She received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Prior to coming to East Carolina University, she taught for ten years in Guilford County Schools and served as a Curriculum Specialist for the district and an Instructional Support Coach for the North Carolina New Teacher Support Program. Dr. Howard specializes in disciplinary literacy, teacher identity, and diversity in education. Her research has been published in journals such as Language Arts, Literacy Research and Instruction, and Middle Grades Research Journal.