Cathy C. Block

Since 1975

Professor, Educational Psychology

817.257.6789

c.block@tcu.edu

personal.tcu.edu/cblock

Educational Background

B.S. (Lamar University), 1970

M.S. (North Texas State), 1974

Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin), 1976

Teaching Responsibilities

EDEC 30223 Promoting Language and Literacy: Elementary

EDMS 50153 Literature for Adolescents

EDMS 50613 Analysis Literacy Problems

EDSE 50153 Literature for Adolescents

EDSE 50613 Analysis Literacy Problems

EDUC 40970 Directed Study in Education

EDUC 50870 Directed Study in Education

Research Interests

Literacy Instruction and Research

Teacher Change and Professional Development

Generation Y Students

Self-regulated Learning

Selected Publications

Parris, S. & Block, C.C. (2008). The Impact of Flexibility on Vocabulary and Comprehension Development. In Cartwright, K.D. (Ed.) Literacy Processes:  Cognitive Flexibility in Learning and Teaching. New York: Guilford,

257-278.

Block, C.C. & Duffy, G.G. (2008) Comprehension strategies and direct explanation of strategies: What we’ve learned since the National Reading Panel Report.

Block, C.C. & Parris, S. (2008) (Eds). Comprehension Instruction, 2nd Edition.NY: Guilford

Parris, S. & Block, C.C. (2008). (Editors). Comprehension Instruction: Research Based Best Practices, 2nd Ed. New York, New York, Guilford Press

Block, C.C. & Parris, S. (2008) Introduction in Block, C.C., Parris, S. ComprehensionInstruction Research Based Best Practices 2nd Ed. New York, Guilford pp 1-18

Block, C.C. & Duffy, G. (2008) Research on Teaching Comprehension: Where we’ve been and where we’re going. In Block, C.C., Parris, S. Comprehension Instruction Research Based Best Practices 2nd Ed. New York, Guilford.

Pp. 19-37.

Parris, S. &  Block, C.C. (2008) Conclusion in Block, C.C., Parris, S. Comprehension Instruction Research Based Best Practices 2nd Ed. New York, Guilford.

Parris, S. & Block, C.C. (2008). Comprehension Instruction for Adolescents in Block, C.C., Parris, S. Comprehension Instruction Research Based Best Practices 2nd Ed. New York, Guilford. Pp.  210-244.

Block, C. C. (2008).  Michael Pressley’s Educational Legacy and Directions He Identified for Future Research in Reading Instruction. Educational Researcher, 72, 233-258.

Block, C. C., Parris, S. R., & Whiteley, C. S. (2008).  CPMs: A Kinesthetic Comprehension Strategy.  The Reading Teacher, 61(6), 467-472.

Recent Presentations

Block, C.C. (2008) Improving Comprehension Instruction for Today’s Generation Y Students (Grades PreK- 3). Featured Speaker: The 40th Annual Conference on Reading and Writing Rutgers University, Summerset, New Jersey

Block, C.C. (2008) Annual Parent Banquet, Eastern Lancaster County School District Title I program “Success in Litarcy: What parents can do”, Lancaster, PA

Block, C.C. (2008) Training of Title I Personnel, Eastern Lancaster County School District Title I Programs, “Teaching Vocabulary to all students”, Lancaster, PA

Block, C.C. (2008) “ Vocabulary: The key stone to outstanding student literacy performance” Research Presentation at the 63rd ASCD Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA

Block, C.C. (2008) Keynote Address, “Writing, Nonfiction Reading and Writing” Featured Presentation: Literacy Research. Anarbor, Michigan

Block, C. (2008) Presentation on Scholastic Reading Inventory Implementation.  Albuquerque High School Teachers, New Mexico

Block, C. (2008) Keynote Address: Colorado Reading Association. “What we have learned since the National Reading Panel, Colorado

Block, C. (2008) Dinner Presentation to Tuquehua Independent School District Administrators. Newest Research Concerning Literacy: What we’ve learned since the National Reading Panel Report.

Block, C. (2008) Breakfast Presentation to the New Antiqua Independent School District Administrators. Newest Research Concerning Literacy: What we’ve learned since the National Reading Panel Report

Block, C. (2008) Keynote Address: Colorado Reading Association. “Four New Vocabulary Building Principles that Increase Student Success”, Colorado

Block, C. (2008) Featured Presentation: Colorado Reading Association. “Building All Students Success through Advancing Vocabulary and Comprehension Ability”, Colorado

Block, C. (2008) Keynote Address: What We’ve Learned Since the National Reading Panel Report to the Faculty and Staff of Kansas City School District.

Block, C. (2008) Keynote Address to the Fort Worth Independent School District Middle School Literacy Teachers. How to teach vocabulary effectively. Fort Worth, Texas.

Block, C. (2008) Presentation to the Northeast Houston and San Antonio, and Austin ISD educators, “Why Children Need to Read Books: Significant Effects on Vocabulary, Comprehension, and Literacy Achievement”, Houston, Texas, February

Block, C. (2008) Keynote Address: Building Students Vocabulary Abilities, San Antonio, Texas

Block, C. (2008) Keynote Address: Literacy Achievement. Mary Lois Conference.Greenville, North Carolina.

