Norman A. Stahl received his Ph.D. from the Program in Language Communications at the University of Pittsburgh. Previous to his doctoral work he earned degrees at San Francisco State University (M.A.-Interdisciplinary Studies in Education & B.A. - History), and the City College of San Francisco (A.A. - History). Currently, he is a Professor Emeritus of Literacy Education at Northern Illinois University. Stahl served for over a decade as the Chair of the Department of Literacy Education, and he also served as the Chair of the Curriculum and Instruction Department, the Director of the College Reading and Learning Program, and the Director of the Learning Research Laboratory. He is an affiliate of the Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language and Literacy. Norm now holds emeritus status at N.I.U. He also held faculty positions at Georgia State University, the University of Pittsburgh, and San Francisco State University.

Dr. Stahl has authored or co-authored over 100 publications (including edited texts, monographs, chapters, scholarly articles, yearbook pieces, editorials, etc.). His articles have appeared in the Journal of Literacy Research -- the Journal of Reading Behavior, Reading Research and Instruction, the Reading Teacher, the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy -- the Journal of Reading, the Journal of Developmental Education, the Journal of College Reading and Learning, among others. His work has also appeared in the yearbooks of the Learning Research Association, the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers, and the American Reading Forum. Specific areas of scholarly interest include postsecondary reading instruction, content analysis research, and historical research. He is the co-editor of Teaching Developmental Reading (two editions) and also Teaching Study Strategies in Developmental Education both from Bedford/St. Martin's Press.