As a Senior Research Associate in WestEd’s Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM) program, Kylie Flynn directs randomized controlled trials (RCTs) funded by the U.S. Department of Education and edtech companies.
Flynn’s interests focus on improving education outcomes for high-needs students, including those living in poverty, diagnosed with a disability, and/or learning English as a second language. Her research work involves the development and/or testing of education interventions for these high-needs populations.
She is the Co-Principal Investigator on three projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES): an RCT of a vocabulary intervention at fourth grade, a continuous improvement study of an early mathematics intervention, and a measurement study to extend and refine a number sense screener to identify children with mathematical difficulties.
Flynn is also conducting research through work with edtech companies, including a study of promise on the use of an online audio book platform and an efficacy trial of an online platform of leveled nonfiction content.
Prior to joining WestEd, Flynn worked at Florida State University’s (FSU’s) Florida Center for Reading Research on several intervention studies funded by IES and the National Institutes of Health. She also taught reading courses to students in FSU’s special education teacher preparation program. Previously, Flynn was a special education teacher.
Flynn authored a Raising a Reader Handbook, and co-authored journal articles and a book chapter on bridging home and learning environments.*
She received a doctorate in special education from FSU.
*Phillips, B. M., Flynn, K. S., Tabulda, G. A., Jangra, S., & Lonigan, C. J. (2013). Bridging the home and school settings to support children’s language and literacy development. In D. Barone & M. Mallette (Eds.), Best practices in early literacy instruction. New York: Guilford.