Values
Innovative research
We conduct rigorous, interdisciplinary research that expands our understanding of dyslexia, its neurobiological foundations, and effective interventions. We pursue innovative approaches that challenge traditional paradigms and advance science.
Evidence-based practices
We advocate for assessment and intervention approaches grounded in current scientific understanding.
Knowledge translation
We actively bridge the gap between research and practice through accessible professional development, community education, and policy engagement.
Equity and accessibility
We recognize that dyslexia affects individuals across all demographics and strive to ensure equitable access to identification, support, and accommodations. We are committed to addressing systemic barriers that prevent equal educational opportunity.
Mutuality and reciprocity
We strive for mutuality in our research studies, making sure we give back to the community as we learn from the participants.
Our team
Guy Bond Chair in Reading, Professor of Special Education
Dr. Kristen McMaster was a special education teacher in Metro Nashville Public Schools before earning her doctoral degree and joining the UMN faculty in 2002. Her research focuses on developing reading and writing assessments and interventions and supporting teachers’ use of data to individualize instruction. Kristen enjoys working with practitioners and consulting with researchers and policymakers in Minnesota as well as nationally and internationally to support evidence-based literacy practices in schools.
Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Guy Bond Chair in Reading
Dr. Kendeou develops theoretical models that explain how students learn during reading, and uses those models to design and test innovative, AI technologies that transform instruction and improve learning.
My laboratory focuses on two lines of research. The first asks how practicing retrieval or testing on material enhances our ability to retain that material over the long term. The ultimate goal is to better understand how children learn most optimally and use this research to inform educational practices. Secondly, we use functional connectivity MRI to map networks and areas in the brain to better understand how neural systems are organized at the individual level. One of the major goals of this line of research is to examine how these systems or connections within these systems change through learning.
Dr. Amy Schulting is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in dyslexia assessment, intervention and education policy. She has over a decade of experience as licensed psychologist in private practice; her background also includes 30 years of experience in education. Specifically, Dr. Schulting has been the State Dyslexia Specialist at the MN Department of Education (MDE) since 2018 when the position was created through legislation. She is also a former classroom teacher with a master’s degree in education from the University of Virginia, and experience as an education policy researcher at Duke University. Dr. Schulting served on the board of Decoding Dyslexia Minnesota and has worked closely with state legislators to write dyslexia and literacy legislation. She is a certified dyslexia interventionist through the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) and the Center for Effective Reading Instruction (CERI), with additional certification in LETRS and the Wilson Reading System.
Dr. Abbey Payeur began her teaching career in middle school and elementary school classrooms in the Anoka-Hennepin School District. She earned a PhD in curriculum and instruction from the University of Minnesota in 2022. The question, “How do we reach all readers, including those with dyslexia?” guided her graduate studies. She currently works on dyslexia research at the University of Minnesota, and is an assistant professor of education at the University of St. Thomas. Abbey is passionate about helping teachers bring the science of reading into practice in their classrooms.
Dr. Jessica Church-Lang received her PhD in Neuroscience from Washington University in St. Louis. She uses multiple fMRI neuroimaging methods, eye-tracking, surveys, and cognitive tests to study how cognitive control processes develop over age, and how they relate to variability in mental health and academic achievement. Her studies have focused on repeated measures of struggling readers, English language learners, and/or youth with ADHD, over months or years.
Manjary is a PhD student at the University of Minnesota. Before enrolling to the PhD program in the Department of Educational psychology, she earned her Master in Special Education and worked in Boston-Campbridge area as a Special Education teacher. Her research interests are exploring the role of cognitive processes in inference making along activation and integration of prior knowledge; and investigating the neurological markers in identifying reading difficulties and Dyslexia for bilingual and multilingual students.
Dr. Seohyeon Choi recently earned her doctorate in special education from the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on supporting students with intensive literacy needs through evidence-based intervention and assessment practices, with particular attention to students from underrepresented backgrounds.
Research
Our team translates current research on dyslexia into accessible, evidence-based briefs for educators, families, and practitioners. We distill complex findings into practical insights that support informed decision-making and effective instruction for individuals with dyslexia.
Supporting Teachers’ Data-Based Individualization of Early Writing Instruction
Developmental Dyslexia (DD): Early Identification and Intervention
Resources
Donor
This work is made possible by the generous support of the Gail & Dean Anderson Foundation, with the aim to inform scientific methods for teaching reading to children with dyslexia.