Adrienne Barnes-Story, Ph.D.
Adrienne Barnes-Story, Ph.D.
Ph.D., Curriculum and Instruction, Literacy Education and Research, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL - 2015
Graduate Certificate, Online Teaching and Learning, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL - 2023
Master of Science, Reading and Language Arts Education, Florida State University, Panama City, FL - 2011
BS, Elementary Education, Florida State University, Panama City, FL, 2004. Summa cum Laude
Dr. Adrienne Barnes-Story is a Literacy and Pedagogy Specialist with the Learning Systems Institute at Florida State University. She has more than 20 years of experience in both formal and non-formal education environments, education research in traditional American schools, and international education and development. Dr. Barnes-Story has supported multiple projects across several developing country contexts to design primary grade curricula, pre-service teacher training modules, and teacher/stakeholder professional development materials focused on literacy-related content and evidence-based practices associated with early grade learning.
More About Dr. Barnes-Story's Work
LSI Receives SHARE Grant To Support Strengthening Teacher Education and Practice Activity
LSI Continues Advancing On The USAID Tunoze Gusoma (Schools and Systems) Activity In Rwanda
LSI Concludes Successful Third Year On Strengthening Teacher Education and Practice in Malawi
Professional Credentials
Elementary Education, K-6; Reading Education, K-12;
English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Endorsement
Education Science, PIRT Program Certificate, Florida Center for Reading Research, 2015
Protecting Human Research Participants, National Institutes of Health, renewed 2021
Professional Experience
2014 to present Learning Systems Institute at Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
Research Faculty II. (2021 to date).
Research Faculty I. (2016 to 2021).
Literacy Consultant. (2014-2016).
Contribution to teamwork on grant/contract proposal development and review, development of technical reports, and dissemination of research findings; representation of LSI at conferences and in project meetings; and collaboration in and development of curricula and peer-reviewed publications related to research and practice in early grade reading, teacher professional development, and classroom instruction.
Support of institutions such as Ministries of Education, Councils for Colleges of Education, Universities, and Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) in the development of early grade reading (EGR) curriculum; supplementation of pre-service teacher education curriculum (in English and multiple local languages) to include evidence-based practices, and low-cost/no-cost materials; development and provision of interactive professional development training (in English and multiple mother tongue languages) to teaching faculty and universities on evidence-based literacy practices; education research; and systematic situation/contextual analysis of education institutions in low- and middle-income country contexts.
Fieldwork focused on developing instructional and professional training materials, delivering training to college/university instructors, monitoring/evaluating program implementation, and using observational and focus group discussion data to refine the materials produced and determine efficient and effective instructional approaches.
Honors and Awards
- 2024 nominee Trailblazer Award, Florida State University Alumni Association, Tallahassee, FL.
- 2023 nominee Graduate Of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award, Florida State University Alumni Association, Tallahassee, FL.
- 2020 Big Sister of the Year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Big Bend, Tallahassee, FL.
- 2019 nominee Big Sister of the Year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Big Bend, Tallahassee, FL.
- 2011 to 2015 Research Fellow, Florida Center for Reading Research (Institute of Education Sciences), Pre-doctoral Interdisciplinary Research Training Program.
Projects
Bangladesh Higher Secondary Education (2024 to date) - Teacher Training and Materials Development Specialist
Funding Agency: USAID-Bangladesh/Chemonics
FSU/LSI Project Director: Probak Karim
Testing the Viability of e-CPD Across Malawian Higher Education Institutions (2024 to date) – Sr. Technical Advisor and Project Director
Funding Agency: Notre Dame University under the USAID Supporting Holistic and Actionable Research in Education (SHARE) envelope
FSU/LSI Project Director: Adrienne Barnes-Story, Ph.D.
Large Class Pedagogy in Low-Income Contexts (2024 to date) – Sr. Technical Advisor and Project Director
Funding Agency: FSU Council on Research and Creativity
FSU/LSI Project Director: Adrienne Barnes-Story, Ph.D.
