Marie Clay
Encyclopedia
Dame Marie Mildred Irwin Clay, DBE
, FRSNZ
(3 January 1926 – 21 December 2007) was a distinguished researcher from New Zealand
known for her work in global educational literacy. She was committed to the idea that children who struggle to learn to read and write can be helped with early intervention.
is pronounced MAH-ree, with the stress on the first syllable. She majored in education at University of New Zealand
, earning a bachelor's degree in 1946 and a master's degree in 1948. After studying clinical child psychology at the University of Minnesota
as a Fulbright scholar, Clay received her Ph.D. from the University of Auckland
in 1966, where she had been on the faculty since 1960.
She developed the Reading Recovery
intervention program, which was adopted by all New Zealand schools in 1983. In 1985, teachers and researchers from Ohio State University brought Reading Recovery to the United States. Reading Recovery is an early intervention for at-risk students in grade one that is designed to close gaps within an average of 12–20 weeks. The program is currently used in Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States, including Department of Defense Schools. To date, Reading Recovery has played a role in the development of over 1.6 million readers in the United States alone.
Although it is very widely used, Reading Recovery is not without its critics. Some researchers, including Diane McGuinness, have raised questions about the efficacy and cost of the program, while also pointing out that Reading Recovery incorporates some ideas and techniques associated with the "whole language" approach to reading instruction.
In 1982, Marie Clay was inducted into the International Reading Association
's Reading Hall of Fame. In 1987, to recognize Marie Clay's 's service and successful leadership in literacy education, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
by Queen Elizabeth II. In 1992, she was elected president of the International Reading Association and was the first non-North American to hold this position.
Her teachers' guidebook, Reading Recovery: Guidelines for Teachers in Training, has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide. She died in Auckland, New Zealand.
Board of Trustees approved the Marie Clay Endowed Chair in Reading Recovery and Early Literacy on 4 February 2005.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, FRSNZ
Royal Society of New Zealand
The Royal Society of New Zealand , known as the New Zealand Institute before 1933, was established in 1867 to co-ordinate and assist the activities of a number of regional research societies including the Auckland Institute, the Wellington Philosophical Society, the Philosophical Institute of...
(3 January 1926 – 21 December 2007) was a distinguished researcher from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
known for her work in global educational literacy. She was committed to the idea that children who struggle to learn to read and write can be helped with early intervention.
Life and career
She was born in Wellington, New Zealand. Her given nameGiven name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
is pronounced MAH-ree, with the stress on the first syllable. She majored in education at University of New Zealand
University of New Zealand
The University of New Zealand was the New Zealand university from 1870 to 1961. It was the sole New Zealand university, having a federal structure embracing several constituent colleges at various locations around New Zealand...
, earning a bachelor's degree in 1946 and a master's degree in 1948. After studying clinical child psychology at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
as a Fulbright scholar, Clay received her Ph.D. from the University of Auckland
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...
in 1966, where she had been on the faculty since 1960.
She developed the Reading Recovery
Reading Recovery
Reading Recovery is a school-based, short-term intervention designed for children aged five or six, who are the lowest literacy achievers after their first year of school. These children are often not able to read the simplest of books or even write their own name before the intervention...
intervention program, which was adopted by all New Zealand schools in 1983. In 1985, teachers and researchers from Ohio State University brought Reading Recovery to the United States. Reading Recovery is an early intervention for at-risk students in grade one that is designed to close gaps within an average of 12–20 weeks. The program is currently used in Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States, including Department of Defense Schools. To date, Reading Recovery has played a role in the development of over 1.6 million readers in the United States alone.
Although it is very widely used, Reading Recovery is not without its critics. Some researchers, including Diane McGuinness, have raised questions about the efficacy and cost of the program, while also pointing out that Reading Recovery incorporates some ideas and techniques associated with the "whole language" approach to reading instruction.
In 1982, Marie Clay was inducted into the International Reading Association
International Reading Association
The International Reading Association is an international professional organization that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dialogue about research on reading, and encourage the habit of reading....
's Reading Hall of Fame. In 1987, to recognize Marie Clay's 's service and successful leadership in literacy education, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
by Queen Elizabeth II. In 1992, she was elected president of the International Reading Association and was the first non-North American to hold this position.
Her teachers' guidebook, Reading Recovery: Guidelines for Teachers in Training, has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide. She died in Auckland, New Zealand.
Ohio State University
Faculty at Ohio State first worked with Clay in the early 1980s and she served as a Distinguished Visiting Scholar there in 1984-85. The Ohio State UniversityOhio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
Board of Trustees approved the Marie Clay Endowed Chair in Reading Recovery and Early Literacy on 4 February 2005.
Selected bibliography
- Reading: The patterning of complex behaviour. Auckland, New Zealand: Heinemann. (Other editions 1979, 1985)
- Becoming Literate: The Construction of Inner Control (Heinemann, 1991)
- Concepts About Print: What Have Children Learned About the Way We Print Language? (Heinemann, 2000)
- Change Over Time in Children’s Literacy Development (Heinemann, 2001)
- By different paths to common outcomes. York, ME: Stenhouse, 1998.
- Reading Recovery: A guidebook for teachers in training. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1993.
- Literacy lessons designed for individuals part one: Why? When? And How? Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2005.
- Literacy lessons designed for individuals part two: Teaching procedures. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2005.