Kaye awarded endowed chair

Aug. 19, 2024 — DENTON — Texas Woman’s Reading Recovery Director Elizabeth Kaye, PhD, has been awarded the Dr. Billie J. Askew Endowed Chair in Literacy, made possible by a $2 million gift in honor of Askew by Ohio educator and philanthropist Gay Su Pinnell.

The gift, made by Pinnell, who devoted her career to reading and literacy enhancement efforts, through her charitable fund - The Columbus Foundation, supports the endowed chair position and activities in TWU’s Reading Recovery/Descubriendo la Lectura program. It began with an initial gift of $1 million that she followed up with another $1 million gift the next year.

"I am deeply honored to assume the role of Dr. Billie J. Askew Endowed Chair, made possible through Dr. Gay Su Pinnell's generous support," Kaye said. "Dr. Askew was a longtime mentor and friend of mine, so it is both exciting and humbling to carry on her legacy."

Kaye has served as the director of TWU’s Reading Recovery Center since 2019 and has worked to improve literacy outcomes for young learners with a focus on Reading Recovery intervention. She is recognized nationally and internationally for her work in Reading Recovery, recently elected as vice president/president-elect of the Reading Recovery North American Trainers Group and serving as the U.S. representative to the International Reading Recovery Trainers Organization.

In the new role, Kaye is pursuing multiple goals. She plans to increase access to high-quality literacy interventions for children, specifically first graders with difficulty learning to read in English and Spanish. Kaye also looks to strengthen collaboration with school districts to provide innovative professional development in early literacy.

In research, Kaye is already pursuing a nationwide study with TWU colleagues JaNiece Elzy, EdD, and Annette Torres Elías, PhD, to examine phonics progress in Reading Recovery and Descubriendo la Lectura interventions, marking the first simultaneous investigation of both interventions.

Pinnell, who was instrumental in bringing Reading Recovery to the United States, worked closely with the late Askew to establish TWU’s Reading Recovery center in 1989. Since then, the center has helped students in more than 50 school districts across a dozen states.

Page last updated 10:59 AM, August 21, 2024