Dr. Rebecca Raab

rebecca raab headshot

Dr. Rebecca Raab

Program Chair

Assistant Professor of Education | Elementary Program Chair

Spears | 118

803.786.3568

803.786.3034

Biography

Dr. Rebecca Raine Raab has a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Tech and over 15 years of experience as a teacher and teacher educator. Her dedication lies in guiding aspiring elementary educators to employ culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogical methods for the benefit of all learners. 

Dr. Raab has taught university courses ranging from various teaching methodologies to literacy development, collaborating/co-teaching, special education, and content and language-integrated learning (CLIL). Additionally, she taught multilingual learners of English in inclusive settings in Virginia and North Carolina, co-teaching alongside general educators in multiple content classrooms. She also has extensive experience with the intersection of special education and ESOL/bilingual language program models and a passion for advocating for inclusive schools. Notably, her dedication and achievements were recognized when she was named "Teacher of the Year" during the 2012-2013 school year while teaching at Northern Granville Middle School in Granville County, NC.

Dr. Raab has also worked on initiatives to build English language teaching capacities for English teachers in Estonia, Brazil, Pakistan, and Russia. For example, as an English Language Specialist with the U.S. Department of State, she completed a project in 2023 at the University of Tartu Narva College in Estonia centered around updating and teaching EFL teacher education courses. Additionally, having spent almost three years living and working in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, she gained valuable international education and development-world experience that has enriched her understanding of diverse educational contexts, specifically in the Pacific.

Awards & Accomplishments

  • English Language Specialist with the U.S. Department of State’s English Language Programs (Estonia 2023)
  • Virtual English Language Fellow with the U.S. Department of State’s English Language Programs (Brazil 2021)
  • President of Virginia TESOL (2020); First Vice President of Virginia TESOL (2019); Communications Coordinator of Virginia TESOL (2016-2019)

Publications

  • Billingsley, B. Matthews, D., Raab, R., James, L. (2021). Principals’ actions in effective inclusive schools: A review of elementary case studies, In J. McLeskey, N.L. Waldron, F. Spooner, & B. Algozzine Handbook of Effective Inclusive Schools (2nd Ed), N
  • Raab, R. R. (2018). A statistic’s five years: A story of teacher attrition. Qualitative Inquiry, 24(8), 583-591.
  • Raab, R. R. (2023, October). The power of place in CLIL for multilingual learners. 9th International ELT and CLIL Conference, University of Tartu Narva College, Narva, Estonia.
  • Caruso, C., Raab, R.R., Taylor, L., & Rasheed, M. (2023, March). Navigating the job market and burning questions. Association of Teacher Educators Annual Meeting, Jacksonville, FL.
  • Raab, R. R. (2021, April). The book of unknown Americans as teacher educator: English learners, disability, and immigrant family narratives. National Association of Bilingual Education, Houston, TX.
  • Billingsley, B., Williams, T., & Raab, R. R. (2019, November). U.S. trends in special and general education teacher preparation and induction. Presented at the Teacher Education Division, Council for Exceptional Children Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA
  • Raab, R. R. & Caruso, C. (2019, November). Creating powerful professional development through coaching, “teaching as inquiry,” and Pink Time. Presented at the Southeastern Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (SETESOL) Annual Conference, Orl
  • Rasheed, M. & Raab, R. R. (2019, November). Localizing learning: Placed-based learning designed for English learners. Presented at the Southeastern Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (SETESOL) Annual Conference, Orlando, FL.
  • Raab, R. R., & Caruso, C. (2019, January). Learning to teach mathematics to English learners: Designing effective professional development with evidence-based strategies. Presented at the Virginia ESL Supervisors (VESA) Annual Conference, Portsmouth, VA.

What’s your favorite thing about living in Columbia?

After living on a small, remote island for the past several years, I am simply enjoying taking long runs and walks in my new neighborhood (Shandon). While I adore the tropics, I missed the crape myrtles, towering hardwoods, and lanky pines. I forgot how lovely it is to stroll under a canopy of old trees.