Dr. DiStefano is an experienced educator, researcher, and literacy specialist with a career spanning nearly three decades in both K–6 classrooms and higher education.
Dr. DiStefano’s scholarship focuses on literacy instruction, student engagement, and culturally responsive teaching. He has contributed chapters to edited volumes on questioning in early childhood classrooms and social skill development through reading workshop. His ongoing research explores joy in early education and self-regulated learning in online environments.
He is also an active presenter at national and international conferences, including the Reading with Purpose Summit and the North American Association for Environmental Education. His work bridges literacy, STEM education, and student engagement.
In addition to his academic and teaching roles, Dr. DiStefano has worked as an educational consultant with organizations such as WestEd, Amira Learning, and The Teacher Table. He is also a co-founder of #HackingRacism.com, an initiative focused on equity and social justice in education.
His professional recognitions include participation in Columbia University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program (#HackingRacism) and selection as a Fulbright Teacher Exchange recipient in Durham, UK.
He earned his Ph.D. in Literacy and Interdisciplinary Research from Fordham University in 2018, with a focus on early literacy and learning sciences. His dissertation explored how pre-service teachers’ engagement and affect shape instructional design in teacher education.
In addition to his doctoral work, Dr. DiStefano holds a Master of Education in Supervision and Administration and a Master of Science in Teaching from Fordham University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.
Dr. DiStefano currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at Brooklyn College and the City College of New York, where he teaches graduate-level courses in the Science of Reading Certification Program. He has also been an Adjunct Professor at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education since 2017, teaching courses such as Beginning Reading and Writing, Learning Through Play, and Children’s Literature in a Multicultural Society. His prior faculty roles include teaching at Concordia College and guest lecturing at Eastern Connecticut State University.
Alongside his university work, Dr. DiStefano has extensive K–6 teaching experience. He is currently a fifth-grade classroom teacher in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and previously taught kindergarten, fourth grade, and second grade. His classroom practice informs his research and teacher education, grounding his work in real-world application.