In 2016, Allen was awarded her doctoral degree in Special Education from the University of Missouri. She is also a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumna, earning her B.S. in Speech and Hearing Science in 2004. Allen previously worked for Special School District of St. Louis County (Missouri) as an elementary school speech-language pathologist.

Tell us about your research and scholarly projects.

My research centers on early writing assessment and intervention, curriculum-based measurement of written language, and data-based individualization across content areas. I recently received an Early Career Research and Mentoring Grant from the Institute of Educational Sciences and am developing a sentence writing intervention for elementary students with or at risk for learning disabilities.