Skip top navigation

Berkeley, Sheri

Skip local navigation

Sub-Navigation Menu

Dr. Sheri L. Berkeley
PhD, George Mason University
Professor
Special Education: General Curriculum
Special Education

Contact Information

Send email to Dr. Berkeley

Phone: (703) 993-9689
Email: sberkele (@gmu.edu)

George Mason University
Fairfax Campus
Finley Building 220
4400 University Dr.
MS 1F2
Fairfax, VA 22030

Curriculum Vitae

View Sheri Berkeley's curriculum vitae in PDF format.

Profile

Sheri Berkeley, PhD, is a Professor in the Division of Special Education and disAbility Research at George Mason University. From 2020 to 2025, she served in multiple leadership roles within the PhD in Education Program—including Director, Interim Director, and Director of Program Improvement Initiatives—where she guided program assessment, accreditation, and curricular innovation to strengthen doctoral education across the college.

Berkeley has been awarded two highly competitive U.S. Department of Education personnel preparation grants that train future leaders and researchers in special education. She serves as Subcontract Principal Investigator on Training special edUcatoRs To Lead with Evidence and Support (TURTLES) (in partnership with Auburn University and the University of Oklahoma) and Virginia Is for Leaders (in collaboration with the University of Virginia). These projects prepare doctoral scholars to advance evidence-based practices for students with disabilities and to assume leadership roles in the field.

Her broader research examines how students with learning disabilities self-regulate and comprehend text, and how teachers can effectively support these processes. She has also led federally funded studies through the National Science Foundation and the Institute of Education Sciences exploring students’ self-regulation in science and writing instruction in inclusive middle school classrooms. Her work appears in leading journals such as the Journal of Learning Disabilities, Exceptional Children, and Learning Disability Quarterly, and she co-authored two books: Reading Fundamentals for Students with Learning Difficulties (Routledge, 2020) and Maximizing Effectiveness of Reading Comprehension Instruction in Diverse Classrooms (Brookes, 2015).

A past president of the International Council for Learning Disabilities, Berkeley serves on editorial boards for Learning Disabilities Research & Practice and Learning Disability Quarterly. She has received several honors for her research excellence, including Mason’s Emerging Researcher/Scholar/Creator Award and the DLD Dissertation Award for Outstanding Doctoral Research.

At Mason, Berkeley teaches doctoral and master’s courses on research methods, language and development, and special education trends. Her work as both scholar and mentor reflects her commitment to developing evidence-based instructional practices and preparing the next generation of leaders in special education.
 

Research Interests

• Self-regulation and metacognition in learning • Reading comprehension and strategy instruction

Recent Publications

Reading Fundamentals for Students with Learning Difficulties: Instruction for Diverse K-12 Classrooms Berkeley, S., & Ray, S. (2020).  Reading fundamentals for students with learning difficulties: Instruction for diverse K-12 classrooms.  New York, NY: Routledge.  Purchase.

4 Ways to Engage and Motivate Students During Reading Tasks at School ...Berkeley, S., & Taboada Barber, A. (2015).  Maximizing effectiveness of reading comprehension instruction in diverse classrooms.  Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing.  Purchase.

Selected Publications

Berkeley, S., Riccomini, P. J., Omohundro, K., & Fraze, K. (2024).  Academic progress monitoring.  In J. M. Kauffman, D. P. Hallahan, & P.C. Pullen (Eds.), Handbook of special education (3rd edition).  New York, NY: Routledge. 

Berkeley, S., Hock, M., & Washburn, J. (2023).  Single case experimental design for evaluating basic reading interventions for students with learning disabilities: An illustrative case. Learning Disability Quarterly, 46(1), 6-16.

Berkeley, S., *Whitehead, A., *Mischel, J., *Kurz, L., *Larsen, A., & Annetta, L. (2021).  Student engagement while creating serious educational games in collaborative learning environments: Implications for STEM interest.  For publication in Baken, U. & Berkeley S. (Eds.), Gamification and social networks in education.  MWP: Education Series.

Berkeley, S., Scanlon, D., Rose Bailey, T., *Sutton, J., & *Sacco, D. (2020).  A snapshot of RTI implementation a decade later: New picture, same story?  Journal of Learning Disabilities, 53, 332-342.

