Sharon Vaughn, Ph.D.

Executive Director, MCPER
Director, Reading Institute
Director, Dropout Prevention Institute
Manuel J. Justiz Endowed Chair in Math, Science, and Technology in Teacher Education
Professor, Department of Special Education: Learning Disabilities/Behavior Disorders program

Research Interests and Expertise

Intervention research for students with learning problems and disabilities

Research Projects and Grants

Understanding Malleable Cognitive Processes and Integrated Comprehension Interventions for Grades 7–12, Institute of Education Sciences*
Texas Center for Learning Disabilities, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development*
Special Education Research and Development Center on School-Based Interventions for Secondary Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2012–2014, $8,000,000*
Scale-Up Evaluation of Reading Intervention for First-Grade English Learners, Institute of Education Sciences, 2011–2016, $1,470,182*
Postdoctoral Fellowship on Reading Disabilities and Response to Intervention, Institute of Education Sciences*

*MCPER projects

Boards, Committees, and Associations

Member: Council for Exceptional Children, International Dyslexia Association, Learning Disabilities Association, Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness
Review Board: Annals of Dyslexia, Reading Research Quarterly, Educational Psychology Review, Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, American Educational Research Journal, Exceptional Children, Journal of Learning Disabilities, Learning Disability Quarterly, Journal of Special Education, Learning Disabilities Research and Practice

Recent Awards

Career Research Excellence Award from The University of Texas at Austin, 2013
J. Lee Wiederholdt Award from the Council for Learning Disabilities, 2012
Special Education Research Award from the Council for Exceptional Children, 2012
Lifetime Achievement Award from the Institute for Literacy and Learning, 2011
Jeannette E. Fleischner Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Learning Disabilities from the Council for Exceptional Children Division of Learning Disabilities and DLD Professional Development, Ethics, and Standards Committee, 2011
Albert J. Harris Award from the International Reading Association, 2010

Representative Publications

Vaughn, S., Roberts, G., Wexler, J., Vaughn, M., Fall, A.-M., & Schnakenberg, J. B. (2014). High school students with reading comprehension difficulties: Results of a randomized control trial of a two-year reading intervention. Journal of Learning Disabilities. Advance online publication. doi:10.1177/0022219413515511

Vaughn, S., Swanson, E. A., Roberts, G., Wanzek, J., Stillman-Spisak, S. J., Solis, M., & Simmons, D. (2013). Improving reading comprehension and social studies knowledge in middle school. Reading Research Quarterly, 48(1), 77–93. doi:10.1002/rrq.039
Note: The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) found that this study “meets WWC evidence standards without reservation…well-implemented randomized controlled trial.”

Vaughn, S., & Fletcher, J. M. (2012). Response to intervention with secondary school students with reading difficulties. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 45(3), 241–253. doi:10.1177/0022219412442157

Vaughn, S., Klingner, J. K., Swanson, E. A., Boardman, A. G., Roberts, G., Mohammed, S. S., & Stillman-Spisak, S. J. (2011). Efficacy of collaborative strategic reading with middle school students. American Educational Research Journal, 48(4), 938–964. doi:10.3102/0002831211410305

Vaughn, S., Cirino, P. T., Wanzek, J., Wexler, J., Fletcher, J. M., Denton, C. A., . . . Francis, D. J. (2010). Response to intervention for middle school students with reading difficulties: Effects of a primary and secondary intervention. School Psychology Review, 39(1), 3–21.

Vaughn, S., Martinez, L. R., Linan-Thompson, S., Reutebuch, C. K., Carlson, C. D., & Francis, D. J. (2009). Enhancing social studies vocabulary and comprehension for seventh-grade English language learners: Findings from two experimental studies. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 2(4), 297–324.