
Rebecca D. Silverman
Associate Professor of Education
Graduate School of Education
Bio
Rebecca D. Silverman is an Associate Professor of Early Literacy at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. She began her career in education as an elementary school teacher in her hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana. Passionate about supporting children’s literacy development, she earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in language and literacy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and is now a leading researcher and teacher educator in the field.
Dr. Silverman’s research focuses on language and literacy development in early childhood and elementary school. Her work has contributed to the research base on using read alouds, multimedia, cross-age peer learning, and small group dialogic instruction to support the vocabulary development and reading comprehension of diverse learners. Dr. Silverman leads the Language to Literacy Research Lab (https://langlitlab.stanford.edu/) and is engaged in research-practice partnerships in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Dr. Silverman’s teaching focuses on bridging research and practice. She has taught pre-service general and special education teachers at the undergraduate and graduate levels; she has led professional development on research-based practices for supporting language and literacy for in-service early childhood and elementary school educators; and she has mentored numerous doctoral students who will serve as the next generation of researchers and teacher educators. She has also taught internationally, having been a Fulbright Scholar in Myanmar.
Dr. Sillverman has been active in service to the field. She has been on the Editorial Board of such journals as Reading Research Quarterly and The Reading Teacher, and she currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Elementary School Journal (https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/journals/esj/about). She also currently serves on the Board of Directors for the International Literacy Association (https://www.literacyworldwide.org/about-us/our-leadership). She is an advisor for such organizations as Sesame Workshop and the Public Broadcasting Service, and she participates in working groups for the California State Board of Education and the UCSF Dyslexia Center.
Administrative Appointments
-
Associate Professor, Stanford Graduate School of Education (2018 - Present)
Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations
-
Editor in Chief, The Elementary School Journal (2022 - Present)
-
At Large Member on the Board of Directors, International Literacy Association (2022 - Present)
-
Visiting Associate Professor (Fulbright Scholar), Yangon University of Education (2017 - 2018)
-
Director, Language and Literacy Research Center, University of Maryland (2014 - 2018)
-
Associate Professor, Special Education, University of Maryland (2012 - 2018)
-
Assistant Professor, Special Education, University of Maryland (2006 - 2012)
-
Director, Jeanne Chall Reading Lab, Harvard University (2005 - 2006)
Professional Education
-
Ed.D., Harvard University, Human Development and Psychology (2005)
-
Ed.M., Harvard University, Language and Literacy (2001)
-
B.A., George Washington University, English (1998)
Research Interests
-
Child Development
-
Early Childhood
-
Elementary Education
-
Literacy and Language
-
Parents and Family Issues
-
Teachers and Teaching
-
Technology and Education
Current Research and Scholarly Interests
My research focuses on early language and literacy development and instruction.
2022-23 Courses
- Becoming Literate in School I
EDUC 228E (Sum) - Doctoral Seminar in Curriculum Research
EDUC 466 (Aut) - Tutoring: Seeing a Child through Literacy
EDUC 103A, EDUC 203A (Aut) -
Independent Studies (4)
- Directed Reading
EDUC 480 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Directed Reading in Education
EDUC 180 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Directed Research
EDUC 490 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Directed Research in Education
EDUC 190 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum)
- Directed Reading
-
Prior Year Courses
2021-22 Courses
- Becoming Literate in School I
EDUC 228E (Sum) - Becoming Literate in School II
EDUC 228F (Aut) - Doctoral Seminar in Curriculum Research
EDUC 466 (Aut) - Literacy Research from Lab to School
EDUC 444A (Win)
2020-21 Courses
- Becoming Literate in School I
EDUC 228E (Sum) - Doctoral Seminar in Curriculum Research
EDUC 466 (Aut) - Literacy Development and Instruction
EDUC 258 (Aut)
2019-20 Courses
- Becoming Literate in School I
EDUC 228E (Sum) - Becoming Literate in School II
EDUC 228F (Aut) - Doctoral Seminar in Curriculum Research
EDUC 466 (Aut)
- Becoming Literate in School I
Stanford Advisees
-
Doctoral Dissertation Reader (AC)
Lindsey Hasak -
Doctoral Dissertation Advisor (AC)
Kristin Keane -
Doctoral Dissertation Co-Advisor (AC)
Megumi Takada -
Doctoral (Program)
