Skip to main content

James S. Kim

James Kim

Faculty Info

Professor of Education

Degrees

Ed.D., Harvard University, (2002)

Vitae/CV

cv-james_kim-7-24.pdf

Areas of Expertise

James Kim

Visit my.Harvard

Email

james_kim@gse.harvard.edu

Personal Site

http://scholar.harvard.edu/jameskim

Office

Larsen 601

Office Hours

Email the Faculty Coordinator to set up the appointment

Faculty Coordinator

Julia Hadden

James Kim innovates at the intersection of literacy intervention, experimental design, and systems transformation. His research focuses on the development of novel, evidence-based programs that build students’ domain and vocabulary knowledge, argumentative writing ability, and reading comprehension outcomes. He develops long-term partnerships with U.S. school districts to help educators build and maintain healthy literacy ecosystems to foster equitable outcomes for all learners. He leads the READS Lab (Research Enhances Adaptations Designed for Scale in Literacy), a research-based collaborative initiative to identify and scale adaptive solutions for improving children’s literacy learning and outcomes. Consistent with the principles of Open Science, the READS Lab promotes open data, open materials, preregistration information, and replication data for its core experimental studies. The Model of Reading Engagement (MORE), a spiraled and sustained content literacy intervention developed by READS Lab, has been shown to improve first to third-grade students’ literacy outcomes. A review by the U.S. Department of Education’s indicated that research on MORE meets WWC standards without reservation and long-term follow-up suggests that the impact of MORE persists through fourth grade. He is currently directing an Education Innovation and Research (EIR), mid-phase project, to scale MORE nationally. His core value is to be a servant leader, who serves school districts and scholars. His vision is to inspire all learners to love the written word and to find beauty, goodness, and truth in the natural and social world.  

