Texas Woman's University monument sign.
DRC file photoThanks to a $1 million gift, the Texas Woman's University Reading Recovery/Descubriendo la Lectura program will have an endowed chair.
Ohio State University professor emerita Gay Su Pinnell, a retired educator whose former university holds the trademark to Reading Recovery, donated the gift through her charitable fund, the Columbus Foundation.
"This is a significant gift that will support teaching, research and service, and it truly underscores the core of our missions: building knowledge and expertise to benefit young learners," said professor Betsy Kaye, who is also the director of TWU Reading Recovery.Â
TWU is one of two universities in the United States that has centers to support Reading Recovery training. An intervention effort for first graders struggling with reading and writing, Reading Recovery was pioneered in New Zealand and gained international reputation and implementation based on favorable research.
Pinnell helped launch the program in North America in 1984. The initiative has served more than 2.3 million first graders in North America since it was launched.
Pinnell became friends with longtime TWU educator Billie J. Askew, who was part of a group of TWU faculty to train at Ohio State. Askew returned to Denton and founded the Reading Recovery program, and she evangelized the initiative across North America. Askew died in September 2021.
Pinnell's gift establishes the Billie J. Askew Endowed Chair, saying the contribution will "honor the work of Billie Askew and carry on Billie's work in teacher leadership."
Pinnell said reading improvement methods change over time, but ongoing research and development are crucial to serve children.
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LUCINDA BREEDING-GONZALES can be reached at 940-566-6877 and via Twitter at @LBreedingDRC.
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