Elena Darling Hammond, Kristin Keane, Jane Weiss
All Publications
-
Impact of COVID-19 on Early Literacy Instruction for Emergent Bilinguals
READING RESEARCH QUARTERLY
2021
View details for DOI 10.1002/rrq.456
View details for Web of Science ID 000729332200001
-
Beyond Decoding: A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Language Comprehension Interventions on K-5 Students' Language and Literacy Outcomes
READING RESEARCH QUARTERLY
2020
View details for DOI 10.1002/rrq.346
View details for Web of Science ID 000565867600001
- The power of "Screen Time": Harnessing It to Promote Language and Literacy Learning in Early Childhood and Elementary School American Educator 2020
-
The Effect of COVID on Oral Reading Fluency During the 2020-2021 Academic Year
AERA OPEN
2022; 8
View details for DOI 10.1177/23328584221120254
View details for Web of Science ID 000864714600001
-
Exploring the Relationship Between Teacher and Multilingual Student Discourse During Small Group Text-Based Discussions
LANGUAGE AND LITERACY
2022; 24 (2): 216-244
View details for Web of Science ID 000889470100010
-
The Effect of a Language and Literacy Intervention on Upper Elementary Bilingual Students' Argument Writing
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL JOURNAL
2021
View details for DOI 10.1086/716897
View details for Web of Science ID 000726188900001
-
Centering Language and Student Voice in Multilingual Literacy Instruction
READING TEACHER
2021
View details for DOI 10.1002/trtr.2051
View details for Web of Science ID 000684168700001
-
Revisiting Reading Buddies to Support Multilingual Learners and Their Peers
READING TEACHER
2021
View details for DOI 10.1002/trtr.2045
View details for Web of Science ID 000679567200001
-
Early Screening for Decoding- and Language-Related Reading Difficulties in First and Third Grades
ASSESSMENT FOR EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION
2021; 46 (2): 99–109
View details for DOI 10.1177/1534508419857234
View details for Web of Science ID 000617278200002
-
Explorations of Classroom Talk and Links to Reading Achievement in Upper Elementary Classrooms
JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
2021; 113 (1): 27–48
View details for DOI 10.1037/edu0000462
View details for Web of Science ID 000610912000003
-
Teaching Bilingual Learners: Effects of a Language-Based Reading Intervention on Academic Language and Reading Comprehension in Grades 4 and 5
READING RESEARCH QUARTERLY
2020; 55 (1): 95–122
View details for DOI 10.1002/rrq.258
View details for Web of Science ID 000505297100006
-
A Synthesis of Reading Comprehension Interventions for Persons With Mild Intellectual Disability
REVIEW OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
2019; 89 (4): 612–51
View details for DOI 10.3102/0034654319857041
View details for Web of Science ID 000473501100002
-
'Time for una pregunta': understanding Spanish use and interlocutor response among young English learners in cross-age peer interactions while reading and discussing text
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION AND BILINGUALISM
2019; 22 (1): 17–34
View details for DOI 10.1080/13670050.2018.1515176
View details for Web of Science ID 000454603200003
- Observational research on vocabulary and comprehension in upper elementary school classrooms Learning through language: Towards an educationally informed theory of language learning. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. 2019
-
The relationship between media type and vocabulary learning in a cross age peer-learning program for linguistically diverse elementary school students
CONTEMPORARY EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
2019; 56: 106–16
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.cedpsych.2018.12.004
View details for Web of Science ID 000462102300009
- Features of instructional talk predictive of reading comprehension Reading and Writing 2018; 31 (3): 725-756
- Using digital texts vs. paper texts to read together: Insights into engagement and mediation of literacy practices among linguistically diverse students International Journal of Educational Research 2017; 82: 135-146
- Effects of a cross-age peer learning program on the vocabulary and comprehension of English learners and non-English learners in elementary school The Elementary School Journal 2017; 117 (3): 485-512
- Effects of an informational text reading comprehension intervention for fifth-grade students Learning Disability Quarterly 2017; 40 (2): 68-80
- Linguistic interdependence between Spanish language and English language and reading: A longitudinal exploration from second through fifth grade Bilingual Research Journal 2017; 40 (4): 372-391
- An investigation of literacy practices in high school science classrooms Reading & Writing Quarterly 2017; 33 (3): 258-277
- On the unnecessary ubiquity of hierarchical linear modeling. Psychological Methods 2017; 22 (1): 114
- Developing a zone of relevance: Emergent bilinguals’ use of social, linguistic, and cognitive support in peer-led literacy discussions International Multilingual Research Journal 2017; 11 (3): 152-166
