College of Education and Human Development

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Lori Helman

  • Pronouns: she, her, hers

  • Professor

  • Office Hours

    by appointment

Lori Helman

Areas of interest

Literacy development in the elementary grades, effective instructional practices with multilingual learners, teacher development and leadership, assessment and instruction to support aspiring readers K-6

Degrees

PhD, University of Nevada, Reno
literacy education

Biography

At the heart of my research is a quest to understand the literacy development of students from a variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and apply this understanding to effective classroom practices. Many years of bilingual teaching in the early grades, as well as a background in teacher education from the pre-service through the accomplished veteran level, have contributed to this academic pursuit. My leadership in new teacher induction programs allowed me to work with beginning teachers and the mentors who served them during their first years in the profession. I have designed professional development courses and support structures for literacy specialists as they take on greater leadership roles at their school sites, and have engaged educators at all levels to enhance their instruction with students who have been traditionally underserved by schools. Since 2011 I have been involved in creating and disseminating a framework for literacy improvement in multi-tiered systems of support called PRESS (Path to Reading Excellence in School Sites).

My research is deeply connected to the educational needs of students learning English as a new language. Bilingual students engage in a web of psychological, socio-cultural, linguistic, and educational environments that affect their literacy development. My particular research focuses on the interaction of language, literacy, and educational practices. I have compared the orthography of students’ home languages to English, and used examples of early literacy behaviors such as alphabetic spellings to examine how the funds of knowledge that students bring from their home language may influence their literacy learning. I have analyzed large data sets of literacy assessments to better understand how language proficiency has an impact on the kinds of specific responses that students make. I have conducted longitudinal research with emergent bilinguals as I investigate how the acquisition of literacy in English looks the same or differs for native speakers and second-language learners. As I compare the literacy behaviors of students from different language backgrounds, I seek to apply the insights I gain to a broader view of literacy development that encompasses both multilingual and English-only students. My research aims to be directly applicable to classroom and schoolwide settings.

News Stories

Faribault Daily News - “What parents need to know about dyslexia”

Nov 23, 2019

University of Minnesota - “Talking summer reading habits with UMN”

May 13, 2019

MinnPost - “Minnesota educators continue to grapple with one of the most critical...”

Nov 1, 2018 

Publications

Books 

Helman, L. (2020). Learning in a new language: A schoolwide approach to support K-8 emergent bilinguals. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Helman, L., Illner., A., & McMaster, K. L. (2020). Assessing language and literacy with bilingual students: Practices to support English learners. New York: The Guilford Press. 

Helman, L. & Stai, C. (2017). Public policy in an era of changing literacies: A focus on reading comprehension. In S. Israel (Ed.) Handbook of research on reading comprehension, 2nd edition (pp. 626-648). New York: The Guilford Press.

Helman, L., Rogers, C., Frederick, A., & Struck, M. (2016). Inclusive literacy teaching: Differentiating approaches in multilingual elementary classrooms. New York: Teachers College Press.

Helman, L. (Ed.) (2016). Literacy development with English learners: Research-based instruction in grades K-6, 2nd edition. New York: The Guilford Press.

Helman, L., Delbridge, A.G, Parker, D., Arnal, M.G, & Jara Mödinger, L. (2016). Measuring Spanish orthographic development in private, public, and subsidised schools in Chile. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice 23 (3), 327-352.

Templeton, S., Bear, D. R., Invernizzi, M., Johnston, F., Townsend, D., Flanigan, K., Helman, L., & Hayes, T. (2015). Vocabulary Their Way 2nd Edition. Boston: Pearson.

Johnston, F., Invernizzi, M., Helman, L., Bear, D. R., & Templeton, S. (2015). Words Their Way for PreK and Kindergarten. Boston: Pearson.

Ittner, A., Helman, L., Burns, M., & McComas, J. (2015, April). Data drive these coaches: Literacy project merges school goals with teachers’ learning needs. Journal of Staff Development 36(2), 20-24 & 46.

Helman, L. (2012). Literacy instruction in multilingual classrooms: Engaging English learners in elementary schools. New York: Teachers College Press.

Helman, L. A., Bear, D. R., Templeton, S., Invernizzi, M. & Johnston, F. (2012). Words their way with English learners: Word study for phonics, vocabulary and spelling instruction, 2nd Edition. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Burns, M. K. & Helman, L. A. (2009). Relationship between language skills and acquisition rate of sight words among English language learners. Literacy Research and Instruction 48(3), 221-232.

Helman, L. (2008). English words needed: Creating research-based vocabulary instruction for English learners. In A. E. Farstrup & S. J. Samuels (Eds.). What Research Has to Say about Vocabulary Instruction (pp. 211-237). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Helman, L. A. & Bear, D. R. (2007). Does an established model of orthographic development hold true for English learners? In D. W. Rowe, R. Jimenez, D. L. Compton, D. K. Dickinson, Y. Kim, K. M. Leander, and V. J. Risko (Eds.), 56th Yearbook of the National Reading Conference (pp. 266-280).

Helman, L. (2004). Building on the sound system of Spanish: Insights from the alphabetic spellings of English language learners. The Reading Teacher, 57, 452-460. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.