Dr. Johnson is an Assistant Professor of Literacy/Biliteracy Education in the Department of Teacher Education. Her research draws from linguistic anthropologies’ frameworks and methods to study the social and cognitive processes of children’s literacy development. Her current research examines children's embodied ways of knowing, identity development, and the cultural contexts for learning in community arts programs at the US southern border.

• University Research Institute (URI) Grant - UTEP (01/01/2022-12/31/2022)
• NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship Semifinalist - NAEd/Spencer Foundation (01/01/2021-12/31/2021)
• New Grant Award Recognition - Office of Research and Sponsored Projects (01/01/2021-12/31/2021)
• Research Grants in the Arts - National Endowment for the Arts (01/01/2021-12/31/2021)
• Concha Delgado Gaitán Presidential Fellow - Council of Anthropology and Education (01/01/2018-12/31/2018)
• Frederick Erickson Dissertation Award (Honorable Mention) - Council of Anthropology of Education (01/01/2017-12/31/2017)
• UCLA Department of Education Award for Outstanding Dissertation - University of California, Los Angeles (01/01/2015-12/31/2015)
• UCLA Graduate Research Mentorship Program Award - UCLA Graduate Division (01/01/2012-12/31/2012)
• Doctoral Research Fellowship - UCLA CONNECT Center for Research and Innovation (01/01/2011-12/31/2011)
• UCLA Graduate Summer Research Mentorship Award - UCLA Graduate Division (01/01/2011-12/31/2011)
• UCLA Graduate Summer Research Mentorship Award - UCLA Graduate Division (01/01/2010-12/31/2010)
• New York City Teaching Fellow (01/01/2004-12/31/2004)
• Americorps Service Grant - Americorps (01/01/2003-12/31/2003)
• New York City Teaching Fellow - Fordham University (01/01/2003-12/31/2003)
• Buffalo Mask Award for Outstanding Senior - OU College of Dance (01/01/1999-12/31/1999)
• Semifinalist, American College Dance Association Choreography Competition (01/01/1999-12/31/1999)
• University of Oklahoma Scott Salmon Modern Dance Choreography Award - OU College of Dance (01/01/1999-12/31/1999)
• University of Oklahoma Scott Salmon Modern Dance Choreography Award - OU College of Dance (01/01/1998-12/31/1998)

• Ph D in Education, University of California, Los Angeles (2015)
• MS in Childhood Education, Fordham University (2004)
• BFA in Modern Dance Pedagogy, University of Oklahoma (1999)

• Mexican-heritage children’s learning of ballet folklórico: Herencia, familia, y orgullo Anthropology and Education Quarterly (2021), Sarah J. Johnson, Maria T. De La Piedra, Alejandra Sanmiguel Lopez, Maria Perez.
• Collaborative research into the "hidden worlds" of children’s peer reading Journal of Early Childhood Research (2021), Sarah J. Johnson, Hasmik Cochran.
• Cultivating cultural competence through undergraduate service learning in a play based after school program Emerald (2020), Sophia Ángeles, Lucas Cone, Sarah J. Johnson, Marjorie Orellana.
• Transforming practice in multilingual communities: Towards a transcultural pedagogy of heart and mind Information Age Publishing (2019), Marjorie Orellana, Janelle Franco, Sarah J. Johnson, Beatriz Rodriguez, Andrea Rodríguez-Scheel, Lilia Rodriquez, Krissia Martinez.
• An apprentice teacher's journey in "seeing" learning Teacher Education Quarterly 2 44 (2017), Marjorie Orellana, Sarah J. Johnson, Andrea Rodríguez-Scheel, Lilia Rodriguez, Janelle Franco.
• Agency, accountability and affect: Kindergarten children’s orchestration of reading picture books with a friend Learning, Culture, and Social Interaction 12 1 (2017), Sarah J. Johnson.
• Multimodal and multilingual resources in children's framing of situated learning activities: An introduction Linguistics and Education 41 (2017), Amy Kyratzis, Sarah J. Johnson.
• Multimodality and footing in peer correction in reading picture books Linguistics and Education 41 (2017), Sarah J. Johnson.

• Practices of professional proprioception in the teaching and learning of ballet folklórico (2021), Volume Santa Barbara, CA, Sarah J. Johnson, Alejandra Sanmiguel López.
• Embodied and multilingual pedagogies for children’s cultural learning in ballet folklórico (2021), Volume Baltimore, MD, Sarah Jean Johnson, María Teresa de la Piedra, Alejandra Sanmiguel-López, María Pérez-Piza.
• Convirtiéndose en bailarina: Young children’s identity and cultural learning of ballet folklórico (2020), Volume Guadalajara, Mexico, Sarah J. Johnson, Alejandra Sanmiguel-López.
• Shifting to project based learning in the advanced placement context (2019), Volume Toronto, A Saavadra, A Rapaport, E Marwah, J Carle, Y Liu, Sarah J. Johnson, J L. , D Hoepfner, M Garland.
• Using microenthography to study human sociality and learning (2019), Volume El Paso, TX, Sarah J. Johnson.
• Moving translanguaging, art, and play in from the margins (2018), Volume San Jose, CA, Sarah J. Johnson, Paul Hartman.
• Transforming teaching in multilingual communities: Towards a transcultural pedagogy of heart and mind (2018), Volume Chicago, IL, Marjorie Orellana, Sarah J. Johnson, Andrea Rodriguez-Menkoff, Lilia Rodriguez, Janelle Franco.
• Beauty salons, banks, ‘free’ stores, and jails: Kids imagining social worlds (2017), Volume UCLA, Marjorie Orellana, Rodriguez Lilia, Franco Janelle, Sarah J. Johnson, Martinez Krissia.
• Learning to teach by listening to kids: Merging theory and practice in pre-service teacher education (2017), Volume Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Marjorie Orellana, Sarah J. Johnson, Lilia Rodriguez, Janelle Franco.
• Learning to listen to multilingual kids: Merging theory and practice in pre-service teacher education (2017), Marjorie Orellana, Lilia Rodriguez, Sarah J. Johnson, Janelle Franco.

• National Endowment for the Arts - Bodies and minds in motion: Cultural contexts for learning in community arts programs at the United States and Mexico border