  • Mosher, D. M. & Kim, J. S. (2024). Building a Science of Teaching Reading and Vocabulary: Experimental Effects of Structured Supplements for a Read Aloud Lesson on Third Graders’ Domain-Specific Reading Comprehension. Scientific Studies of Reading.
  • Gilbert, J. B., Kim, J. S., & Miratrix, L. M. (2024). Leveraging Item Parameter Draft to Assess Transfer Effects in Vocabulary Learning. Applied Measurement in Education.
  • Relyea, J. E., Kim, J. S., Rich, P., & Fitzgerald, J. (2024). Effects of Tier I Content Literacy Intervention on Early-Grade English Learners’ Reading and Writing: Exploring the Mediating Roles of Domain-Specific Vocabulary and Oral Language Proficiency. Journal of Educational Psychology, http://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000882
  • Mosher, D. M., Burkhauser, M. A., & Kim, J. S. (2024). Improving Second-Grade Reading Comprehension Through a Sustained Content Literacy Intervention: A Mixed-Methods Study Examining the Mediating Role of Domain-Specific Vocabulary. Journal of Educational Psychology, 116(4), 550-568.
  • Kim, J. S., Gilbert, J. B., Relyea, J. E., Rich, P., Scherer, E., Burkhauser, M. A., & Tvedt, J. N. (2024). Time to Transfer: Long-Term Effects of a Sustained and Spiraled Content Literacy Intervention in the Elementary Grades. Developmental Psychology. Advance online publication.
  • Mozer, R., Miratrix, L., Relyea, J. E., & Kim, J. S. (2023). Combining Human and Automated Scoring Methods in Experimental Assessments of Writing: A Case Study Tutorial. Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics. Online First. https://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/37378513
  • Kim, J. S., Burkhauser, M. A., Relyea, J. E., Gilbert, J. B., Scherer, E., Fitzgerald, J., Mosher, D. & McIntyre, J. (2023). Longitudinal Randomized Trial of a Sustained Content Literacy Intervention from First to Second Grade: Transfer Effects on Students' Reading Comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 115(1), 73-98. Meets WWC (What Works Clearinghouse) Standards Without Reservations: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Study/90650
  • Gilbert, J. B., Kim, J. S., & Miratrix, L. (2023). Modeling Item-Level Heterogeneous Treat Effects with the Explanatory Item Response Model: Leveraging Large-Scale Online Assessments to Pinpoint the Impact of Educational Interventions. Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics. 48(6), 889-913. https://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/37378513
  • Relyea, J. E., Rich, P., Kim, J. S., Gilbert, J. B. (2023). The COVID-19 Impact of Reading Achievement Growth of Grade 3-5 Students in a U.S. Urban School District: Variation Across Student Characteristics and Instructional Modalities. Reading and Writing, 36: 317-346. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11145-022-10387-y
  • Asher, C. A., Scherer, E., & Kim. J. S. (2022). Using a factorial design to maximize the effectiveness of a parental text messaging intervention. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 15(3), 532-557. https://doi.org/10.1080/19345747.2021.2009073
  • Kim, J. S., Burkhauser, M. A., Relyea, J. E., Gilbert, J. B., Scherer, E., Fitzgerald, J., Mosher, D. & McIntyre, J. (2022). Longitudinal Randomized Trial of a Sustained Content Literacy Intervention from First to Second Grade: Transfer Effects on Students’ Reading Comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology. Advanced Online https://doi:10.1037/edu0000751
  • Kim, J. S., & Burkhauser, M. A. (2022). Teaching for Transfer Can Help Young Children Read for Understanding. Phi Delta Kappan, Vol. 103, No. 8, 20-24. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00317217221100006
  • Kim, J. S., & Wei, Z. (2022). Tier 1 Instructional Strategies to Improve K-4 Reading Comprehension. EdResearch for Recovery, Annenberg Brown University. https://annenberg.brown.edu/sites/default/files/EdResearch_for_Recovery_Brief_25.pdf
  • Kim, J. S., Gilbert, J., Yu, Q., & Gale, C. (2021). Measures Matter: A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Educational Apps on Preschool to Grade 3 Children’s Literacy and Math Skills. AERA Open, 7(1): 1-19. https://doi:10.1177/23328584211004183
  • Kim, J. S., Relyea, J. E., Burkhauser, M. A., & Scherer, E., & Rich, P. (2021). Improving Elementary Grade Students’ Science and Social Studies Vocabulary Knowledge Depth, Reading Comprehension, and Argumentative Writing: A Conceptual Replication. Educational Psychology Review, 33: 1935-1964. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09609-6
