Dr. Jessica Toste is an assistant professor in the Department of Special Education at The University of Texas at Austin and a fellow of the Reading Institute within The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk. She received her PhD in educational psychology from McGill University. She teaches courses on reading instruction, learning disabilities (LD), and disability law. Dr. Toste was named one of the 2017 "Texas Ten," nominated by UT alumni as a professor who inspired them during their time on the Forty Acres. Her research interests are related to students with LD and effective reading interventions, with a particular focus on motivation as a determinant of school success. She has also articles and book chapters on resilience factors related to achievement and psychosocial functioning of youth at-risk. Dr. Toste was trained in reading intervention research as a postdoctoral fellow at Vanderbilt University (2011-2013) and as a Fulbright scholar/visiting researcher at the Florida Center for Reading Research (2008-2009). She has worked as an elementary school teacher and reading specialist in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
In the community, Dr. Toste serves on the Board of Directors and National Advisory Council of GLSEN (www.glsen.org). She is also on the Board of Directors of Disability Rights Texas (www.disabilityrightstx.org), federally designated legal protection and advocacy agency (P&A) for people with disabilities in Texas. She also volunteers with CASA Travis County, as a court-appointed special advocate and guardian ad litem for children who have been abused and neglected.
Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, McGill University
M.A. in Education Psychology, McGill University
B.S.Ed. in Elementary Education, McGill University
Member, National Board of Directors, GLSEN(2017)
Associate Editor, Assessment for Effective Intervention(2017)
Member, Board of Directors, Disability Rights Texas(2016)
Editorial Review Board, Intervention in School and Clinic(2016)
Chair, GLSEN Austin(2015)
Principle Reviewer, Journal of Educational Psychology(2014)
Emery, A., Toste, J. & Heath, N. (2015). The balance of instrinsic need satisfaction across contexts as a predictor of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. Motivation and Emotion(39), 753–765.
Toste, J., Heath, N., Connor, C. & Peng, P. (2015). Reconceptualizing teacher-student relationships: Applicability of the working alliance within classroom contexts. The Elementary School Journal(116), 30–48.
Miller, A., Davis, N., Gilbert, J., Cho, S., Toste, J., Street, J. & Cutting, L. (2014). Novel approaches to examine passage, student, and question effects on reading comprehension. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 29(1), 25–35.
Toste, J., Heath, N., Connor, C. & Peng, P. (2014). Reconceptualizing teacher-student relationships: Applicability of the working alliance within classroom contexts. The Elementary School Journal.
Toste, J., Fuchs, D. & Fuchs, L. (2013). Supporting struggling readers in high school: A peer-mediated approach.. Adolescent Literacy: Strategies for Content Comprehension in Inclusive Classrooms (pp. 79–92). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Company, Inc..
Miller, A., Toste, J., Fuchs, D. & Fuchs, L. (2012). Timely support for struggling learners: Response to intervention.. The Handbook of Research-Based Practice in Early Childhood Education (pp. 161–174). New York: Guilford Press.
Connor, C., Morrison, F., Schatschneider, C., Toste, J., Lundblom, E., Crowe, E. & Fishman, B. (2011). Effective classroom instruction: Implications of child characteristics by reading instruction interactions on first graders' word reading achievement. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 4(3), 173–207.
Connor, C., Kaya, S., Luck, M., Toste, J., Canto, A., Rice, D., Tani, N. & Underwood, P. (2010). Content-area literacy: Individualizing student instruction in second grade science.. The Reading Teacher, 63(6), 474–485.
Foorman, B., Petscher, Y., Lefsky, E. & Toste, J. (2010). Reading First in Florida: Five years of improvement.. Journal of Literacy Research, 42, 71–93.
Ungar, M., Toste, J. & Heath, N. (2010). Self-efficacy and resilience measures.. Rehabilitation and Health Assessment: Applying ICF Guidelines (pp. 473–492). New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Texas Ten, The Alcade | University of Texas (2017)
G. M. Dunlop Distinguished Contribution Award, Canadian Association of Educational Psychology (2012)
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (2011 - 2013)
Pat Clifford Ward for Early Career Research in Education, Canadian Education Asssociation (2011)
Governor General's Gold Medal, McGill University (2011)
Student Research Award, Fulbright Foundation - Canada/U.S. Fulbright Program (2008 - 2009)
