Arthur N. Applebee is a Distinguished Professor in the School of Education, University at Albany, State University of New York, Chair of the Department of Educational Theory & Practice, and Director of the Center on English Learning & Achievement. He joined the faculty at the University at Albany in 1987, as part of a SUNY-wide Graduate Research Initiative designed to place the University at Albany at the forefront of literacy research in the United States.
With degrees from Yale, Harvard, and the University of London, Applebee’s work focuses on how children and adults learn the many specialized forms of language required for success in school subjects, life, and work. In particular, his research has reframed the ways in which both scholars and practitioners think about critical issues in language learning. Since the early 1970s, he has also worked as an advisor to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, helping to design, implement, interpret, and report a continuing series of evaluations of the educational attainment of U.S. students.
His first book Tradition and Reform in the Teaching of English (1974) became a classic in its field, and the many other books, National Assessment monographs, and reports, articles, and book chapters that have followed have been equally influential in the United States and across the world. The Child’s Concept of Story (University of Chicago, 1978); Writing in the Secondary School (NCTE, 1981); How Writing Shapes Thinking (with J. Langer, NCTE, 1987); Literature in the Secondary School (NCTE, 1993); and Curriculum as Conversation (University of Chicago, 1996) have been particularly influential on scholarship in his field. His newest book (with J. Langer) is Writing Instruction that Works: Proven Methods for Middle and High School Classrooms (Teachers College Press, 2013).
Applebee advises at international, national, state, and local levels on effective approaches to language and literacy education, and was a member of the Validation Committee for the Common Core State Standards. Applebee was editor of Research in the Teaching of English (the premier scholarly journal in his field) for 8 years and has served on the editorial board or as a reviewer for another 18 national and international scholarly journals. He isa past president of the National Conference on Research in Language and Literacy and has been recognized for the cumulative contribution of his work by election to the International Reading Hall of Fame, by the David H. Russell Award for Distinguished Research in the Teaching of English, and by his appointment as a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association. He has also been a Fellow of the Rockefeller Foundation Study Center in Bellagio, Italy, and received the SUNY Chancellor’s award for Research Excellence.
Applebee has written 24 books and monographs, over 100 journal articles and other publications, and is the most frequently cited author in the research handbooks in English language arts. Applebee’s research has received external funding since 1979 from a variety of sources, for a cumulative career total of over $27 million.
VITA
Arthur N. Applebee Phone number
School of Education work: (518) 442-5006
1400 Washington AvenueEmail:
Albany, NY 12222Website:
Education:
Yale University, B.A.1968 (English literature)
Harvard University, M.A.T. 1970 (Language and literature)
University of London, Ph.D. 1973 (Research in the teaching of English)
Academic Honors:
Fellow, American Educational Research Association, 2013
Reading Hall of Fame, elected 2004
Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence, SUNY (Systemwide), 2002
David H. Russell Award for Distinguished Research in the Teaching of English, 1998
Excellence in Research Award, University at Albany, 1996
Fellow, Rockefeller Foundation Study Center, Bellagio, Italy, 1994
Promising Researcher Award, National Council of Teachers of
English, 1974
B.A. cum laude, with departmental honors in English, 1968
Columbia University Teachers College Book Prize,1967, for 'outstanding constructive interest in educational issues'
Other Awards:
Outstanding Young Men of America Award, 1978
Who’s Who in America, ongoing
Who’s Who in American Education, ongoing
Professional Experience:
Distinguished Professor, School of Education, SUNY-Albany, 2007-
Leading Professor, School of Education, SUNY-Albany, 2003-2007
Professor, School of Education, SUNY-Albany, 1987-2003
Chair, Department of Educational Theory & Practice, SUNY-Albany, 2002-
Director, National Research Center on English Learning and Achievement, 1996-
Director, National Research Center on Literature Teaching and Learning, 1987-1996
Associate Professor (with tenure), Stanford University, 1980-1987
Associate Director, Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC)
Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication Skills, NCTE 1978-80
Visiting Lecturer, University of California, Berkeley, Summer 1978
Staff Associate, National Council of Teachers of English, 1976-78
Teacher of English and Drama, Tarleton High School, Lancashire, England, 1974-76
Evaluator, OECD International Microteaching Research Unit, University
of Lancaster, 1973-74
Resident Tutor, Goldsmiths College, University of London, 1971-73
Applebee 1
Psychologist (II), Child Development Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital, 1969-71
Staff Assistant, National Council of Teachers of English, 1964-69
Teaching Certificates:
Secondary English (Massachusetts), 1970
Department of Education and Science (England and Wales), 1971
Citation Analysis
Applebee was the single most-cited scholar in both editions of the Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts, with 193 index entries. (New York: Macmillan, 1991; Second Edition, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2003.)
