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

• Top Viewed Article 2024-2025, Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy; Wiley; 2026-05-14;
• UB Exceptional Scholar – Young Investigator Award; University at Buffalo; 2024-06-03;
• Service to Reading Award; Niagara Frontier Reading Council; 2023-06-14;
• Emerging Scholars Fellowship; Reading Hall of Fame; 2020-08-03;
• Timothy & Cynthia Shanahan Outstanding Dissertation Award; International Literacy Association; 2020-07-28;

• Anderson, B. E., & Strong, J. Z. (2026). Effects of a summer tutoring program on foundational skills and reading comprehension in grades K-5. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 42(3), 253–268. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2025.2587640
• 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
• 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

• Strong, J. Z., Tortorelli, L. S., & Walpole, S. (2026). Research on informational and digital text comprehension. In S. E. Israel (Ed.), Handbook of research on reading comprehension (3rd ed., pp. 409-428). Routledge.
• Walpole, S., & Strong, J. Z. (2025). Toward a science of professional learning for teachers of grades 3-8. In M. R. Kuhn & S. B. Neuman (Eds.), Handbook on the science of literacy in grades 3-8 (pp. 349-366). Guilford Press.

• Bender, M., Fronczak, D. A., Strong, J. Z., & Anderson, B., (2025, December). Effects of a summer tutoring program on foundational skills, vocabulary, and comprehension in grades K-5. In L. Bruner (Chair), Not just a book: Leveraging read-alouds to strengthen literacy and language skills. Symposium conducted at the Literacy Research Association 75th Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV.;
• Strong, J. Z., Tortorelli, L. S., Anderson, B. E., & Cho, E. (2026, April). Effects of a multicomponent intervention in upper-elementary grades: Findings from a quasi-experiment and conceptual replication. Paper presented at the 2026 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA.;
• 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.;
• Tortorelli, L. S., Strong, J. Z., & Christ, T. M. (2026, April). AI-generated decodable texts: Problems, promise, and directions supporting beginning reading objectives. In E. H. Hiebert (Chair), AI in literacy education: Imagining the future while building on proven practices. Symposium conducted at the 2026 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA.;

• 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; (06/01/2024-03/01/2026)
• 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
  Jun 2024-present
• Editorial Review Board, Journal of Literacy Research
  Jan 2024-present
• Editorial Review Board, Reading & Writing Quarterly
  Oct 2023-present
• Editorial Review Board, Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy
  Jan 2021-present

• Program Chair, AERA Research in Reading and Literacy Special Interest Group (SIG #11)
  Apr 2025-present