Her research focuses on high school literacy instruction, predominantly in urban schools. One line of Godley’s research explores the design and implementation of grammar and language instruction in English Language Arts classes. A second line of her research centers on writing instruction in high schools, specifically, how well-designed peer review can help the development of high school students' academic writing across disciplines. Her research has been funded by the American Educational Research Association, a National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, a Spencer Foundation Small Grant, and the National Science Foundation. Godley's publications have appeared in such journals as Educational Researcher, Reading Research Quarterly, and Urban Education.