Rachael Gabriel
Professor of Literacy Education
Expertise: Literacy, Reading, Policy, Teacher Quality, Discourse Analysis
Curriculum &
Instruction
Titles:
Professor
Reading/Language Arts Center, Director
Academic Degrees:
Ph.D. Education: Literacy Studies; University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
MAT: Secondary English; American University, Washington, DC
BA: English & Psychology; University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
Biography:
Rachael Gabriel is Professor of Literacy Education at the University of Connecticut. She is author of more than fifty refereed articles, and author or editor of six books for literacy teachers, leaders and education researchers. Rachael currently teaches courses for educators and doctoral students pursuing specialization in literacy. She serves on the editorial boards of journals focused on literacy, education research and education policy, and has served on the boards of the International Literacy Association and Reading Recovery Council of North America. In addition to experience as a classroom teacher and reading specialist, Rachael holds graduate certificates in both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Rachael’s research is focused on: literacy instruction, leadership and intervention, as well as policies related to teacher development and evaluation. Her current projects investigate: supports for adolescent literacy, state literacy policies and discipline-specific literacy instruction.
Books/Edited Volumes
- How Education Policy Shapes Literacy Instruction (Palgrave, 2022)
- Making Teacher Evaluation Work: A guidebook for teachers and leaders (Heinemann, 2017)
- Discursive Perspectives on Education Policy & Implementation (Palgrave, 2017)*
- Evaluating Literacy Instruction: Principles and Promising Practices (Routledge, 2015)
- Reading’s Non-Negotiables: Elements of effective reading instruction (Rowman & Littlefield, 2013)
- Performances of Research: Critical issues in K-12 education (Peter Lang, 2013)
Honors/Awards:
- *AERA Qualitative Research Special Interest Group Book Award winner, 2018 (with J. Lester & C. Lochmiller)
- American Educational Research Journal outstanding reviewer award, 2018
- International Literacy Association Celebrate Literacy Award, 2016
- Neag School of Education Outstanding Early Career Scholar, 2016
- AERA Division L Outstanding Policy Report Award, 2015 (with M. Donaldson et al).
- Measures of Effective Teaching Project Early Career Grant
Curriculum Vitae

rachael.gabriel@uconn.edu | |
Phone | 860 486 4397 |
Office Location | Gentry 416 |