Dr. Timothy Rasinski is a professor emeritus of literary education at Kent State University and was previously director of its award-winning reading clinic. Dr. Rasinski is the author of numerous best-selling books, articles, and curriculum programs on literacy education and has co-authored many resources for Shell Education including Building Vocabulary with Greek and Latin Roots: A Professional Guide to Word Knowledge and Vocabulary Development, Starting with Prefixes and Suffixes, Practice with Prefixes, Vocabulary Ladders: Understanding Word Nuances series, Getting to the Roots of Content-Area Vocabulary series, Idioms and Other English Expressions series, Close Reading with Paired Texts series, Rhymes for the Times: Literacy Strategies through Social Studies, Weekly Word Roots: 52 Quick Activities for Building Vocabulary, Build Reading Fluency: Practice and Performance with Readers Theater and More, as well as Teacher Created Materials curriculum resource Building Vocabulary series.
Dr. Rasinski is a frequent, well-known presenter nationwide and was named one of the top 2% most-cited scientists in the world. His major interests include reading fluency, word study, reading in the elementary and middle grades, and readers who struggle. Dr. Rasinski served on the Board of Directors of the International Reading Association and was co-editor of The Reading Teacher, the worlds most widely read journal of literacy education. He has also served as co-editor of the Journal of Literacy Research. Dr. Rasinski was elected to the International Reading Hall of Fame and was awarded the International Literacy Associations highest honor-the William S. Gray Citation of Merit-for his contributions to the field of literacy.
Nancy Padak, Ed.D., is the Principal Investigator for the Ohio Literacy Resource Center and directs the Reading and Writing Center at Kent State University. She has served as editor of The Reading Teacher and the Journal of Literacy Research.
Rick M. Newton, Ph.D., holds a doctoral degree in Greek and Latin from the University of Michigan and is now an emeritus professor of Greek and Latin at Kent State University. He holds the Distinguished Teaching Award from the Kent State College of Arts and Science.
Evangeline Newton, Ph.D., University of Akron, is Professor of Literacy Education and Director of the Center for Literacy. She teaches literacy methods courses and conducts workshops for teachers on word study, comprehension, and guided reading.