Leadership

Barbara R. Foorman, Ph.D.
Francis Eppes Professor
Learning Systems Institute
Florida Center for Reading Research
Florida State University

Dr. Barbara Foorman is an internationally recognized scholar in the areas of reading and language development. In the first part of her career she conducted cross-linguistic research in Japan, Mexico, and England, and held Visiting appointments at Miyazaki University in Japan, Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara in Mexico, and University of Oxford in England.

She has published extensively in the areas of reading, language development, spelling, phonemic awareness and vocabulary. She serves on editorial boards of several journals, and is Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator on major federal grants in early reading interventions, early reading assessment, and bilingual/bi-literacy. Dr. Foorman has chaired Houston ISD's Committee on a Balanced Approach to Reading and worked to revise and validate the Texas Primary Reading Inventory, used in 95% of the school districts in Texas and in several other states. She served on National Academy of Science committees on the "Prevention of Reading Difficulties in Young Children" and the learning and instruction panel of the "Strategic Educational Research Plan." Dr. Foorman was a member of the advisory board for the federal office of Educational Research Improvement (OERI).

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