John Strong
John Z. Strong, PhD, is Associate Professor of Literacy Education in the Graduate School of Education and Associate Director of Research in the Center for Literacy and Reading Instruction at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, where he teaches courses in the science of reading instruction, adolescent literacy methods, and literacy research methods.
A former English language arts teacher, John’s research focuses on reading and writing assessment and instruction in elementary, middle, and secondary grades. His research investigates the effects of whole-class and small-group interventions to support students’ foundational reading skills, reading comprehension, writing proficiency, and motivation to read.
John’s research has been published in leading education research and practice journals such as The Reading Teacher, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, Reading Research Quarterly, Scientific Studies of Reading, Reading & Writing Quarterly, The Elementary School Journal, Journal of Research in Reading, and Reading Psychology.
John is Principal Investigator on the Read STOP Write curriculum project funded by the Advanced Education Research and Development Fund and Co-Principal Investigator of the Center for Early Literacy and Responsible AI funded by the Institute of Education Sciences. His research has also been funded by the International Literacy Association. John received the Timothy and Cynthia Shanahan Outstanding Dissertation Award and was named a Reading Hall of Fame Emerging Scholars Fellow.
John is also coauthor of Differentiated Literacy Instruction in Grades 4 and 5: Strategies and Resources and Literacy Instruction with Disciplinary Texts: Strategies for Grades 6-12.
Learn more about John Strong’s research at Google Scholar.
Laura S. Tortorelli
Laura S. Tortorelli, PhD, is Associate Professor of Elementary Literacy in the College of Education at Michigan State University, where she teaches courses in elementary literacy assessment and instruction, language and literacy acquisition, and quantitative research methods.
A former teacher and curriculum developer, her research focuses on the development of foundational skills for reading and writing in early childhood and elementary grades, including word reading, spelling, and reading fluency. Her research investigates how texts, technologies, and teacher knowledge shape reading and writing instruction, with an emphasis on informational text complexity, digital literacy applications, and teacher preparation.
Laura’s research has been published in leading education research and practice journals such as The Reading Teacher, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, Reading Research Quarterly, Reading and Writing, Reading & Writing Quarterly, The Elementary School Journal, Journal of Research in Reading, Reading Psychology, and Early Childhood Research Quarterly.
Laura is Co-Principal Investigator on the Read STOP Write curriculum project funded by the Advanced Education Research and Development Fund and Co-Principal Investigator of the Center for Early Literacy and Responsible AI funded by the Institute of Education Sciences. Her research has also been funded by the International Literacy Association, the National Science Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, and the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Laura has been named a Jeanne Chall Visiting Researcher, and AERA-SRCD Early Career Fellows in Early Childhood Education and Development, and a Reading Hall of Fame Emerging Scholars Fellow.
Learn more about Laura Tortorelli’s research at Google Scholar.