Our Team
JAMES S. KIM
Principal Investigator, Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education
James Kim is an expert on literacy intervention and experimental design. His professional mission is to conduct a systematic program of policy relevant research in literacy that focuses on improving outcomes for low-income students and struggling readers. He leads the READS Lab (Research Enhances Adaptations Designed for Scale in Literacy), a research-based collaborative initiative to identify and scale adaptive solutions for improving children’s literacy learning opportunities and outcomes. As part of the Reach Every Reader (RER) Initiative, the READS Lab is partnering with practitioners in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) and researchers at the MIT Integrated Learning Initiative (MITili) and Florida State University to improve Kindergarten to Grade 3 reading outcomes. His current research priority is to understand how building children’s domain knowledge and reading engagement can foster long-term improvements in reading comprehension. He serves on the editorial boards of Reading Research Quarterly, the Journal of Educational Psychology, and the Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness. Prior to graduate school, he was a middle school U.S. history teacher.
ETHAN SCHERER
Director
Ethan Scherer is the director of the READS Lab. He leads the analytic design and execution for READS Lab's program evaluations and built its integrated data system. He has expertise in continuous improvement cycles, educational technology, family engagement, and social-emotional learning. As part of his work with CEPR, he also led the analytic design and execution for Proving Ground and Boston Charter Research Collaborative. Prior to joining READS Lab and CEPR, Ethan completed a Ph.D. in policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School and worked on projects related to district reform, teacher effectiveness, and out-of-school time at RAND. Ethan holds an M.P.P in public policy from UCLA and B.A. in economics from Wesleyan University.
JOHANNA N. TVEDT
Project Manager
Johanna came to the READS Lab from Harvard's Project Zero, where she worked as a Research Assistant on a national study on higher education in the 21st century. Her primary focus is issues of social mobility and equity in the field of education, and she has previously coordinated an educational program for immigrant women at the MiRA Centre in Norway, and worked as a teacher and coordinator of a study abroad program in San Francisco. She is the co-founder of the Migrant Alliance and Partnership Network in Boston, and holds an M.A. in International Studies from the University of San Francisco.
MARY BURKHAUSER
Senior Researcher
Mary Burkhauser studies how teachers experience and participate with literacy reform efforts. She is particularly interested in the relationship between teachers' implementation experiences with literacy reform efforts and the scalability of these reforms. Before coming to Harvard, Mary was a middle-school English teacher in New York City and a research analyst at Child Trends. Mary earned her B.A. from Cornell University, her M.S.T. from Pace University and Ph.D. from Harvard.
ANNA SLAVIN
Curriculum Design & Educational Media Manager
Anna Slavin is the Curriculum Design & Educational Media Manager at READS Lab. She leads design and creation of all classroom-facing tools (lessons, digital activities, and assessments) and supports the design of professional learning products. She is passionate about equitable elementary literacy interventions, methods of student engagement, and teacher support systems. Prior to READS Lab, she was a K-4 classroom teacher for nearly a decade. She also taught and designed interdisciplinary curricula in museums, including the American Museum of Natural History and the de Young Museum. Anna holds an MS.Ed in Museum and Childhood Education from Bank Street College of Education, a B.A. from Vassar College, and a Massachusetts Teaching Certification for Grades K-6.
TAYLOR MCGREAL
Project Coordinator
Taylor Harrison is the Project Coordinator at READS Lab. Prior to READS lab she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Rwanda. She co-taught English classes, designed and led teacher trainings, and wrote curriculum for the Rwandan Education board. Following that, she came back to Michigan and taught first grade and kindergarten in Detroit for 3 years before getting her master’s at Harvard and starting with READS Lab as a Research Assistant. With almost 15 years devoted to the education system, Taylor is deeply passionate about designing curriculum, programming and policy that drive equitable outcomes. Taylor holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from Oakland University, a M.Ed. in Human Development and Early Childhood from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a Michigan Teaching Certificate for grades K-8, and a TEFL Certificate.
MARIBEL OKIYE
Research Fellow
Maribel Okiye is a Research Fellow at the READS Lab, where her research examines how vocabulary taught through the READS MORE program extends students' knowledge into non-taught life science concepts. Her current work focuses on grades 1–3, with the long-term goal of mapping longitudinal vocabulary networks across grades 1–12. Prior to joining READS, Maribel completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School applying machine learning to biomedical research.
Now, Maribel is an EdM Candidate in Education Policy and Analysis at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and has Adjunct Professor at Emmanuel College She holds a PhD in Chemistry and an MS in Bioinformatics from the University of Michigan.
