Dr. Samuel Bennett
Professor of Education
Email Professor Bennett

BS in elementary education, Toccoa Falls College
MEd Clemson University
EdD in organizational leadership, Nova Southeastern University

Biography
Before coming to Southeastern, Dr. Samuel Bennett accumulated over 20 years in public school education, including stints in elementary, middle school, community college, and adult education. In 2005, Dr. Bennett was selected as the Polk County Teacher of the Year. In 2006, he was named the Florida Teacher of the Year, an honor which put him in the national competition with the top teachers from every state. He was eventually honored as one of four national finalists for the 2006 National Teacher of the Year.

Dr. Bennett is active at both county and state levels of public and parochial education, serving on the boards of the Florida League of Christian Schools and the Florida Education Foundation in Tallahassee, Florida. He is also the 2007-2008 President of the Winter Haven Optimist Club.

Dr. Bennett teaches Advanced Methods of Teaching Reading in the Southeastern MEd graduate program. His research interests are parental involvement in education, educational learning communities, educational ethics, pre-service teacher education, cooperative learning, and teacher retention.