  • Kim, J. S., Burkhauser, M. A., *Mesite, L., *Ascher, C., *Relyea, J. E., Fitzgerald, J., & Elmore, J. (2021). Improving Reading Comprehension, Science Domain Knowledge, and Reading Engagement through a First-Grade Content Literacy Intervention. Journal of Educational Psychology, 113(1), 3-26. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/edu0000465
  • Hale, E., & Kim, J. S. (2020). An Examination of Low-Level Questions in Informational Read Alouds. Elementary School Journal, 120(4), June 2020.
  • Hemphill, L., Kim, J. S., & Troyer, M. T. (2019). Improving Struggling Readers’ Literacy Skills Through Talk about Text. In Grover, T., Uccelli, P., Rowe, M., & Lieven, E. (Eds.), Learning Through Language: Towards an Educationally Informed Theory of Language Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/97813167183537.
  • Kim, J. S. Making Every Study Count: Learning from Replication Failure to Improve Intervention Research. Educational Researcher.
  • Kim, J. S., Asher, C. A., Burkhauser, M., Mesite, L., & Leyva, D. (2019). Using a Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART) to Develop an Adaptive K-2 Literacy Intervention with Personalized Print Texts and App-Based Digital Activities. AERA Open, 5(3): 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858419872701
  • Jones, S. M., LaRusso, M., Kim, J. S., Kim, H. Y., Selman, R., Uccelli, P., Barnes, S. P., Donovan, S., & Snow, C. (2019). Experimental Effects of Word Generation on Vocabulary, Academic Language, Perspective Taking, and Reading Comprehension in High-Poverty Schools. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness. DOI: 10.1080/19345747.2019.1615155
  • Wantchekon, K., & Kim, J. S. (2019). Exploring the Relationship Between Reading Engagement and Reading Comprehension by Achievement Level. Reading & Writing Quarterly. DOI:10.1080/10573569.2019.1594474
  • Qin, W., Kingston, H C., & Kim, J. S. (2019). "What Does Retelling 'Tell' about Children's Reading Proficiency?" First Language, 39(2): 177-199. https://doi.org/10.1177/0142723718810605
  • Troyer, M., Kim, J. S., Hale, E., Wantchekon, K., & Armstrong, C. (2019). Relations Among Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation, Reading Amount, and Comprehension: A Conceptual Replication. Reading and Writing, An Interdisciplinary Journal, 32: 1197-1218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-018-9907-9
  • Quinn, D. M., & Kim, J. S. (2018). Experimental Effects of Program Management Approach on Teachers’ Professional Ties and Social Capital. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 40(2): 196-218. DOI: 10.3102/0162373717742198
  • Kim, J. S., Armstrong, C., & Kelley-Kemple, T. (2017). Practices Matter: Elementary Teachers’ Literacy Survey and Student Outcomes Study. Cambridge, MA: READS Lab.
  • Quinn, D. M., & Kim, J. S. (2017). Scaffolding Fidelity and Flexibility in Educational Program Implementation: Experimental Evidence from a Literacy Intervention. American Educational Research Journal, 54(6): 1187-1120. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831217717692
  • Capotosto, L., Kim, J. S., Burkhauser, M. A., Park, S. O., Mulimbi, B., Donaldson, M., & Kingston, H. C. (2017). “Family support of third-grade reading skills, motivation, and habits.” AERA Open, 3(3): 1-16. DOI: 10.1002/rrq.178
  • Kim, J. S., Hemphill, L., Troyer, M. T., Thomson, J. M., Jones, S. J., LaRusso, M. & Donovan, S.(2017). “Engaging Struggling Adolescent Readers to Improve Reading Skills.” Reading Research Quarterly, 52(3): 357-380. DOI: 10.1002/rrq.171
  • Lynch, K. & Kim, J. S. (2017). “Effects of a Summer Mathematics Intervention for Low-Income Children.” Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 39(1): 31-53. DOI:10.3102/0162373716662339
  • Kim, J. S., Burkhauser, M. B., Quinn, D. M., Guryan, J., Kingston, H. C., & Aleman, K. (2017). “Effectiveness of Structured Teacher Adaptations to an Evidence-Based Summer Literacy Program.” Reading Research Quarterly, 52(4): 443-468.
  • Cooc, N., & Kim, J. S. (2017). “Peer Influence on Children’s Reading Skills: Social Network Analysis of Elementary School Classrooms.” Journal of Educational Psychology 109(5): 727-740.
  • Ackman, E., White, T., & Kim, J. S. (2016). “Facilitating Policymakers’ Use of the Evidence on Summer Loss and Summer Programs.” In Alexander, K., Pitcock, S. & Boulay, M. (Eds.), Summer Learning and Summer Learning Loss: Theory, Research, and Practice. New York: Teachers College Press.
  • Graham, S., Bruch, J., Fitzgerald, J., Friedrich, L., Furgeson, J., Greene, K., Kim, J., Lyskawa, J., Olson, C.B., & Smither Wulsin, C. (2016). Teaching secondary students to write effectively (NCEE 2017-4002). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from the NCEE website: http://whatworks.ed.gov
