Senior Education Researcher, SRI Education
Dan Reynolds, PhD, specializes in mixed-methods and translational science literacy research and has co-authored more than 25 peer-reviewed research articles and a book on literacy instruction. He has particular expertise in adolescent literacy and has led multiple experimental trials of adolescent literacy interventions. He has also conducted qualitative analyses within those trials to better understand the experiences of teachers and students and to characterize the instructional scaffolding that supports literacy growth.
At SRI, Reynolds provides content expertise on literacy projects focused on classroom instruction. He is leading an evaluation of a structured linguistic phonics curriculum with districts in New York and Arkansas, which includes an experimental impact study, teacher surveys, teacher interviews, and student focus groups. In addition, he is a content expert on an evaluation of the Reading Apprenticeship for Academic Literacy Learning (RA4ALL) project, advising the study team on measures of adolescent foundational skills and reading comprehension in a trial across 50 districts and seven states. These projects rigorously evaluate student learning impacts while also unpacking the complexities of literacy instruction.
Reynolds’ expertise also supports a portfolio of work on systems-level literacy improvement. Previously, he served on the Ohio state literacy team and contributed to the first version of Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement. Reynolds is the co-PI of a statewide evaluation tracking the implementation and impact of Nebraska’s $55m Comprehensive State Literacy Development grant. The project will study statewide literacy systems coherence, teacher and leader training in structured literacy, and literacy HQIM selection and implementation. He is also currently a content expert on a study of the Urban District Literacy Collaborative that is investigating the systemic conditions for professional learning and literacy improvement in four large urban districts in four states, with a particular focus on how text-based comprehension instruction can be improved at scale. For these projects, Reynolds works with state and district leaders to support and assess the effective implementation of large-scale literacy reform initiatives.
Before joining SRI, Reynolds was a high school English teacher and administrator, a university teacher educator and education department chair, and a provider of literacy professional development. He brings that range of experiences to understanding complex challenges in improving literacy instruction in classrooms, schools, districts, and states.
Reynolds holds a PhD in language, literacy, and culture from Vanderbilt University and is a What Works Clearinghouse-certified reviewer or group design studies (version 5.0).
Key projects
- Evaluation of Structured Linguistic Phonics Intervention for students in grades 4-8
- Evaluation of the Reading Apprenticeship Academic Literacy Learning (RA4ALL)
- Urban District Literacy Collaborative study
- Scaling Open Educational Resources Across Tennessee
Selected publications
- High School Foundational Skills Intervention in Context: Lessons From a Research–Practice Partnership in an Urban District
- Tackling Tough Texts: A Research-Based Guide to Scaffolding Learning in Grades 6–12
- Of Research Reviews and Practice Guides: Translating Rapidly Growing Research on Adolescent Literacy Into Updated Practice Recommendations
- Fair or Foul? Interrogating the Role of Baseball Knowledge in Studies of Knowledge and Comprehension
- Scaffolding the Academic Language of Complex Text: An Intervention for Late Secondary Students
- Digital Versus Paper Reading Processes and Links to Comprehension for Middle School Students
- Unraveling Adolescent Language & Reading Comprehension: The Monster’s Data
- Interactional Scaffolding for Reading Comprehension: A Systematic Review
View a complete list of Reynolds’ publications on Google Scholar or LinkedIn
