Department of Child Development, Literacy and Special Education

Dr. Morgan V. Blanton is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Child Development, Literacy, and Special Education (CLSE). She holds an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, an M.Ed. in Reading Education, and a B.S. in Elementary Education. She teaches in-person and online literacy courses for elementary, middle grades, and secondary English education majors. She also teaches in the Master of Arts in Literacy Education graduate program.

In addition to her teaching experiences in higher education, Dr. Blanton has experience in the public school setting as a classroom teacher, reading/intervention specialist (K-5), curriculum coordinator (6-12), and secondary MTSS coordinator (5-9).

Dr. Blanton's research interests focus on literacy and professional learning. Specifically, she centers her research on instructional design and practice decisions related to children's literature, text sets, and text complexity within the English-Language Arts classroom. Further, her research interests in these areas include coaching and feedback as they relate to reflective practices and teacher self-efficacy.

Recent Publications

• Blanton, M. & Cheek, A.E. (2025). “We have eCoaches.  Now what?” A Process for Supporting New eCoaches. Mentoring Students and Instructors for Retention and Success. IGI Global Publications: Hershey, PA.
• Blanton, M.V. (2025). Emphasis on Learning: How Ungrading Allowed Students to Focus More on Learning and Less on Stress. National Teaching and Learning Forum, 34(3).
• Blanton, M.V. (2024). Carefully Curating Texts: A Framework to Help Teachers Select Diverse Children’s Literature. T-CARE Newsletter, a peer-reviewed newsletter published by the Center for Teaching and Learning at California State University-Northridge.
• DeHart, J., Blanton, M., & Zhang, S. (2024). Exploring the readability of graphic novels with teachers. Tennessee Literacy Journal.

Recent and Upcoming Presentations

• Blanton, M., DeHart, J., & Zhang, S. (accepted; November 2025). KAPOW! Understanding Text Complexity in Graphic Novels for the 4th-8th Grade Classroom. A session will be presented at the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers’ (ALER) Annual Conference in Oklahoma City, OK.
• Blanton, M., & Bellows, E. (accepted; November 2025). Feeding Two Birds with One Scone: Planning Integrated Read-Alouds that Teach Historical Thinking and Literacy Skills. A session will be presented at the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers’ (ALER) Annual Conference in Oklahoma City, OK.
• Blanton, M. (2025). “It’s Complex!” Using the Three Facets of Text Complexity to Make Recommendations for Elementary Literacy Instruction.  A professional learning workshop for preservice teachers in the Reich College of Education.
• Blanton, M. & Combs, H. (2024). Finances and Families: Using Culturally Sustaining Practices to Teach an Integrated Social Studies/ELA Unit with a Multi-Genre Text Set. Presented a concurrent session at the North Carolina Reading Association’s annual conference in Winston-Salem, NC in March 2024.
• Blanton, M. (2024). Listening and Learning: Operationalizing Instructional Values through Tiered, Personalized Support. Presented at Gardner-Webb University’s Gayle Bolt Price School of Graduate Studies Online Faculty Professional Learning Event in August 2024.
• Blanton, M. & Pyles, D. (2023). Difficult Conversations: How to Intentionally Curate Text Sets that Teach Complex Topics. Presented at the North Carolina Reading Association’s annual conference in Winston-Salem, NC.
• Blanton, M.V. (2020). Ripples and Reflections: What Preservice Teachers Notice about their Practice. Presented a paper that shared findings and implications for practice at the North Carolina Association of Research in Education (NCARE) Conference in Greensboro, NC

Dr. Blanton's Curriculum Vitae