She received her B.A. in English and Secondary Education from Baylor University, Waco, Texas, going on to teach reading and English for ten years, with experience in all middle school and high school grades. In 1985 she earned an MLS from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas and went on to serve for fifteen years as a middle school librarian. She continued her education by returning to Baylor University and earning an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a cognate area in Technology in 2000.