Block, C. (2008) Keynote Address: Salt Lake City Center for Advancement of Teacher Education and Grades 4-8, The Critical Battleground for Continuous Progress for all Children, Salt Lake City, Utah

Block, C. (2008) Presentation to faculty of the Lancaster Public Schools. Vocabulary C omprehension Instruction: What we can do to improve all children’s success, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Block, C. (2008) Presentation to Annual Convention of the Association for Curriculum Development in New Orleans. Vocabulary Development: The keystone for reading success for all children, New Orleans

Block, C. (2008) Keynote. Parent Association and Community Members of Lancaster Pennsylvania. What parents can do to improve the literacy of this new generation Y child.  Pennsylvania.

Block, C. (2008) Keynote. Faculty and Staff. Lancaster Public Schools. Newest Research Concerning Vocabulary, Comprehension, and Literacy for Struggling Readers. Pennsylvania.

Block, C. (2008) Featured Speaker, Rutgers University. Comprehension K-3 and 4-8. 

Block, C. (2008) Featured Speaker, Annual Convention for the Maryland IRA Vocabulary Instruction: A new look at four principles that guarantee success for all children.

Block, C. (2008) Keynote Address: Louisiana Reading Association: Building Powerful Vocabulary.  Shreveport, Louisiana.

Professional Affiliations/Service

Advisory Board, Word Girl Educational Advisory Board, New York City, Educational Television Program, 2006–Present.

Board of Directors, Pacific Resources for Educational Learning, Seattle, and Honolulu, U.S. Department of Education Regional Research Laboratory, 2006-present.

Board of Directors, Literacy First, Washington, 2006- present.

Consultant, FWISD ARI (Advanced Reading Initiative 2006-2007.

Advisory Board Soup 2 Meets Internationally Recognized and Award Winning Television Production Company for WGBH, Discovery Channel, and NBC, 2006- present.

Invited to become a member of the Standing Panel of Experts to review work created under the RFP“ Evaluating 

Potentially Promising Educational Practices and Providing Tools to Assist with the Implementation of Educational

Practices Identified as Promising”. Sponsored by the Policy and Program Studies Service in the Office of

Planning, U.S. Department of Education.

Board of Directors for Professional Development Institute, INC. July 1, 2006-present

Member Board of Directors, Nobel Learning Communities 1995-present.

Senior Editorial Advisor, Guilford Publications, New York, NY, 1990-present.

Member, Editorial Board, Journal of Educational Psychology, (American Psychological Association) 2006-present.

Series Editor: Solving Problems in the Teaching of Literacy. NY: Guilford Publishers, 1997-present.

President, Reading for Gifted and Creative Students, Special Interest Group of the International Reading Association, 1991-present.

Co-coordinator, Paul A. Witty Award for Student Writing. Project of the Special Interest Group for Gifted and Creative Students, International Reading Association, 1991-present.

Member, International Reading Association

Member, National Reading Conference

Reviewer of Instructing Students Who Have Literacy Problems, 5thEditionfor Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall, January, 2008

Member, Texas State Reading Association.

Member, Texas State Reading Association Gifted & Talented SIG.

Prepublication Manuscript Reviewer of Reading & Language Arts on the Internet, Prentice Hall, Inc.

Board of Directors, Sai Srishty Learning Center, Delhi, India.

Task Force Member, Teacher Education, Board of Directors of the International Reading Association, 2004-present.

Reviewer, “Promoting  Metacognition Scale”, Michigan State University research project, March 2008

TCU Koehler Center for Instructional and teaching excellence. Led faculty Conversation on using video tapes to improve teaching performance February, 2008

Board Member for International Reading Association NCLB Reform Committee 2007.

Chairperson, Classroom Teacher Awards & Professional Committee for the International Reading Association, 2005- present.

Member Literacy First Board of Directors, Phoenix, Arizona

Chair, Preconvention Institute. IRA Comprehension and Vocab instruction for a new generation of students. Research concerning vocabulary instruction.

Special Reviewer for Instructing Students Who Have Literacy Problems, 5th Edition for Pearson Education, 2007, 2008

Consultant for the Presidium Incorporation on K-5 Religious Curriculum, Building Boundaries, 2008

Advisory for the Better Health Institute Literacy, Curtis Publishing, 2008

Nominated for the Chief Academic Officer for the National School in Washington DC, 2008

Task and Assessment creator for the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, 2008

Honors & Awards

Inclusion in Who’s Who inAmerica, 2008

Inclusion in the Who’s Who in the World, 2008

Inclusion in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, 2008

Inclusion in Who’s Who Among American Women, 2008

Inclusion in Who’s Who In American Education, 2008

Senior Student Appreciation Donations Have Been Made to Texas Christian University in Dr. Block’s Name 2008

Inclusion in Empire Who’s Who in Empowering Executives & Professionals, 2008

Inclusion in Cambridge Who’s Who Among Professional Women in Education 2008

Distinguished Service to TSRA,TexasStateReadingAssociation, 2007

National Dean’s List 2007

Chancellors Award for Distinguished Achievement as a Creative Teacher and Scholar, 2005

Member, Kappa Delta Phi National Honorary Fraternity, 1970- Present

Member, Phi Delta Kappa, 1979- present

Recipient, International Reading Association’s High Honor as the 2008 Literacy Award Winner