Tania Mertzman Habeck teaches courses in literacy and reading and is responsible for the Reading Teacher and Reading Specialist programs. Her research interests include the instruction of students who struggle with reading in public school classrooms. Subtle social and cultural interactions that can influence literacy instruction and learning dominate her research agenda. Mertzman Habeck earned her M.A. from Florida State University, Tallahassee, and her Ph.D. in reading/language arts from the University of South Florida, Tampa.