Jessica S Folsom
Jessica Sidler Folsom earned her Ph.D. in Special Education and graduate certificate in Education Measurement and Statistics from Florida State University. Prior to that she was a special educator for adolescents with significant cognitive disabilities and was twice awarded teacher of the year.
Dr. Folsom has substantial training and experience in a variety of applied quantitative methodologies including applied latent class analysis and finite mixture modeling, longitudinal social network analysis, multilevel longitudinal growth modeling, and meta-analysis and is a certified What Works Clearinghouse reviewer. Dr. Folsom was awarded the American Educational Research Association 2014 Outstanding Reviewer for Educational Researcher. She has over 25 peer reviewed journal articles, and provided numerous presentations at local, national, and international conferences. She has also provided several professional development workshops related to literacy and research for teachers as well as school, district, and state educational administrators.
Dr. Folsom served as an associate in research as a quantitative methodologist at the Florida Center for Reading Research at Florida State University where she conducted large-scale educational research. While at FCRR, Dr. Folsom worked on several projects, grants, and contracts funded by the NIH and IES including the Learning Disabilities Research Center, Reading for Understanding, and the Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast.
Dr. Folsom was a research scientist at the Iowa Center for Reading Research at the University of Iowa where she worked on a variety of research studies targeting summer reading programs and professional development.
Dr. Folsom returned to the classroom as a secondary special education teacher and special education instructional design strategist/coach from 2019 to 2023.. She has continued to engage in personal professional development and collaborated on grant writing with former colleagues as an independent research consultant.
In 2023, Dr. Folsom joined RMC Research as a research associate where she works on research, evaluation, and technical assistance projects for a variety of federal, state, and local education agencies and other education adjacent organizations. She provides technical assistance with the Regional Comprehensive Centers, conducts research with the Regional Educational Laboratories, and maintains a portfolio of other evaluation clients.
Phone: 319-423-9834
Address: North Liberty, IA
Dr. Folsom has substantial training and experience in a variety of applied quantitative methodologies including applied latent class analysis and finite mixture modeling, longitudinal social network analysis, multilevel longitudinal growth modeling, and meta-analysis and is a certified What Works Clearinghouse reviewer. Dr. Folsom was awarded the American Educational Research Association 2014 Outstanding Reviewer for Educational Researcher. She has over 25 peer reviewed journal articles, and provided numerous presentations at local, national, and international conferences. She has also provided several professional development workshops related to literacy and research for teachers as well as school, district, and state educational administrators.
Dr. Folsom served as an associate in research as a quantitative methodologist at the Florida Center for Reading Research at Florida State University where she conducted large-scale educational research. While at FCRR, Dr. Folsom worked on several projects, grants, and contracts funded by the NIH and IES including the Learning Disabilities Research Center, Reading for Understanding, and the Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast.
Dr. Folsom was a research scientist at the Iowa Center for Reading Research at the University of Iowa where she worked on a variety of research studies targeting summer reading programs and professional development.
Dr. Folsom returned to the classroom as a secondary special education teacher and special education instructional design strategist/coach from 2019 to 2023.. She has continued to engage in personal professional development and collaborated on grant writing with former colleagues as an independent research consultant.
In 2023, Dr. Folsom joined RMC Research as a research associate where she works on research, evaluation, and technical assistance projects for a variety of federal, state, and local education agencies and other education adjacent organizations. She provides technical assistance with the Regional Comprehensive Centers, conducts research with the Regional Educational Laboratories, and maintains a portfolio of other evaluation clients.
Phone: 319-423-9834
Address: North Liberty, IA
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Papers by Jessica S Folsom
This study examined changes in teacher knowledge of early literacy skills and in ratings of quality of early literacy skills instruction, student engagement during early literacy skills instruction, and teaching competencies in Mississippi between winter 2014 and fall 2015. Among the findings:
• Average educator knowledge increased from the 48th percentile to the 59th percentile on the Teacher Knowledge of Early Literacy Skills survey. Educators who had not yet participated in the professional development program by the end of the study had lower measures of teacher knowledge than those who had completed the program.
• In target schools the average rating of quality of instruction increased from the 31st percentile to the 58th, the average rating of student engagement increased from the 37th percentile to the 53rd, and the average rating of teaching competencies increased from the 30th percentile to the 44th.
Teachers who had not yet participated in the professional development program by the end of the study had lower measures of instruction quality, student engagement, and teacher competencies than teachers who had completed the program.
This study examined changes in teacher knowledge of early literacy skills and in ratings of quality of early literacy skills instruction, student engagement during early literacy skills instruction, and teaching competencies in Mississippi between winter 2014 and fall 2015. Among the findings:
• Average educator knowledge increased from the 48th percentile to the 59th percentile on the Teacher Knowledge of Early Literacy Skills survey. Educators who had not yet participated in the professional development program by the end of the study had lower measures of teacher knowledge than those who had completed the program.
• In target schools the average rating of quality of instruction increased from the 31st percentile to the 58th, the average rating of student engagement increased from the 37th percentile to the 53rd, and the average rating of teaching competencies increased from the 30th percentile to the 44th.
Teachers who had not yet participated in the professional development program by the end of the study had lower measures of instruction quality, student engagement, and teacher competencies than teachers who had completed the program.