  • Kim, J. S., Hemphill, L., Troyer, M. T., Thomson, J. M., Jones, S. J., LaRusso, M. & Donovan, S. (2016). Engaging Struggling Adolescent Readers to Improve Reading Skills.Reading Research Quarterly, 1-26. DOI: 10.1002/rrq.171
  • Guryan, J., Kim, J. S., Park, K. S. (2016). “Motivation and Incentives in Education: Evidence from a Summer Reading Experiment.” Economics of Education Review 55: 1-20.
  • Capotosto, L. & Kim, J. S. (2016). “Literacy Discussions in Low-Income Families: The Effect of Parent Questions on Fourth Graders’ Retellings.” First Language 36(1): 50-70.
  • Lynch, K. & Kim, J. S. (2016). Effects of a Summer Mathematics Intervention for Low-Income Children.Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, XX (X), 1–23. DOI: 10.3102/0162373716662339
  • Kim, J. S., Guryan, J., White, T. G., Quinn, D. M., Capotosto, L., & Kingston, H. C. (2016). Delayed Effects of a Low-Cost and Large-Scale Summer Reading Intervention on Elementary School Children’s Reading Comprehension. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 9(S1), 1-22. DOI: 10.1080/19345747.2016.1164780”
  • White, T. G., Kim, J. S., Kingston, H. C., & Foster, L. F. (2014). Replicating the Effects of a Teacher-Scaffolded Voluntary Summer Reading Program: The Role of Poverty.Reading Research Quarterly, 49(1), 5-30. DOI: 10.1002/rrq.62
  • Kim, J. S. & Quinn, D. M. (2013). The Effects of Summer Reading on Low-income Children’s Literacy Achievement from Kindergarten to Grade 8: A Meta-analysis of Classroom and Home Interventions.Review of Educational Research, 83(3), 386-431.
  • Olson, C.B., Kim, J. S., Scarcella, R., Kramer, J. S., Pearson, M., van Dyk, D., Collins, P., & Land, R. (2012). Enhancing the Interpretive Reading and Analytical Writing of Mainstreamed English Learners in Secondary School: Results From a Randomized Field Trial Using a Cognitive Strategies Approach. American Educational Research Journal, 49(2), 323-355.
  • White, T. G., & Kim, J. S. (2011). “Solving the Problem of Summer Reading Loss.” Phi Delta Kappa 92(7): 64-67.
  • Kim, J. S, Olson, C.B., Scarcella, R., Kramer, J. S., Pearson, M., van Dyk, D., Collins, P., & Land, R. (2011). A Randomized Experiment of a Cognitive Strategies Approach to Text-Based Analytical Writing for Mainstreamed Latino English Language Learners in Grades 6-12. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness 4(3), 231-263.
  • Kim, J. S., Capotosto, L. C., Hartry, A., & Fitzgerald, R. (2011). Can a Mixed-Method Literacy Intervention Improve the Reading Achievement of Low-Performing Elementary School Students in an After-school Program? Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial of READ 180 Enterprise. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 33(2), 183-201.
  • White, T. G., & Kim, J. S. (2010). “Can Silent Reading in the Summer Reduce Socioeconomic Differences in Reading Achievement?” In Hiebert, E. H., & Reutzel, D. R. (Eds.), Revisiting Silent Reading: New Directions for Teachers and Researchers (pp. 67-94). Newark, DE: International Reading Association
  • Gersten, R., Dimino, J., Jayanthi, M., Kim, J. S., & Santoro, L. E. (2010). Teacher Study Group: Impact of the Professional Development Model on Reading Instruction and Student Outcomes in First Grade Classrooms. American Educational Research Journal, 47(3), 694-739.
  • Kim, J. S., & Guryan, J. (2010). The Efficacy of a Voluntary Summer Book Reading Intervention for Low-Income Latino Children from Language Minority Families.Journal of Educational Psychology, 99, (3), 505-515.
  • Kim, J. S., Samson, J. F., Fitzgerald, R., & Hartry, A. (2010). A Randomized Experiment of a Mixed-Methods Literacy Intervention for Struggling Readers in Grades 4-6: Effects on Word Reading Efficiency, Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary, and Oral Reading Fluency. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 23 (1), 1109-1129.
  • White, C. E. & Kim, J. S. (2009). “Putting the Pieces of the Puzzle Together: How Systematic Vocabulary Instruction and Expanded Learning Time Can Address the Literacy Gap.” Center for American Progress: Washington, DC. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/05/elt_language_development.html
  • Kim, J. S. (2008). “Research and the Reading Wars.” In. Hess, F. M. (Ed.), When Research Matters:How Scholarship Influences Education Policy (pp. 89-111). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
  • Kim, J. S. (2008). “Research and the Reading Wars.” Phi Delta Kappan 89(5): 372-375.
  • Kim, J. S. (2008). “How to Make Summer Reading Effective.” Johns Hopkins University, National Center for Summer Learning. http://www.summerlearning.org/media/researchandpublications/ResearchBrief03FINAL9.10.08K im.pdf
