Dr. Compton is Professor of Psychology at Florida State University and Director Emeritus of the Florida Center for Reading Research. He was formerly Professor and Chair of Special Education and a John F. Kennedy Center Investigator at Peabody College, Vanderbilt University. He earned a Ph.D. from Northwestern University's School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, with a specialization in learning disabilities. Compton’s research involves modeling individual differences in the development of children’s reading skills and the identification and treatment of children with reading disabilities.