In 1943, she graduated from Smith College as Valedictorian and Phi Beta Kappa. Scribner later returned to school, receiving a masters in psychology from the City University of New York (City University of New York) and a Doctor of Philosophy from the New School of Social Research in 1970.
Her parents were Gussie and Harry Cohen, and Sylvia Scribner also had a sister, Shirley. Scribner began writing poetry at a young age, and on the strength of her poetry received a full scholarship to Smith College. After graduation, she worked as the research director for United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, where she worked towards inclusion and lobbied for women and minorities.
Scribner held her position as a faculty member at City University of New York until her death in 1991.
As a freshman at Smith College in 1940, Scribner was a William Allen Neilson Scholar, and as a sophomore she received the Arthur Ellis Hamm Scholarship Prize for her excellent academic scholarship. Later, in 1982, Scribner and Michael Cole received the Melville J. Herskovits Prize in 1982 for The Psychology of Literacy. In recognition of Scribner"s scholarship and contributions to the field, the American Educational Research Association annually awards the Scribner Award to outstanding scholars in the field of learning and instruction. Recipients include Marilyn Jager Adams, Richard C. Anderson, Gavriel Salomon, and Keith Stanovich.
She held a series of positions prior to becoming a faculty member of the City University of New York Graduate School in 1981, including: senior research associate at Rockefeller University (1970–1978). Associate director of the National Institute of Education (1978–1979). And senior scientist at the Center for Applied Linguistics (1979–1981).