- Effects of a multimedia enhanced reading buddies program in kindergarten and fourth grade Journal of Educational Research 2016
- Moving beyond yes or no: Shifting from over‐scaffolding to contingent scaffolding in literacy instruction with emergent bilingual students TESOL Journal 2016; 7 (2): 393-420
- Is the whole greater than the sum of its parts? Modeling the contributions of language comprehension skills to reading comprehension in the upper elementary grades Scientific Studies of Reading 2016; 20 (6): 436-454
- Comparing reading profiles of biliterate Latino/a children in elementary school: Evidence from the simple view of reading Miríada hispánica 2015: 59-82
-
The relationship between language skills and writing outcomes for linguistically diverse students in upper elementary school
The Elementary School Journal
2015; 116 (1): 103-125
View details for DOI 10.1086/683135
- Language skills and reading comprehension in English monolingual and Spanish–English bilingual children in grades 2–5 Reading and Writing 2015; 28 (9): 1381-1405
- Culturally sustaining pedagogy within monolingual language policy: Variability in instruction Language policy 2015; 14 (3): 199-220
- Prediction and stability of reading problems in middle childhood Journal of Learning Disabilities 2015; 48 (3): 298-309
- Developing vocabulary breadth and depth in young children The Essential Library of PreK-2 Literacy Series Guilford. 2015
- Curricular design and implementation as a site of teacher expertise and learning Teachers and Teaching 2015; 21 (7): 867-893
- ' Can I Ask a Question? ' ESOL and Mainstream Teachers Engaging in Distributed and Distributive Learning to Support English Language Learners' Text Comprehension. Teacher Education Quarterly 2015; 42 (4): 33-58
- Promoting critical-analytic thinking in children and adolescents at home and in school Educational Psychology Review 2014; 26 (4): 561-578
- Immediate and long-term effects of tier 2 reading instruction for first-grade students with a high probability of reading failure Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness 2014; 7 (1): 28-53
- Teachers' instruction and students' vocabulary and comprehension: An exploratory study with English monolingual and Spanish–English bilingual students in Grades 3–5 Reading Research Quarterly 2014; 49 (1): 31-60
- The role of pictures and gestures as nonverbal aids in preschoolers’ word learning in a novel language Contemporary Educational Psychology 2013; 38 (2): 109-117
- Fluency has a role in the simple view of reading Scientific Studies of Reading 2013; 17 (2): 108-133
- Read alouds and beyond: The effects of read aloud extension activities on vocabulary in Head Start classrooms Early Education & Development 2013; 24 (2): 98-122
- Investigating video as a means to promote vocabulary for at-risk children Contemporary Educational Psychology 2013; 38 (3): 170-179
- Examining the role of vocabulary depth, cross-linguistic transfer, and types of reading measures on the reading comprehension of Latino bilinguals in elementary school Reading and Writing 2013; 26 (9): 1459-1485
- Effects of a tier 2 supplemental reading intervention for at-risk fourth-grade students Exceptional children 2012; 78 (3): 318-334
- A second-order conditionally linear mixed effects model with observed and latent variable covariates Structural equation modeling: a multidisciplinary journal 2012; 19 (1): 118-136
- The role of vocabulary depth in predicting reading comprehension among English monolingual and Spanish–English bilingual children in elementary school Reading and Writing 2012; 25 (7): 1635-1664
- Difficulty of words encountered in first-grade basal readers: A Rasch model for preschool ELL and monolingual English speakers American Educational Research Journal 2011; 48 (2): 421-461
- Confounds in assessing the associations between biliteracy and English language proficiency Educational Researcher 2011; 40 (2): 62-64
- Validation of a supplemental reading intervention for first-grade children Journal of learning disabilities 2010; 43 (5): 402-417
- Identifying children in middle childhood who are at risk for reading problems School psychology review 2010; 39 (2): 258
- Vocabulary practices in prekindergarten and kindergarten classrooms Reading Research Quarterly 2010; 45 (3): 318-340
- The effects of multimedia-enhanced instruction on the vocabulary of English-language learners and non-English-language learners in pre-kindergarten through second grade. Journal of educational psychology 2009; 101 (2): 305
- Vocabulary development of English-language and English-only learners in kindergarten The Elementary School Journal 2007; 107 (4): 365-383
- A comparison of three methods of vocabulary instruction during read-alouds in kindergarten The Elementary School Journal 2007; 108 (2): 97-113
- The Biliteracy Translation Measure: Using Written Translations to Index Bilingualism and Biliteracy in Spanish and English NYS TESOL Journal Submitted