• By Henry Miller

Sally Brown

BIO Hello friends! The most important thing to know about me, is that I LOVE teaching, and I am passionate about ensuring all students have access to the world through literacy. When not working towards this goal, I love to hike and enjoy nature, travel with my family, do hard things, and enjoy time on our small, hobby farm. I have two amazing children and a very supportive husband, and we aim to center our work around our faith in God. I love working with impassioned students that want to make a difference in youth’s lives. Working with The College of Idaho students is truly a gift. They bring curiosity, passion, and dedication. With approximately eight years of experience as a classroom teacher and approximately 14 years of experience training preservice teachers, I use the knowledge I gained in the classroom to guide my research and teacher training courses. Students note that my courses are “challenging” as Teaching Reading is Rocket Science (Moats, 2020)! I want my students to leave my classes as master future teachers of reading and writing! I have developed and teach the Literacy Core Sequence, which includes Language & Literacy Development, Literacy in the Content Areas, and Literacy Assessment & Intervention. Introduction to Exceptional Learners, Writing Process & Assessment, Literature for Children & Adolescents, and the General Methods class for our master’s students are also courses that are part of my repertoire. Looking forward to having you aspiring teachers in my classes! EDUCATION Ph.D., Utah State University. Education—Specializing in Curriculum and Instruction with Literacy Concentration. M.Ed., University of Virginia. Special Education. Teaching License K-12 with Endorsements in Mild/Moderate Disabilities and Emot B.S., Family Science, Brigham Young University PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Dr. Sally Brown, an associate professor of education, began her work at The College of Idaho in 2018. Aside from teaching, her research focus encompasses teacher knowledge, evidence-based literacy instruction, and intervention. Dr. Brown has also served as a member of the Idaho Comprehensive Literacy Plan, the Dyslexia Handbook, and dyslexia legislation workgroups, and was involved in revising the state literacy standards. As a member of Idaho’s Higher Education Literacy Partnership (IHELP), Dr. Brown, along with colleagues from around the state, are writing and revising the state literacy exams to guide institutions to better align their programs with the science of reading. Finally, Dr. Brown presents at local, national, and international conferences and provides professional development for schools. In April 2023, she—along with two students—presented at the World Literacy Summit held at Oxford University. Their topic was Working to Teach Every Child to Read: Increasing Outcomes on Dual Fronts. Other recent presentation topics include Integrated Models of Reading Comprehension: Understanding to Impact Teaching—The Teacher’s Central Role; The Effects of Explicit Main Idea and Summarization Instruction on Comprehension; and Understanding the Science of Reading: Moving Knowledge to Practice. To sum up her passion, Dr. Brown’s mantra is the following…The greatest act we can do to improve equity in the world is to teach every child to read. And she will continue to work tirelessly towards this goal. SCHOLARSHIP & RESEARCH Brown, S. A. & Members of the Idaho Higher Education Literacy Partnership (2023, Mar.). Idaho Comprehensive Literacy Standard 5—Diverse Reading and Writing Profiles: Reading and Writing Difficulties, Version A—1st Edition. Idaho Higher Education Literacy Partnership (IHELP). Boise, ID. Brown, S. A., & Pyle, N. (2021) Self-questioning strategy routine to enhance reading comprehension among secondary students. TEACHING Exceptional Children 53(6). https://doi.org/10.1177/0040059920976677 Brown, S. A. (2021, May). Overview: Evidence-Based Practices in Literacy Instruction. Iowa Distance Education Adult Literacy (IDEAL): Iowa Department of Education. Atomic Jolt, Logan, UT. Members of the Dyslexia Handbook Workgroup (2022). Idaho Dyslexia Handbook: Kindergarten through 12th Grade. Idaho State Board of Education. https://www.sde.idaho.gov/academic/ela-literacy/files/lrc/dyslexia/general/Idaho-Dyslexia-Handbook.pdf Members of the Comprehensive Literacy Workgroup (2020). Comprehensive literacy plan: Kindergarten through 12th grade. Idaho State Board of Education. Boise, ID. Free downloadable resource online shared with district leaders, higher education faculty, and teachers. https://boardofed.idaho.gov/resources/comprehensive-literacy-plan/   Pyle, N., Brown, S., & Pyle, D. (2017). A synthesis of academic interventions for students in alternative high schools. Alternative Accountability Policy Forum Proceedings. November, 2017. https://forum.rapsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/2017-aapf-summaryofproceedings-2017-final-2-pages.pdf Pyle, N., & Brown, S. (2016). Literacy for Access to College and Texts (L-ACT): Utah Alternative High Schools College Readiness Partnership. Policy Forum Proceedings: Annual Alternative Accountability Policy Forum. November 2016. https://forum.rapsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/2016-proceedings-pace_final.pdf