
• M404: Block 2 Early Field Experience
• S420: Teaching and Learning in the Middle School

• Teacher Education
• Teaching English as a Second Language
• Literacy, Culture, and Language Education
• Multicultural and Multilingual Identity Development

• Teaching English as a Second Language
• Literacy, Culture, and Language Education
• Multicultural and Multilingual Identity Development

• Greene, M. C. S. (in press). Mirrors & Megaphones: Centering Student Identities and Creative Expression in Literacy Instruction. In K. Taylor, E. Taylor, & T. Box (Eds.), Redefining resistance: Narratives of marginalized teachers, students, and communities.
• Greene, M. C. S. (2025). Difference as impetus for compassion in A Different Pond. In J. Alsup & C. Wessel-Powell (Eds.), First Opinions, Second Reactions: A Collection of Innovative Online Reviews of Literature for Children and Young Adults. Purdue University Press.
• Greene, M. C. S. (2025). Seeking out beauty in the everyday. In J. Alsup & C. Wessel-Powell (Eds.), First Opinions, Second Reactions: A Collection of Innovative Online Reviews of Literature for Children and Young Adults. Purdue University Press.
• Morita-Mullaney, T. & Greene, M. C. S. (2025). Financial earmarking: The money follows the child [White paper]. INTESOL.
• Morita-Mullaney, T., Cushing-Leubner, J., Benegas, M., Greene, M. C. S., & Stolpestad, A. (2023). Clashing Roles and Identities of EL Teachers during Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning. TESOL Quarterly.
• Greene, M. C. S. (2023). "Second Reaction: Lift as You Climb: The Story of Ella Baker." First Opinions, Second Reactions, 16 (2), Article 9.
• Morita-Mullaney, T., Greene, M. C. S., Cushing-Leubner, J., Stolpestad, A., & Benegas, M. (2021). COVID-19 and Pandemic Teaching: Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning (ERTL) and English Learner Teachers. Indiana TESOL Journal, 18 (1), 25-39.

• BRIDGE: Building Reciprocal Intercultural Development & Glocal Education. This initiative creates culturally relevant professional development for pre-service and practicing teachers working toward English as a New Language (ENL) certification. BRIDGE is designed as a Virtual Exchange and optional Study Abroad Program intended to equip educators with the necessary intercultural competence needed to serve the increasing cultural and linguistic diversity in U.S. classrooms. Given that a significant number of Emergent Bilingual students who are English Learners (ELs) in Indiana schools are native Spanish speakers with roots in Mexico, this program utilizes an international exchange with two teachers' colleges in Mexico. The program incorporates a "glocal" approach, integrating global perspectives with local contexts for effective teaching. BRIDGE counteracts restrictive policies, such as those negatively impacting immigrant students in the U.S., by preparing educators to advocate for immigrant students and view diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds as assets rather than deficits.

• 2025 - Fulbright Specialist Program, Active Roster Member
• 2023 - Indiana University Indianapolis School of Education Trustee’s Teaching Award

• Greene, M.C.S. (2025, November). From Borderlands to Classrooms: Reimagining Teacher Ed Through Virtual Exchange. Indiana TESOL Conference, Indianapolis, IN.
• Greene, M.C.S. (2025, November). Globalizing Teacher Education: Designing High-Impact Virtual Exchange Programs. Invited guest speaker. University of Northern Iowa TESOL Club.
• Greene, M.C.S. (2025, October). Fostering intercultural competence in education: The BRIDGE Program’s support for social justice and equity. Poster presentation, International Virtual Exchange Conference, Crete, Greece (Virtual).
• Greene, M.C.S. (2025, October). Beyond the Wall: Transnational Teacher Education and Practicum Partnerships Across Mexico and the United States. Paper presentation, Curriculum and Pedagogy Group Conference, Mexico City, Mexico.
• Greene, M.C.S. (2024, October). #TakingBackSummer: Indiana Educators’ Response to Science of Reading Policy Mandates. Paper presentation, International Conference on Literacy, Culture, and Language Education, West Lafayette, IN.
• Greene, M.C.S. (2024, July). Reading, ‘Riting, and Resistance: Indiana Teachers’ Response to Science of Reading Mandates. Paper presentation, Oxford Educational Symposium, Oxford, England.
• Greene, M.C.S. (2024, July). Education Symposium: Confronting Issues of Book Banning and Revisionist Histories. Invited moderator for panel discussion, CDF Freedom School at St. Luke’s UMC’s Educational Symposium, Indianapolis, IN.
• Greene, M.C.S., Wessell-Powell, C., & Hogue, B. (2024, July). Demystifying the Science of Reading. Paper presentation, CDF Freedom School at St. Luke’s UMC’s Educational Symposium, Indianapolis, IN.
• Greene, M.C.S. (2024, January). IU Indianapolis Remarks Indianapolis Chinese Community Center, Carmel, IN. Invited Guest Speaker.

• 2025 - Office of International Affairs Virtual Global Learning Fellowship Recipient, Awarded $2000
• 2025 - Office of International Affairs Mexico Program Development Grant Recipient, Awarded $3000
• 2024 - Center for Teaching and Learning ePortfolio Grant Initiative Recipient, Awarded $2,500

• Indiana TESOL Journal Editor, present
• International TESOL Journal Reviewer, present
• INTESOL Board of Directors, 2018-present; Executive Board, 2019-2024
• TESOL International Indiana TESOL (INTESOL)