Evelyn Johnson is an assistant professor in special education at Boise State University and a former research associate for the National Research Center on Learning Disabilities (NRCLD). She worked for the NRCLD from 2003 to 2007 and developed numerous technical assistance products to assist state and local educational agencies on Response to Intervention (RTI) and learning disabilities identification issues. Her work on assessment for students with disabilities has included research on accommodations and alternate assessments, as well as investigations on literacy assessment. Johnson, who holds a doctorate of education degree, began her career in Washington in 1994 as a special education… teacher and later worked at the University of Washington where her research focused on the inclusion of students with disabilities in accountability systems.
Lori Smith is principal at Cheyenne Mountain Junior High in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She has served in public education for 15 years, 9 of which have been in school administration. She began her career as a high school biology and chemistry teacher in 1994 in Colorado. Her work and systematic implementation of RTI at Cheyenne Mountain has led to several state-level presentations, publications, and consultations on RTI implementation. Smith s commitment to action research on RTI at the secondary level was inspired by the support of Evelyn Johnson as Smith completes her doctoral degree in education leadership and administration.