She began her career in education at the secondary level and has experience teaching adolescents in general and special education settings as well as developing and implementing programs for students who struggle academically or are at risk of school failure. Prior to joining the faculty at GVSU, she received her doctoral degree in special education from the University of Kansas, where her research focused on strategy instruction and adolescent literacy. Harris is part of the Strategic Instruction Model (SIM) Professional Developer's Network and works with school districts to implement tiered intervention using research-based instructional strategies. Currently, her research interests include developing instructional strategies for use in academically diverse classrooms, teacher preparation, and collaborative teaching models. See less