MATT CLEMENTS
Curriculum Translator
Matt Clements works to translate READS Lab curricular materials into Spanish. He brings 15 years of experience as an ESL and History Teacher, Curriculum Designer, ESL Program Coordinator, and Multilingual School Adjustment Counselor in schools across Greater Boston. Matt has also supported educator professional development as an Educator Coach working with districts across the US and internationally. His work has primarily focused on building out holistic school-based supports for immigrant, refugee, and SLIFE youth. In addition to his work with schools, Matt works as a remote Licensed Mental Health Counselor working primarily with the LGBTQ+ community.
ERIKA ASSADI
Curriculum Translator
Erika Assadi is the Curriculum Translator at READS Lab. She brings over 15 years of experience as an educator and school administrator, with deep expertise in curriculum design, instructional strategy, and culturally responsive practice. She currently serves as Head of Teaching and Learning, JK-Grade 12, at an independent school in San Diego. Her prior leadership roles, including Executive Director of a nonprofit serving students from under-resourced communities, Assistant Head of Lower School, Head of Integrative Programs JK-12, and Director of Enrollment Management, give her a practitioner's understanding of how curriculum comes to life across diverse school contexts. A native Spanish speaker, Erika previously served as a Spanish Language Director and led the translation of the K–8 Social Studies curriculum for Savvas (formerly Pearson K–12 Learning). She graduated Summa Cum Laude and holds a master's degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from Concordia University Irvine and a bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies–Early Childhood Education from the University of Texas at Tyler.
Research Assistants
Alejandra Currasco
Alejandra Carrasco is an M.Ed. candidate in Learning Design, Innovation, and Technology at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She co-founded Wawa Laptop, an education technology initiative expanding access to digital learning across Latin America. Her interests include educational technology, AI instruction, learning design, and equitable access to effective learning opportunities. She earned her B.A. in Sociology from Dartmouth College.
Ally Speiser
Ally Speiser came straight from the classroom teaching 1st graders to HGSE’s Learning Design Innovation and Technology program. She taught a range of kindergarten-3rd grade in her 5 years at High Tech Elementary in San Diego, CA. At High Tech, she learned what it meant to be an educator in more ways than just in the classroom, doing things from leading professional development to designing and creating the staff merch. Now, her work focuses on integrating community, joy and thoughtfulness into teacher facing curriculum. Along with joyful curriculum, Ally is passionate about student and family partnerships and ensuring that families and teachers are aligned in their goals for students. Ally holds a B.A. from Oregon State University and her California and Oregon multiple-subjects teaching credential.
Shreya Goyal
Shreya Goyal is a master's in public policy candidate at Harvard Kennedy School with a focus on AI and Tech for Good. She loves turning ideas into products that create a positive impact and pulling people together to build it. Before HKS, she worked at Rocket Learning, where she raised over $8 million and won a $1.5 million Google grant to build India's first AI learning tutor, reaching 4 million children. She started her career in consulting and then spent two years teaching in a low-income public school as a Teach For India fellow, running everything inside and outside the classroom. At Harvard, Shreya is the president of the Education Club, one of 35 Harvard Student Leaders in AI, director of the Harvard India Conference, and the events lead for AI and Tech club. On the side, she is a Bharatanatyam dancer who enjoys painting mandalas and trying out new ice cream places.
Affiliated Faculty
DOUG MOSHER
Assistant Professor of Literacy and Education
Teachers College, Columbia University
Doug Mosher studies literacy interventions for elementary school students. His research examines the impact of vocabulary knowledge on reading comprehension outcomes as well as effective and meaningful ways to promote vocabulary acquisition and schema instantiation through instruction and classroom discussion. Doug previously worked for Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools teaching first grade where he was recognized as a Blue Ribbon Teacher by the district and the Nashville Public Education Foundation. Before teaching, Doug worked as a session musician in Nashville and still occasionally plays at jazz festivals in the summer. He holds a BA from the University of Southern California and an MEd and PhD from Harvard University.
Jackie Eunjung Relyea
Associate Professor, Literacy Education
College of Education at North Carolina State University
Jackie Eunjung Relyea is an Associate Professor of Early Literacy and Teacher Education in the College of Education at North Carolina State University. Her research examines how instructional conditions and individual differences interact to shape reading development, with particular focus on the mechanisms through which content knowledge, vocabulary networks, and cross-linguistic resources support reading comprehension especially for linguistically diverse students. She conducts design-based implementation research and randomized controlled trials to develop and evaluate content-integrated literacy instruction across Tier 1 and Tier 2 settings. These studies investigate how such instruction supports knowledge building, language and literacy development, and engagement in the elementary grades. Her work has received the International Literacy Association’s 2025 Dina Feitelson Research Award and 2026 Reading Research Quarterly Outstanding Article Award.