Sarah Sayko
Associate Research Professor
Dr. Sarah Sayko is an associate research professor at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, with an appointment in the Teaching & Learning Department. Her primary affiliation is within the Wheelock Institute for the Science of Education (WISE). She has extensive experience providing capacity-building technical assistance to state, regional, and local education agencies and presents regularly on how to apply evidence-based literacy practices in classrooms.
Dr. Sayko is the principal investigator and interim director of the National Center on Improving Literacy. NCIL’s mission is to increase access to and use of evidence-based approaches to screen, identify, and teach students with literacy-related disabilities, including dyslexia.
Previously, Dr. Sayko was a technical assistance specialist for the U.S. Department of Education’s Comprehensive Center Network, the National Reading Technical Assistance Center, and its predecessor, the National Center for Reading First Technical Assistance. She was an elementary reading coach and literacy specialist in two Massachusetts school districts.
Education
EdD, Curriculum and Instruction, The George Washington University
MEd, Reading, Lesley University
BA, English Literature, minor in Elementary Education, Wheaton College
Selected Publications
Solari, E., Terry, N. P., Gaab, N., Hogan, T. P., Nelson, N., Pentimonti, J., … Sayko, S. (2020, September). Translational science: A roadmap for the science of reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(S1), S347-S360. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED650411.pdf
Dimitrov, D., Frye, M., Jurich, S., Sayko, S., & Lammert, J. (2014). A study on immediate effects of the first-year intervention under the Illinois Striving Readers project. Journal of Education and Human Development, 3(2), 121-154. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265335603_Study_on_Immediate_Effects_of_the_First-Year_Intervention_Under_the_Illinois_Striving_Readers_Project
Selected Presentations
Cleveland, C., Markham-Anderson, J., & Sayko. S. (2024). On the books: Complexities of state literacy and dyslexia laws and implementation. Talk session at the Office of Special Education Programs Leadership & Project Directors Conference. Arlington, VA.
Sanders, K. & Sayko, S. (June, 2021). A policy and practice lens on dyslexia. Breakout session at the IES Reading Summit: Linking Data and Learning. Institute of Education Science, U.S. Department of Education and the Council of the Great City Schools.
Crawford, P., Gurski, S., Lane, H., & Sayko, S. (July, 2019). Ready for reading: Teacher preparation and the science of reading. Panel presentation at the Office of Special Education Programs Leadership Conference, U.S. Department of Education, Arlington, VA.
Sayko, S. (July, 2018). Improving students with disabilities’ access to evidence-based literacy instruction. Panel presentation at the Office of Special Education Programs Project Directors’ Conference, U.S. Department of Education, Arlington, VA.
Sayko, S. (April, 2018). Incorporating evidence-based practices in the IEP. Presentation at the symposium on high expectations and appropriate supports: The importance of IEPs, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education.