Biography
Dr. Kathleen F. McGrath is Chair of the Department of Literacy and TESOL and Associate Professor in Niagara University’s College of Education. She teaches graduate courses in primary and intermediate literacy, diagnostic assessment and instruction, and children’s and adolescent literature.
Dr. McGrath earned her BA in English and Elementary Education from Niagara University, her MA in Literacy from SUNY Buffalo, and her PhD in Literacy Education from SUNY Buffalo.
She also serves as Director of the Niagara University Family Literacy Center (FLC), a dynamic, university-based clinic that functions as both a vital community resource and a rich fieldwork setting for pre-service and advanced teacher candidates. The FLC provides comprehensive literacy evaluations, individualized, strengths-based instructional plans, and evidence-based interventions for children and families. At the same time, it offers teacher candidates meaningful, supervised clinical experiences that bridge research and practice.
Dr. McGrath is a leader in New York State’s Path Forward initiative, a statewide effort to align educator preparation programs with the Science of Reading. In this role, she works collaboratively with faculty, state partners, and national organizations to support curriculum redesign, faculty development, and program coherence grounded in evidence-based literacy practices. Her work focuses on building sustainable systems that prepare teachers to deliver effective, equitable literacy instruction.
Her professional background includes service in the Sweet Home Central School District from 1993 to 2006, where she taught at the primary and elementary levels. In 1995, she directed the Preschool Program at the International School of Grenada. She also worked in a clinical capacity at the Center for Literacy and Reading Instruction at SUNY Buffalo, where she supervised graduate students in practicum experiences.
Dr. McGrath’s research interests include family literacy, support for struggling readers, and teacher preparation in diagnostic assessment and clinical instruction.
- Asking the Right Questions
- Becoming a Literacy Leader in the 21st Century- Fieldwork that Facilitates the Process
- Let’s Go to Camp- A Model for Clinical Practice
- Re-envisioning Clinical Reading Instruction during a Time of Uncertainty
- Teacher Perceptions of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- University-Based Literacy Center- Benefits
Focus of Teaching
- Methods for literacy assessment and instruction
- Applied children’s and adolescent literature
Current Research
- Teacher Education Reform and Program Coherence in the Context of Science of Reading Initiatives (e.g., NYSPF)
- Literacy Assessment, Diagnostic Teaching, and Clinical Instruction
- Design and Impact of University-Based Literacy Centers as Clinical Learning Spaces
- Dialogic Space and Reflective Practice in Teacher Preparation
- Social-Emotional Dimensions of Teaching and Learning, including Teacher Perceptions of Student Mental Health (e.g., OCD)
Current Involvement
- Chair, Department of Literacy and TESOL
- Faculty Director, Family Literacy Center
- Co-Lead Faculty, New York State Path Forward (NYSPF) Initiative, supporting Science of Reading–aligned curriculum redesign, faculty development, and program coherence
- Member, University Tuition Exchange Committee
- Member, Academic Progress Standards Committee
Educational Background
- B.A. in English and Elementary Education from Niagara University
- M.A. in Literacy from SUNY at Buffalo.
- Ph.D. in Literacy Education from SUNY at Buffalo.