Education

The Education Pillar explores effective practices for assessment, instruction, and intervention in language and literacy acquisition. Conducting high-quality translational research, the Education Pillar’s work is informed by the neural, cognitive, cultural, and linguistic processes contextualized by and accounting for variations in culture, language, ability, and community.

Education Pillar Members

Courtney Overton

Associate Director, Education

Courtney Overton, EdD, CCC-SLP is a Speech-Language Pathologist and Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences at the University of Maryland, College Park. Courtney serves as the Director of the Language-Learning Early Advantage Program (LEAP). Courtney is also the Founder & CEO of Speech of Cake, Inc., a private practice in Alexandria, Virginia that specializes in treating speech sound disorders and dyslexia. Courtney continues to advocate for neurodivergent students and students of color by providing seminars, workshops, and keynotes on a national level through her organizations, DiverCity SLPand The SLP Guide to Dyslexia.

Courtney earned a doctorate in literacy, culture, and language education at Indiana University with a minor in educational leadership and public policy. She obtained a certificate in entrepreneurship from Cornell University. Courtney attended Emerson College to earn a master's degree in speech-language pathology, and she obtained a bachelor's degree in speech-language pathology, minor in linguistics, and certificate in American Sign Language at the University of Pittsburgh.

Learn more about Courtney Overton

Heather Boles

Director, Literacy, Baltimore City Public Schools

Learn more about Heather Boles

Inte'a DeShields

Assistant Professor & Coordinator of the Digital Humanities Initiative for the College of Liberal Arts, Department of English, Morgan State University