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eriknpowell

Erik Powell is a teacher, educational writer, and consultant. He lives in Spokane, Washington.

About

Erik's teaching career began in 1994 as an adjunct instructor at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada. Since then, he has enjoyed working with other educators to design and implement engaging and meaningful learning experiences for students. While he has taught at both the high school and college levels, he has spent most of his career at Joel E. Ferris High School in Spokane, where he teaches English and, occasionally, French. Additionally, as a consultant for ASCD and Jay McTighe & Associates, he has provided professional development across the United States by collaborating with schools and districts to help them reach their educational goals. His work in the classroom was featured in Moving Forward with Understanding by Design (2007), and he has been a guest blogger for ASCD’s In-Service (2021).

Erik’s work with The College Board, moreover, has included assessing and aligning standards for pre-AP and AP English, co-authoring materials for College Ed (2010), and serving as co-chair for the AP English Literature and Composition Development Committee (2019-21). He edited and co-authored the Curriculum Module Developing Analytical Skills through Poetry (2012) and has worked as an item writer for the AP English Literature and Composition exam.

Erik earned his BA in English from Eastern Washington University, his MA in English from The University of Nevada-Reno, and his EdD in educational leadership from Gonzaga University. Additionally, his teaching certificate is through EWU.

Publications and Current Research

In January 2024, Rowman & Littlefield (an imprint of Bloomsbury) published Erik's book, Toward Self-Directed Learning in the Secondary Classroom, which explores the challenges and successes educators have experienced while trying to implement self-directed learning in their classes.

Watch this brief video introducing the concept of self-directed learning and how it is explored in the book.

Ways to purchase the book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your favorite independent bookstore such as Powell's or Auntie's.

Erik's article on grading and self-directed learning was published in the Journal of Education and Learning Environments (December 2026).

Erik's article on the experiences teachers faced while teaching online during the pandemic was published by ASCD's blog, In-Service (April 2021).

Erik has also been fortunate to contribute to various texts for College Board, specifically for their AP English Literature and Composition course.

Some further publications and experiences that have come up recently regarding Erik's work:

In their December 2026 issue, the Journal of Education and Learning Environments published Erik's article on Using Classroom Surveys to Align Grading and Self-Directed Learning in an Age of AI.

In April of 2026, Erik participated in the AI in Education Cadre sponsored by ISTE+ASCD, during which time he collaborated with other educators, consultants, and researchers to explore this crucial topic.

Erik's co-authored study on video games and literary study was presented in October 2025 at the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (CHI Play) by Professor Shamima Yasmin of Eastern Washington University.

In November 2025, Erik presented his work on aligning grading with self-directed learning at the 8th International Self-Directed Learning Conference in Hartbeespoort, South Africa.

Contact

Email Erik at eriknpowell@gmail.com.

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© 2024 - 2026 eriknpowell

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