Meghan Liebfreund

Associate Professor

Name

Contact Info

Phone:
410-704-4492
Office:
Hawkins Hall, Room 107H
Email:
mliebfreund@towson.edu

Education

Ph.D., Curriculum and Instruction: Literacy, North Carolina State University, 2014

M.Ed., Early Childhood Education, The Ohio State University, 2005

B.A. in English, Magna Cum Laude, The Ohio State University, 2004

Areas of Expertise

Early literacy instruction and intervention

Reading comprehension

Motivation

Biography

Dr. Meghan Liebfreund is an Associate Professor in the Elementary Education Department at Towson University where she works predominately in the Graduate Reading Education Program. She earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, specializing in Literacy Education, from North Carolina State University. Just out of her doctoral program, she received the International Literacy Association’s Dissertation Award. Her work was subsequently published in Reading Research Quarterly and Reading & Writing. Dr. Liebfreund continues to delve deeply into the underlying factors of text comprehension, including motivation and learner differences. Her scholarship covers a breadth of topics—including linguistic and text comprehension, text appropriation, reading motivation, and technology integration—all grounded in efforts to support diverse readers experiencing challenges and their teachers. She currently teaches courses in literacy theory, materials, and instruction while conducting research to support teachers with best practices in these areas.

Publications

  • Liebfreund, M. D., Wrenn, M. J., Vach, S., & Monroe, A. (2024). Literacy shifts: Teacher beliefs about reading paradigms. Southeastern Regional Association of Teacher Educators (SRATE) Journal, 33(1). https://www.srate.org/JournalEditions/Volume33-1/Liebfreund%20et%20al.pdf 
  • Wrenn, M., Liebfreund, M., Johnson, M. D., Gardner, V., & McLawhorn, J. (2024). A Case Study of Rural Elementary Teachers Integrating Social Studies with the Science of Reading. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2024.2421965 
  • Liebfreund, M. D., & Wrenn, M. J. (2024). Comprehension growth in a virtual reading clinic: A case study of teachers supporting below-level readers in grades 3-5. The Elementary School Journal, 125(1), 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1086/731095 
  • Liebfreund, M. D. (2023). Emergent literacy. In L. M. Barker, D. Gorlewski, J. Gorlewski, & C. Miller, (Eds). Encyclopedia of English Language Arts Education (p. 110-113). Brill.
  • Liebfreund, M. D., Porter, S. R., Amendum, S. J., & Starcke, M. A. (2022). Using an assessment system for data-driven reform: Effects of mCLASS on third-grade reading test scores and special education placement. The Elementary School Journal, 122(3), 341-360. https://doi.org/10.1086/717952 

Teaching

  • REED 601: Reading Theory and Practice 
  • REED 651: Instruction and Assessment for Second Language Learners
  • REED 652: Introduction to Linguistics for Teachers of Language and Literacy
  • REED 663: Strategic Use of Materials