Malawi Strengthening Teacher Education and Practice (2022 to date) – Sr. Technical Advisor and Project Director
Cooperative Agreement # 72061222CA00001
Funding Agency: USAID-Malawi
FSU/LSI Project Director: Adrienne Barnes-Story, Ph.D.
Rwanda Schools and Systems Activity (2021 to date) – Sr. Technical Advisor and Project Director
PO # 21002411
Funding Agency: USAID-Rwanda/FHI360
FSU/LSI Project Director: Adrienne Barnes-Story, Ph.D.
Previous Projects
Transforming Teacher Education in Zambia (2020 to 2022) – Teacher Training and Materials Development Specialist
Agreement # 72061120CA00006
Funding Agency: USAID-Zambia FSU/LSI Project Director: Stephanie Zuilkowski, Ph.D.
Advancing Basic Education in the Philippines (ABC+) (2019 to 2021) – Literacy, Pedagogy, and Research Specialist
Contract # 4-330-0217045-65792L
Funding Agency: USAID-Philippines/RTI International FSU/LSI Project Director: Ana H. Marty, Ph.D.
Malawi National Reading Program (NRP) Implementation and Expansion (2019 to 2023) – Sr. Technical Advisor and Project Director
PO # 72061220P00001
Funding Agency: USAID-Malawi
FSU/LSI Project Director: Adrienne Barnes, Ph.D.
University of Maiduguri – Florida State University Partnership (2020 to 2021) – Literacy, Pedagogy, and Research Specialist
Contract # 186000-524-044598
Funding Agency: USAID-Nigeria
FSU/LSI Project Director: Ana Marty, Ph.D.
Uzbekistan Education Reform Program (2020) – Literacy and Pedagogy Specialist
Contract # 2-330-0217315-65810L
Funding Agency: USAID-Uzbekistan/RTI International
FSU/LSI Project Director: Rabieh Razzouk
Nigeria Centre for Reading Research and Development (2017 to 2020) – Literacy, Pedagogy, and Research Specialist.
Contract # AID-620-G-17-00001
Funding Agency: USAID-Nigeria
FSU/LSI Project Director: Stephanie Zuilkowski, Ed.D.
Northern Education Initiative Plus (NEI Plus) (2016 to 2021) – Sr. Technical Lead and Project Director
Contract # 186000-524-037853
Funding Agency: USAID-Nigeria/Creative Associates International
FSU/LSI Project Director: Adrienne Barnes, Ph.D.
Honduras Reading Activity (de Lectores a Lideres) (2018 to 2019) – Sr. Technical Lead and Project Director
Contract # 2018-0036
Funding Agency: USAID-Honduras/Education Development Center, Inc.
FSU/LSI Project Director: Adrienne Barnes, Ph.D.
Promoting Early Reading in Borno and Yobe (2018 to 2019) – Materials Development and Training Specialist.
Contract # 43252208
Funding Agency: UNICEF
FSU/LSI Project Director: Ana Marty, Ph.D.
Reading for Ethiopia’s Achievement Developed-Technical Assistance (READ-TA)(2014 to 2017) – Literacy and Pedagogy Specialist.
Contract # 2-330-0213559
Funding Agency: USAID-Ethiopia/RTI International
FSU/LSI Project Director: Flavia Ramos-Mattoussi, Ed.D.
2014 To Present Independent Consultant
Save the Children International (2023 to 2024)
• Educational writing and coordination of the School Age Learning and Wellbeing Team to draft, revise, and finalize/publish several written pieces of work on the topic of Home School Connections.
American University of Nigeria, Yola, Nigeria (2020)
• Developed a teacher guide and a teacher training manual for using Hausa supplementary decodable and leveled readers in the primary classroom.
Family Health International (FHI360), Washington, DC (2019 to 2020)
• Developed reading, social studies, and mathematics curricula (Scopes & Sequences, Pupil Books, and Teacher Guides) for both the RANA Upper Primary and Addressing Education in Northeast Nigeria projects.
