Don Vu

Dr. Don Vu is an award-winning elementary school teacher and principal with more than two decades of experience supporting young readers, particularly immigrant and refugee students. Having fled Vietnam with his family in 1975, he draws on his own experience learning a new language and culture to advocate for the transformative power of reading in closing opportunity gaps for children.

Vu is the author of Life, Literacy, and the Pursuit of Happiness: Supporting Our Immigrant and Refugee Children Through the Power of Reading (Scholastic, 2021), a professional text that outlines six research-informed conditions for building a strong school culture of literacy. He has received the Celebrate Literacy Award from the California Reading Association and led a school recognized by the International Literacy Association’s Exemplary Reading Program Award and the California Distinguished School Award for its literacy work. Vu serves on national advisory boards for Scholastic Book Fairs and the Library of Congress Literacy Awards Program and contributes to education outlets including Edutopia and Education Week.