Louisa Cook Moats

Louisa Cook Moats, Ed.D., is a literacy expert, psychologist, and researcher known for her influential work on how children learn to read and how teachers are prepared to teach reading and spelling. She is President of Moats Associates Consulting, Inc. in Sun Valley, Idaho, and has served in roles including teacher, neuropsychology technician, specialist in learning disorders, curriculum director in a residential school, licensed psychologist in private practice in Vermont, and graduate instructor at Harvard University and St. Michael’s College, where she developed courses linking linguistics and reading education. She earned a B.A. from Wellesley College, an M.A. from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, and an Ed.D. in Reading and Human Development from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Moats has published numerous scientific journal articles, books, and policy papers on reading, spelling, language, and teacher preparation and is widely recognized as a leading authority on literacy and the “science of reading.” Her authored and co‑authored books include Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers (now in its third edition), The Intensive Phonological Awareness (IPA) Program, and contributions to Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills, as well as the