Research Scientist, Boston University
Jessica Markham is a postdoctoral researcher at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Her program of research focuses primarily on the development of instruction, intervention, and educational systems that integrate both social-emotional learning and academic skills. In simple terms, she is interested in how to make learning—and particularly learning to read—more therapeutic and accessible to students, especially those at risk for or with learning disabilities. Using mixed methods, her dissertation focused on testing the effects of instruction that integrated the teaching of social skills with comprehension and vocabulary skills for students in first and second grade. She is interested in both preventative and responsive approaches to the academic and social-emotional challenges students face and, therefore, in intervention within larger systemic models of teaching and learning, such as Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS).
Drawing from her experiences as a teacher, psychologist, and researcher, Dr. Markham integrates perspectives from psychology, special education, instructional design, and implementation science to better understand how to support children in thriving both educationally and psychologically.
Her work at BU supports the efforts of the Wheelock Institute for the Science of Education (WISE) and the National Center on Improving Literacy (NCIL), and is funded by several federal grants and foundation funds.