University Research Co., LLC, Chevy Chase, MD (2017 to 2019)
• Developed early grade reading training and professional development resources and delivered training workshops and webinars for USAID University and for the Reading within Reach (REACH) Project, which is part of the Global Reading Network.
Florida State University (2014 to 2016)
• Supported the READ-TA project in Ethiopia.
2011 to 2015 Florida Center for Reading Research, Tallahassee, FL Doctoral Research Fellow.
• Supported the coordination of two multi-district longitudinal reading research projects in public elementary schools. Duties included daily management and training of research lab staff, data management, data analysis, manuscript/presentation authorship, and liaising with schools and teachers for data collection and intervention implementation.
Development of Oral and Silent Reading Fluency and its relation with Reading Comprehension in First through Third Grade Students
(2012-2015) – Project Co-Coordinator
Award # R305A120147
Funding Agency: Institute of Education Sciences
Principal Investigator: Young-Suk Kim, Ed.D.
Florida Center for Reading Research at Florida State University
Examining Effective Intervention Targets, Longitudinal Intensity, and Scaling Factors for Pre-K to 5th Grade Student Comprehension
(2011-2012) – Research Assistant and Sub-Project Co-Coordinator
Award # R305F100027
Funding Agency: Institute of Education Sciences
Principal Investigator: Christopher Lonigan, Ph.D.
Florida Center for Reading Research at Florida State University
2014 Florida State University, Panama City, FL.
Adjunct Professor. Delivered course content for EDE 4302: Literacy Assessment and Instruction, a course focused on how to assess students and develop data-driven instruction based on student needs; assessed student achievement; and provided feedback to College of Education undergraduate and graduate students.
2010 to 2011 Florida State University, Panama City, FL.
Graduate Research Assistant. Provided advising to undergraduate education students and supported the College of Education professors.
2010 to 2011 Bay District Schools, Panama City, FL.
Teacher. Provided substitute teaching services in Language Arts and Reading classes.
2010 to 2011 Independent Consultant, Panama City, FL
Private Reading Tutor. Provided one-on-one private tutoring for students in grades 2 to 6 (as well as adults in the local GED program) in need of remedial reading instruction.
2005 to 2008 Independent Consultant, Canton, GA
Private Reading Tutor. Provided one-on-one private tutoring for students in grades 2 to 6 in need of remedial reading instruction.
2004 to 2008 American Heritage Academy, Canton, GA
Teacher. Educated the youth of America in all subjects taught at the third-grade level; led the grade-level team in designing and implementing the annual instructional plan; provided after-school remedial Reading classes to low-performing students; organized and directed summer reading camps for students in grades 1 to 8.
Current Professional Association Memberships
Golden Key International Honor Society
Society for International Development
Country Experience
Honduras, 2018-2019 (1 month in-country, cumulative: Tegucigalpa)
Malawi, 2020-2024 (13 months in-country, cumulative: Northern, Central, and Southern Regions)
Nigeria, 2016-2019 (13 months in-country, cumulative: FCT, Kano, Bauchi, Sokoto, Borno)
Philippines, 2020 (2 weeks in-country, Manila, Iloilo, Legazpi)
Rwanda, 2022-2024 (2 months in-country, cumulative: Kigali)
Zambia, 2021-2022 (4 months in-country, cumulative: Lusaka)
Refereed Journal Articles
Kamanga, M., Kapito, P., Lipenga, A., Bema, Y. & Barnes-Story, A. (in prep). Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of TTC Language Lecturers and Student Teachers Around Early Grade Literacy Instruction in Malawi.
Kapito, P., Jere, P., Buleya, B., & Barnes-Story, A. (in prep). Strengthening Teaching and Learning of Early Grade Literacy through Teacher Continuous Professional Development (CPD) in Malawi’s Primary Schools: Current Practices and Opportunities
Jere, B., Kapito, P., Luka, M., & Barnes-Story, A. (in prep). Examining the extent to which Language Educators combat early-grade literacy challenges using institutional-based Continuous Professional Development: the case of selected Teacher Training Colleges.