In 2014, Google Scholar included over 8400 citations of Applebee’s work. An earlier analysis (2006) based on Social Science Citation Index and Arts and Humanities Citation Index, showed 20 percent of the citations coming from 32 countries outside of the US. His work has been cited by scholars in 40 different subject areas, primarily in the humanities and the social sciences but including fields as diverse as neuroscience and clinical neurology.
Books and Monographs
Arthur N. Applebee and Judith A. Langer, with Kristen Campbell Wilcox, Marc Nachowitz, Michael P. Mastroiani, and Christine Dawson. Writing Instruction that Works: Proven Methods for Middle and High School Classrooms. New York, NY: Teachers College Press, 2013.
Arthur N. Applebee,Curriculum as Conversation: Transforming Traditions of Teaching and Learning. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1996.
Arthur N. Applebee,Literature in the Secondary School: Studies of Curriculum and Instruction in the United States. Research Monograph Series. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 1993.
Judith A. Langer and Arthur N. Applebee,How Writing Shapes Thinking: A Study of Teaching and Learning. Research Monograph Series. Urbana IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 1987.
Arthur N. Applebee,Contexts for Learning to Write: Studies of Secondary School Instruction. Norwood, N.J.: ABLEX, 1984.
Arthur N. Applebee,Writing in the Secondary School: Current Practice in English and the Content Areas. Research Monograph Series. Urbana, Illinois, National Council of Teachers of English, 1981.
Arthur N. Applebee,The Child's Concept of Story: Ages Two to Seventeen. Chicago, Illinois: The University of Chicago Press, 1978. Paperback edition, 1980. Midway Reprint edition, 1989.
Arthur N. Applebee,ASurvey of Teaching Conditions in English, 1977. Urbana, Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English and ERIC/RCS, 1978.
Arthur N. Applebee,Tradition and Reform in the Teaching of English: A History. Urbana, Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English, 1974.
Monographs for the National Assessment of Educational Progress
Arthur N. Applebee and Rosann Cook, cochairs,Writing Framework and Specifications for the 2011 Writing Assessment, National Assessment Governing Board, Washington, DC., 2007.
Arthur N. Applebee et al., NAEP 1992 Writing Report Card. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office for the National Center for Education Statistics, 1994.
Arthur N. Applebee, et al., Learning to Write in America: Instruction and Achievement in 1988 at Grades 4, 8, and 12. Princeton, NJ: National Assessment of Educational Progress, 1990.
Arthur N. Applebee, et al., TheWriting Report Card, 1984-88: Findings from the Nation's Report Card. Princeton, NJ: National Assessment of Educational Progress, 1990.
Judith A. Langer, Arthur N. Applebee, I. Mullis, and M. Foertsch, Learning to Read in American Schools: Instruction and Achievement in 1988 at Grades 4, 8, and 12. Princeton, NJ: National Assessment of Educational Progress, 1990.
Arthur N. Applebee et al., Crossroads in American Education. Findings. Princeton, NJ: National Assessment of Educational Progress, 1989.
Arthur N. Applebee et al., Understanding Direct Writing Assessment: Reflections on a South Carolina Writing Study. Princeton, NJ: National Assessment of Educational Progress, 1989.
Arthur N. Applebee et al., Who Reads Best? Factors Related to Reading Achievement. Princeton, NJ: National Assessment of Educational Progress, 1988.