  • White, T. G., & Kim, J. S. (2008). Teacher and Parent Scaffolding of Voluntary Summer Reading. Reading Teacher, 62(2), 116-125.
  • Kim, J. S. (2008). Research and the Reading Wars. In. Hess, F. M. (Ed.), When Research Matters: How Scholarship Influences Education Policy (89-112). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
  • Kim, J. S. (2008). Research and the Reading Wars.Phi Delta Kappan, 89 (5), 372-375.
  • Kim, J. S. & White, T. G. (2008). Scaffolding Voluntary Summary Reading for Children in Grades 3 to 5: An Experimental Study. Scientific Studies of Reading, 12 (1), 1-23.
  • Kim, J. S. (2007). “The Relative Influence of Research on Class Size Policy.” In Loveless, T. & Hess, F. M. (Eds.), Brookings Papers on Education Policy 2006/2007 (pp. 273-295) Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.
  • Kim, J. S. (2007). The Relative Influence of Research on Class Size Policy. Brookings Papers on Education Policy (9), 273-295.
  • Kim, J. S. (2007). The Effects of a Voluntary Summer Reading Intervention on Reading Activities and Reading Achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(3), 505-515.
  • Sunderman, G., & Kim, J. S. (2007). The Expansion of Federal Power and the Politics of Implementing the No Child Left Behind Act. Teachers College Press, 109(5), 1057-1085.
  • Sunderman, G. L., Orfield, G., & Kim, J. S. (2006). “The Principals Denied by NCLB are Central to Visionary School Reform. “ The Education Digest 72(2): 19-24.
  • Sunderman, G., L., & Kim, J. S. (2006). “Implementing Supplemental Educational Services: Implications for School Districts and Educational Opportunity.” In Wong, K. K., & Rutledge, S. A. (Eds.), System- wide Efforts to Improve Student Achievement. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing, Inc.
  • Kim, J. S. (2006). “The Effects of a Voluntary Summer Reading Intervention on Reading Achievement: Results from a Randomized Field Trial.” Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 28(4), 335-355.
  • Sunderman, G. L., Orfield, G., & Kim, J. S. (2006). The Principals Denied by NCLB are Central to Visionary School Reform. The Education Digest, 72,(2), 19-24.
  • Sunderman, G., L., & Kim, J. S. (2006). Implementing Supplemental Educational Services: Implications for School Districts and Educational Opportunity. Wong, K. K., & Rutledge, S. A. (Eds.), System-wide Efforts to Improve Student Achievement (63-92). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing, Inc.
  • Sunderman, G., Kim, J. S., & Orfield, G. (2005). NCLB Meets School Realities, Lessons from the Field. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage/Corwin Press.
  • Sunderman, G., Kim, J. S., & Orfield, G. (2005). NCLB Meets School Realities, Lessons from the Field. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage/Corwin Press.
  • Kim, J. S., & Sunderman, G. (2005). Measuring Academic Proficiency Under the No Child Left Behind Act: Implications for Educational Equity. Educational Researcher, 34(8), 3-12.
  • Kim, J. S. (2004). Summer Reading and the Ethnic Achievement Gap.Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 9(2), 169-188.
  • Brennan, R. T., Kim, J. S., Wenz-Gross, M., & Siperstein, G. N. (2001). The Relative Equitability of High-Stakes Testing versus Teacher-Assigned Grades: An Analysis of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS).Harvard Educational Review, 71(2), 173-216.
  • Kim, J. S. (1993). Addressing Curriculum Deficiencies on Martin Luther King Jr. Through Computer-Assisted Instruction and Multimedia Resources” (ERIC Access Number: ED362442).

  • Scaling a National Model of Reading Engagement (MORE) to Improve First to Fourth-Grade Students' Reading Comprehension (2024-2028)
    Department of Education

    This project aims to evaluate and scale an evidence-based, field-initiated innovation to improve reading comprehension outcomes for high-needs students in moderate to high poverty schools. The Model of Reading Engagement (MORE) is a flexible content literacy intervention for students in Grades 1 to 4. Elementary-grade teachers use MORE tools (lessons, digital app, formative assessments) to build students' background knowledge in science and their foundational word knowledge, with the ultimate goal of improving reading comprehension outcomes. To support the scaling of MORE within a district, professional development (PD) empowers classroom teachers to implement MORE with fidelity and flexibility, while ongoing systems-level support prepares leaders to maximize the depth, spread, sustainability, and reform ownership of MORE.

Contact Information

Course Listings

Visit my.Harvard

Featured Articles

All articles