John Z. Strong

John Z. Strong, PhD, is Associate Professor of Literacy Education in the Department of Learning and Instruction in the Graduate School of Education at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. He also serves as Associate Director of Research in the Center for Literacy and Reading Instruction. A former high school English language arts teacher, his fundamental goal as a researcher is to improve reading and writing instruction in schools through the design, implementation, and evaluation of research-aligned instructional practices, materials, and assessments. His research centers experimental and quasi-experimental studies of teacher-implemented interventions and high-impact tutoring programs to improve elementary and secondary school students’ foundational reading skills, reading comprehension, writing, and motivation to read.

• PhD, University of Delaware, Education: Literacy (2019)
• MEd, University of Delaware, Reading (2014)
• BA, University of Delaware, English Education (2010)

• UB Exceptional Scholar – Young Investigator Award; University at Buffalo; 2024-06-03;
• Service to Reading Award; Niagara Frontier Reading Council; 2023-06-14;
• Best Paper Award; Literacy Research Association; 2020-12-01;
• Emerging Scholars Fellowship; Reading Hall of Fame; 2020-08-03;
• Timothy & Cynthia Shanahan Outstanding Dissertation Award; International Literacy Association; 2020-07-28;

• Strong, J. Z., Tortorelli, L. S., Anderson, B. E., & Cho, E. (2026). Development of a multicomponent reading and writing intervention in grades 4-5. Reading Psychology, 47(1), 26–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/02702711.2025.2526464
• Anderson, B. E., & Strong, J. Z. (2025). Effects of a summer tutoring program on foundational skills and reading comprehension in grades K-5. Reading & Writing Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2025.2587640
• Strong, J. Z., Tortorelli, L. S. & Anderson, B. E. (2025). Read STOP Write: Teaching foundational skills in a multicomponent informational reading and writing intervention. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 68(4), 339–352. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.1389
• Tortorelli, L. S., & Strong, J. Z. (2025). The research-to-practice gap in teaching reading with digital texts: Results from a survey of US elementary teachers. Journal of Research in Reading, 48(3), 240–258. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9817.70004
• May, H., Strong, J. Z., & Walpole, S. (2024). The effects of Bookworms literacy curriculum on student achievement in grades 2-5. Scientific Studies of Reading, 28(3), 321–344. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2023.2284811

• Strong, J. Z., Tortorelli, L., Cho, E., Anderson, B., Edlefson, A., & Fronczak, D. A. (2025, December). Read STOP Write: Integrating foundational skills and comprehension to improve reading achievement in grades four and five. In B. Anderson (Chair), Cultivating reading success for older readers: Research on upper-elementary and middle school literacy interventions. Symposium conducted at the Literacy Research Association 75th Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV.;
• Strong, J., Tortorelli, L., Cho, E., Anderson, B., & Edlefson, A. (2025, July). Effects of a quasi-experimental study of Read STOP Write on fourth- and fifth-grade students’ foundational reading skills and comprehension. Paper presented at the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading 32nd Annual Meeting, Calgary, AB.;
• Strong, J. Z., Tortorelli, L. S., Edlefson, A. K., & Anderson, B. E. (2025, April). Validation of the multisyllabic decoding inventory in grades 4-5. Paper presented at the 2025 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Denver, CO.;
• Strong, J., Tortorelli, L., Anderson, B., Cho. E., & Fronczak, D. (2024, July). Effects of a multicomponent intervention on reading skills and motivation in grades 4-5. Paper presented at the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading 31st Annual Meeting, Copenhagen, Denmark.;
• Tortorelli, L., Strong, J., & Anderson, B. (2024, December). Yes, they can read hard words: Multisyllabic decoding achievement at the end of elementary school. In J. Downs (Chair), Beyond third grade: Exploring research on foundational word reading skills with older readers. Symposium conducted at the Literacy Research Association 74th Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA.;

• Center for Early Literacy and Responsible AI (CELaRAI): Innovating Beginning Reading Instruction for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners; Federal Government; Institute of Education Sciences; Awarded; (09/01/2024-08/31/2029)
• Read STOP Write: Development of a Multicomponent Intervention in Grades 4-8; Non-Profit; Advanced Education Research and Development Fund; Awarded; (06/01/2024-12/31/2025)
• Read STOP Write: Development of a Multicomponent Intervention in Grades 4-5; Non-Profit; Advanced Education Research and Development Fund; Awarded; (09/21/2022-09/30/2024)

• Editorial Review Board, The Elementary School Journal
  06/01/2024-05/01/2027
• Editorial Review Board, Journal of Literacy Research
  01/01/2024-05/01/2027
• Editorial Review Board, Reading & Writing Quarterly
  10/01/2023-12/31/2026
• Editorial Review Board, Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy
  01/31/2021-05/01/2027

• Program Chair, AERA Research in Reading and Literacy Special Interest Group (SIG #11)
  04/28/2025-04/30/2028

• Associate Editor; The Reading Teacher
  06/01/2022-06/30/2024