Berkeley, S., *Larsen, A., *Colburn, A., & Yin, R. (2019).  Self-regulation of middle school students with learning disabilities during a complex project-based science activity.  Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology, 9(2), 1-16. 

Berkeley, S. (2019).  The motivational dimensions of self-regulated learning.  Psychology and Behavioral Science: International Journal.

Berkeley S., & *Larsen, A. (2018).  Fostering self-regulation of students with learning disabilities: Insights from 30 years of reading comprehension intervention research. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 33, 75-86.

Hott, B., Berkeley, S., *Fairfield, A., & *Raymond, L. (2017).  Intervention in School and Clinic: An analysis of 25 years of guidance for practitioners.  Learning Disability Quarterly, 40, 54-64.

Berkeley, S., King-Sears, M., *Vilbas, J., & *Conklin, S. (2016).  Textbook characteristics that support or thwart comprehension: The current state of social studies texts.  Reading & Writing Quarterly, 32, 247-242. 

Berkeley, S., *Kurz, L., *Boykin, A., & Evmenova, A. (2015).  Improving comprehension with digital text: A meta-analysis of interventions.  International Journal for Research in Learning Disabilities, 2, 8-43. 

Berkeley, S., King-Sears, M. E., *Hott, B. L., & *Bradley-Black, K. (2014).  Are history textbooks more “considerate” after 20 years?  Journal of Special Education, 47, 217-230. 

Berkeley, S., & Riccomini, P. J. (2013).  QRAC-the-Code: A comprehension monitoring strategy for middle school social studies textbooks.  Journal of Learning Disabilities, 46, 154-165.

Regan, K., & Berkeley, S. (2012).  Effective reading and writing instruction: A focus on modeling.  Intervention in School & Clinic, 47, 276-282.

Berkeley, S., Lindstrom, J. H., Regan, K., Nealy, A., *Southall, C., & *Stagliano, C. (2012). Evaluation of supplemental reading instruction for at-risk middle school readers.  Middle Grades Research Journal, 7, 1-16. 

Berkeley, S., Marshak, L. R., Mastropieri, M. A., & Scruggs, T. E. (2011).  Improving student comprehension of social studies text: A self-questioning strategy for inclusive middle school classes.  Remedial & Special Education, 32, 105-113. 

Berkeley, S., & Lindstrom, J. H. (2011).  Technology for the struggling reader: Free and easily accessible resources.  Teaching Exceptional Children, 43, 48-55. 

Berkeley, S., Mastropieri, M. A., & Scruggs, T. (2011).  Reading comprehension strategy instruction and attribution retraining for secondary students with learning and other mild disabilities.  Journal of Learning Disabilities, 44, 18-32.  

Berkeley, S., Scruggs, T. E., & Mastropieri, M. A. (2010).  Reading comprehension instruction for students with learning disabilities, 1995-2006: A meta-analysis.  Remedial & Special Education, 31, 423-436. 

Berkeley, S., & Scruggs, T. E. (2010).  Current practice alerts: A focus on vocabulary instruction.  Division for Learning Disabilities (DLD) and Division for Research (DR) of the Council for Exceptional Children, Issue 18.  

Berkeley, S., & Mastropieri, M. A. (2010).  Hotsheet 4: Effective practices for reading comprehension.  Division for Learning Disabilities (DLD) and Division for Research (DR) of the Council for Exceptional Children. 

Berkeley, S., Bender, W. N., *Peaster, L. G., & *Saunders, L. (2009).  A snapshot of progress toward implementation of responsiveness to intervention (RTI) throughout the United States.  Journal of Learning Disabilities, 42, 85-95.  

Berkeley, S. (2007).  Middle schoolers with reading disabilities in book club?  Teaching Exceptional Children Plus, 3(6), Article 5.

Mastropieri, M. A., Scruggs, T. E., & Berkeley, S. (2007).  Peers helping peers.  Educational Leadership, 64(5), 54-58. 

Berkeley, S., Zittel, L. L., Pitney, L. V., & Nichols, S. E. (2001).  Locomotor and object control skills of children diagnosed with autism.  Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 18, 405-416. 

Campus Affiliations
Courses Taught This Semester
Other Courses Taught