Arthur N. Applebee et al, Literature and U.S. History: The Instructional Experiences and Factual Knowledge of High School Juniors. Princeton, NJ: National Assessment of Educational Progress, 1987.
Arthur N. Applebee et al., Learning to Be Literate in America: Reading, Writing, and Reasoning. Princeton, NJ: National Assessment of Educational Progress, 1987.
Arthur N. Applebee, et al., Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar: The Conventions of Writing Used by 9-, 13-, and 17-Year-Olds. Princeton, NJ: National Assessment of Educational Progress, 1987.
Arthur N. Applebee et al., The Writing Report Card: Writing Achievement in American Schools. Princeton, NJ: National Assessment of Educational Progress, 1986.
Arthur N. Applebee, J. Langer, & I. Mullis, Writing: Trends across the Decade, 1974-1984. Princeton, NJ: National Assessment of Educational Progress, 1986.
Arthur N. Applebee et al.,The Reading Report Card: Progress Toward Excellence in Our Schools. Trends in Reading Over Four National Assessments, 1971-1984. Princeton, NJ: National Assessment of Educational Progress, 1985.
Arthur N. Applebee et al., Reading, Thinking and Writing: Results from the 1979-80 National Assessment of Reading and Literature. Denver, Colorado: Education Commission of the States, 1981.
Journal Articles, Book Chapters, and Other Publications:
Applebee, A.N. Common Core State Standards: The promise and the peril in a national palimpsest (2013). English Journal 100 (1), 25-33.
Applebee, A.N. Great writing comes out of great ideas. The Atlantic September 27, 2012. Online publication.
Olivera, A.W., Wilcox, K.C., Angelis, J., Applebee, A.N., Amodeo, V., & Snyder, M. (2013). Best practice in middle-school science, Journal of Science Teacher Education, 24(2), 297-322.
Applebee, A. N., & Langer, J. A. (2011). The national study of writing instruction: Methods and procedures. Albany, NY: Center on English Learning & Achievement, University at Albany.
Applebee, A. N., & Langer, J. A. (2011). A snapshot of writing instruction in middle and high school. English Journal 100:6, 14-27.
Arthur N. Applebee, Textbooksin the teaching of language and literature. Santiago, Chile: Ministry of Education.
Arthur N. Applebee, Judith A. Langer, and Marc A. Nachowitz (2010), NCTE and the teaching of literature. In Erica Lindemann (ed.). Reading the past, writing the future: A century of American literacy education and the National Council of Teachers of English. Urbana, IL; National Council of Teachers of English. Pp. 173-216
Arthur N. Applebee, Issues in large-scale writing assessment: Perspectives from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, Journal of Writing Assessment 3:2 (Published spring 2009). Pp. 81-98.
Arthur N. Applebee and Judith A. Langer, What is happening in the teaching of writing? English Journal 98:5 (May 2009). Pp. 18-28.
Arthur N. Applebee, Questões sobre as aulas de língua e literature. In Tania M.K. Rosing and Miguel Rettenmaier (eds.), Diversidade cultural: o diálogo das diferenças. Passo Fundo, Brazil: Universidade de Passo Fundo, 2007. Pp. 309-312.
Arthur N. Applebee, Mary Beth Curtis, Don Deshler, Bonnie Grossen, John Guthrie, Judith Langer, Carol Lee, Sharon Vaughn, “Part two: Advice from experts about improving academic literacy instruction for adolescents.” In Joseph K. Torgesen, Debra D. Houston, Lila M. Rissman, Susan M. Decker, Greg Roberts, Sharon Vaughn, Jade Wexler, David J. Francis, Mabel O. Rivers, and Nonie Lesaux, Academic literacy instruction for adolescents: A Guidance document from the Center on Instruction. Portsmouth, NH: RMC Research Corporation, Center on Instruction, 2007. Pp. 118-163.
Arthur N. Applebee, Language Arts, Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. NY: Scholastic, 2007.
Arthur N. Applebee, English (as a School Subject), Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. NY: Scholastic, 2007.
Arthur N. Applebee. What should high school English be? English Journal, 97:2 (November 2007), p. 73.
