Stephanie Al Otaiba

Stephanie Al Otaiba is Professor of Teaching and Learning and Patsy and Ray Caldwell Centennial Chair at Southern Methodist University's Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education & Human Development. She earned her Ph.D. in Human Development from Vanderbilt University and previously served as a special educator for over a decade. Her research examines literacy interventions, response to intervention frameworks, and inclusive education strategies for diverse learners.

Her investigations focus on optimizing teacher training programs and developing evidence-based reading curricula for students with learning disabilities. She has secured multiple federal grants from the U.S. Department of Education and NIH to support this work.

• Outstanding Dissertation Award, International Reading Association (2001)
• Distinguished Early Career Research Award, Council for Exceptional Children (2010)
• University Scholar/Teacher of the Year, SMU (2017)
• Jeannette E. Fleischner Career Leadership Award (2021)

As Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Learning Disabilities, she oversees scholarly dissemination in special education. She maintains active collaborations with the International Dyslexia Association and has consulted globally on literacy policy reform.