Kapito, P., Providence, U. W., Kamanga, M., & Barnes-Story, A. (in prep). Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Teaching Practice Component of Malawi’s Initial Primary Teacher Education (IPTE) Program: Voices of Key Stakeholders.
Wawire, B. A., Robinette, J. J., Nkunika, F., Koo, J. & Barnes-Story, A. (in prep). Preservice teachers, tutors' content and pedagogical content knowledge of reading and associations with teacher characteristics, self-efficacy, and classroom practice: the context of Malawi.
Koo, J., Conti, N., Wawire, B. A. & Barnes-Story, A. (in development). Relationship, Role, and Experience Between Groups (student/class/mentor/head teachers, and lecturers) During the Teaching Practicum in Malawi.
Barnes-Story, A.E., Robinette, J. J., Wawire, B. A., & Jere, B. (in prep). Effective Methods for Teaching Large Classes – What Have We Learned in 25 Years of Research?
Barnes-Story, A. E., Wawire, B. A., Kitsao-Wegulo, P., & Ngware, M. (in prep). The nature of relations between instruction and literacy outcomes among preschool children in the Tayari program.
Wawire, B. A. , Barnes-Story, A. E., Ngware, M., & Kitsao-Wegulo, P. (in prep). The Relations among Language, Socio-emotional Learning, Executive Functioning, and Learning Outcomes: Evidence from the Tayari Preschool Program.
Wawire, B. A., Barnes-Story, A. E., Liang, X., & Piper, B. (2024). Supporting multilingual children at-risk of reading failure: Impacts of a multilingual structured pedagogy literacy intervention in Kenya. Reading and Writing: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 37(8). DOI:10.1007/s11145-023-10453-z
Wawire, B. A., Barnes-Story, A. E., Kiru, E., & Kim, S. (2023). Primary school learning in sub-Saharan Africa during COVID-19: a scoping review of responses and recovery initiatives induced during school closures. Current Issues in Comparative Education, 25(1), 25-50.
Paredes, C., Barnes-Story, A. E., Zuilkowski, S., & Akinrinmade, B. (2023). The potential of non-formal learning programs to close reading gaps for out-of-school children: Findings from northern Nigeria. Global Education Review, 10(3), 46-63.
Wawire, B. A. & Barnes-Story, A. E. (2022). Translanguaging for multilingual literacy: Pedagogical approaches for classroom practitioners. Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 26(2), 173-188. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2022.2094702
Barnes, A. E., Zuilkowski, S., Boyle, H., & Bello, Z. N. (2019). Reforming teacher education in Nigeria: Laying a foundation for the future. Teaching and Teacher Education, 79, 153-163.
Barnes, A. E., Zuilkowski, S. S., Mekonnen, D., & Ramos-Mattoussi, F. (2018). Improving teacher training in Ethiopia: Shifting the content and approach of pre-service teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 70, 1-11.
Barnes, A. E., Kim, Y-S., Tighe, E. L., & Vorstius, C. (2017). Readers in adult basic education: Component skills, eye movements, and fluency. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 50(2), 180-194.
Barnes, A. E., & Kim, Y-S. (2016). Low-skilled adult readers look like typically developing child readers: A comparison of reading skills and eye movement behavior. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 29, 1889-1914.
Barnes, A. E., Kim, Y-S. & Phillips, B. M. (2014). The relations of proper character introduction to narrative quality and listening comprehension for young children from high poverty schools. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 27, 1189-1205.
Tighe, E. L., Barnes, A. E., Connor, C. M., & Steadman, S. C. (2013). Defining success in Adult Basic Education settings: Multiple stakeholders, multiple perspectives. Reading Research Quarterly, 48, 415-43