Dr. Jessica Sidler Folsom, Ph.D., Research Associate, is an education researcher and former special education classroom teacher and instructional coach. Her pedagogical approach is informed by culturally responsive teaching practices, and she is trained in coaching for equity. Dr. Folsom is an experienced research methodologist with a focus on quantitative and mixed methodologies and has previously worked at the Florida Reading Research Center, the Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast, and the Iowa Reading Research Center. She specializes in early literacy instruction and development and the intersection of teacher knowledge, teacher practice, and student achievement.
She has directed research projects on Tier 2 and Tier 3 reading interventions, statewide literacy assessment development and norming studies, extended school day policies to remediate school reading performance in Florida, statewide teacher professional development initiatives in Mississippi, and summer reading programs in Iowa. She has created and validated teacher knowledge measures of early literacy development, created and validated classroom observation tools, and provided extensive professional development on early literacy instruction. She has over 30 peer-reviewed publications and has presented at over 100 conferences locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.
EDUCATION: Ph.D., Special Education, Florida State University, 2012; Graduate Certificate, Educational Measurement and Statistics, Florida State University, 2009; M.S., Special Education, Florida State University, 2005; B.S., Special Education, Florida State University, 2005
AREA OF EXPERTISE: Educational research and evaluation; Research design and quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis; Educational measurement and statistics/psychometrics; Needs sensing and capacity building through technical assistance and coaching to support research, evaluation, and data use; Early literacy and reading development, instruction, and intervention; Special education; Teacher knowledge and practice; Instructional design.