Arthur N. Applebee, M. Adler, & S. Flihan, Interdisciplinary Curricula: Case Studies of Middle and High School Teaching, American Educational Research Journal, 44:4 (December 2007), 1002-39.
Arthur N. Applebee & Judith A. Langer, The State of Writing Instruction in America’s Schools: What Existing Data Tell Us. A Report to the National Writing Project and the College Board,. Albany, NY: Center on English Learning and Achievement, 2006.
Arthur N. Applebee, NAEP 2011 Writing Assessment: Issues in Developing a Framework and Specifications, Washington, DC: National Assessment Governing Board, 2006.
Arthur N. Applebee, Teacher education in a research university: Career-long professional development, Proceedings of the 2nd International Forum on Teacher Education, Shanghai, China, 2006, p. 2.
Arthur N. Applebee, J. Langer, M. Nystrand, & A. Gamoran, Discussion-based approaches to developing understanding: Classroom instruction and student performance in middle and high school English. American Educational Research Journal 40:3, 685-730, 2003.
Arthur N. Applebee, Balancing the Curriculum in the English Language Arts: Exploring the Components of Effective Teaching and Learning, in J. Flood, D. Lapp, J. Squire, & J. Jensen, Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts, Second Edition (pp. 676-684). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2003.
Arthur N. Applebee, Engaging students in the disciplines of English: What are effective schools doing? English Journal, 91 (6): 30-36, 2002. .
Arthur N. Applebee, Alternative Models of Writing Development, in Roselmina Indrisano and James Squire, eds., Perspectives on Writing: Research, Theory, and Practice(pp. 90-110). Newark, DE: International Reading Association, 2000.
Arthur N. Applebee, Foreword, In Deborah Appleman, Critical theory and the teaching of English, NY: Teachers College Press, 2000.
Arthur N. Applebee, R. Burroughs, & A. Stevens, Creating Continuity and Coherence in High School Literature Curricula,Research in the Teaching of English, 34 (3), 396-428, 2000.
Arthur N. Applebee, R. Burroughs, and G. Cruz. Curricular conversations in elementary school classrooms: Case studies of interdisciplinary instruction. In S. Weinburg & P. Grossman (Eds.), Interdisciplinary curriculum: Challenges to implementation (pp. 93-111). New York: Teachers College Press, 2000.
Arthur N. Applebee, Building a Foundation for Effective Teaching and Learning of English: A Personal Perspective on Thirty Years of Research. Research in the Teaching of English, 33(4): 352-66, 1999
Arthur N. Applebee, Rethinking the English language arts curriculum, English Journal, 86 (5): 25-31, 1997.
Arthur N. Applebee, Scaffolding. In Alan Purves et al., Encyclopedia of English Studies and Language Arts. Pp. 1054-55. New York: Scholastic, 1994.
Arthur N. Applebee, U.S. Curriculum Policy in English, Influences on. In Alan Purves et al., Encyclopedia of English Studies and Language Arts. Pp. 1230-31. New York: Scholastic, 1994.
Arthur N. Applebee, English Language Arts assessment: Lessons from the past, English Journal 83(4): 40-46, 1994.
Arthur N. Applebee, Toward thoughtful curriculum: Fostering discipline-based conversation, English Journal 83 (3): 45-52, 1994.
Arthur N. Applebee and A.C. Purves, Literature and the English Language Arts. In P. Jackson. Handbook of Curriculum Research. NY: Macmillan, 1992. A. N. Applebee and A. C. Purves.
Arthur N. Applebee, Stability and change in the high school canon, English Journal 81 (5) (1992), 27-32.
Arthur N. Applebee, The Background for Reform. In Judith Langer (Ed.), Literature Instruction: A Focus on Student Response. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 1992.
Arthur N. Applebee, Literature: Whose Heritage? In E. Hiebert, Literacy and Diversity. NY: Teachers College Press, 1991.
Arthur N. Applebee, Environments for Language Teaching and Learning: Contemporary Issues and Future Directions. In Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts. International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English. 1991.
