Ruth Wharton-McDonald is an associate professor in Education at the University of New Hampshire. She completed her M.Ed. in Reading, Language and Learning Disabilities from Harvard University and her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the State University of New York at Albany. Dr. Wharton-McDonald's research has investigated early literacy instruction, children's literacy learning, and the role of texts (especially books) in children's understandings of reading and the world. Her interest in children’s literacy stems from her experiences as a classroom teacher, a reading specialist, a school psychologist, and a supervisor of elementary teaching interns. Dr. Wharton-McDonald was recognized by the International Reading Association as a "New Voices in Literacy" designee (2000); she was awarded a Teaching Excellence Award by the College of Liberal Arts in 2003, and the Education Department's Kimball Award in 2018. In addition to her teaching and research, Dr. Wharton-McDonald directs Seacoast Reads, a volunteer literacy support program pairing UNH undergraduates and children in schools, libraries, and after school programs. She helped to establish the university’s Community Literacy Center, and for 15 years, she has led a middle school book group at the local public library.
