Dr. Penny Bishop

Biography

Penny Bishop is the Dean of the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development at Boston University. Appointed in 2024 after a competitive national search, she previously served as the Dean of the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Maine. Bishop began her career in higher education as a faculty member at the University of Vermont in 1998, where she later became the Associate Dean of the College of Education and Social Services from 2014 to 2020 and the founding director of the Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education from 2009 to 2017. A prominent scholar in early adolescence and middle grades education, she has published seven books on education reform and numerous cited articles in top peer-reviewed journals. Her research focuses on creating responsive learning environments for young adolescents and has received over $13 million in external funding from public and private foundations. Bishop has been recognized with several major awards, including the John H. Lounsbury Award for Distinguished Achievement in Middle Level Education and the James P. Garvin Distinguished Service Award from the New England League of Middle Schools. Her global engagement includes serving as a Sir Ian Axford Fellow with New Zealand’s Ministry of Education, establishing long-standing international programs for preservice and practicing educators.

Research Interests