Arthur N. Applebee, Informal Reasoning and Writing Instruction. In J. Segal, J. Voss, and D. Perkins. Informal Reasoning in Education. Erlbaum. 1991.
Arthur N. Applebee, Fostering Literary Understanding: The State of the Schools. In J. Squire and E. Farrell, Transactions with Literature: Essays in Honor of Louise Rosenblatt. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 1990.
Arthur N. Applebee, Literature and the Ethical Tradition. In J. Collins. Vital Signs: Bringing Together Reading and Writing. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 1989.
Arthur N. Applebee, The Enterprise We Are Part of: Learning to Teach. In The Word for Teaching is Learning, ed. Martin Lightfoot and Nancy Martin. Heinemann, 1988. Pp. 206-217.
Judith A. Langer and Arthur N. Applebee, Reading and Writing Instruction: Toward a Theory of Teaching and Learning. In E. Rothkopf (ed), Review of Research in Education, 13, 1986. Pp. 171-94.
Arthur N. Applebee, Problems in Process Approaches: Toward a Reconceptualization of Process Instruction. In Anthony Petrosky and David Bartholomae (eds.), The Teaching of Writing, 85th Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education. Pp. 95-113. Chicago, IL: NSSE, 1986.
Arthur N. Applebee, Studies in the Spectator Role: An Approach to Research in Response to Literature, in Charles R. Cooper, ed., Researching Response to Literature and the Teaching of Literature. Pp. 87-102. Norwood, N.J.: ABLEX, 1985.
Judith A. Langer and Arthur N. Applebee, Learning to Write: Learning to Think, Educational Horizons, 64:1 (1985), 36-39.
Arthur N. Applebee, Writing and Reasoning, Review of Educational Research, 54:4 (1984), 577-96.
Arthur N. Applebee and J. Langer, Instructional Scaffolding: Reading and Writing as Natural Language Activities, Language Arts 60:2 (February 1983), 168-175.
Arthur N. Applebee, Writing, in Daisy Wallace, ed., Developing Basic Skills Programs in Secondary Schools. Alexandria, Virginia: ASCD, 1982.
Arthur N. Applebee, Writing and Learning in School Settings, in P. Martin Nystrand, ed., What Writers Know: The Language, Process, and Structure of Written Discourse. New York, New York: Academic Press, 1982.
Arthur N. Applebee, Literature, in Harold E. Mitzel, ed., Encyclopedia of Educational Research, fifth edition. New York, New York: Macmillan, 1982.
Arthur N. Applebee, Learning to Write in the Secondary School: How and Where, English Journal 70:5 (September 1981), 78-82.
Arthur N. Applebee, Looking at Writing: Recent Trends, Educational Leadership 38:6 (March 1981), 458-462.
Arthur N. Applebee, Children's Narratives: New Directions, The Reading Teacher 34:2 (November 1980), 137-42.
Arthur N. Applebee, Teaching the English Language Arts: Task and Conditions, in Leon F. Williams, Workload Starter Kit for Secondary English Teachers. Urbana, Illinois: NCTE, 1980.
Arthur N. Applebee, Children and Stories: Learning the Rules of the Game, Language Arts 56:6 (September 1979), 641-46.
Arthur N. Applebee, The Preparation and Continuing Education of Teachers of English: Results of a Survey, English in Texas 10:3 (Spring 1979), 65-68.
Arthur N. Applebee, Toward Pluralism: Avoiding Stereotypes and Bias in Children's Literature, Language Arts 56:4 (April 1979), 451-55.
Arthur N. Applebee, Teaching High-Achieving Students: A Survey of the Winners of the 1977 NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing, Research in the Teaching of English 12:4 (December 1978), 339-348.
Arthur N. Applebee, Environments for Learning: ERIC Resources on the Language Experience Approach, Language Arts 55:6 (September 1978), 756-60.
Arthur N. Applebee, Teaching Conditions in Secondary School English: Highlights of a Survey, English Journal 67:3 (March 1978), 57-65.
Arthur N. Applebee, The Elements of Response to a Literary Work: What We Have Learned, Research in the Teaching of English 11:3 (Winter 1977), 255-71.