Gay Su Pinnell, professor emerita of The Ohio State University School of Teaching and Learning, and her colleague Irene Fountas created the standards that our educational system abides by today. Pinnell and Fountas’ work was the basis for many educational models, including the Literacy Collaborative, a nationally recognized, comprehensive school literacy model. Collectively they also designed a comprehensive, small group intervention method, called the Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI), designed to help struggling readers achieve grade-level competency.
Pinnell was inducted into the International Reading Association’s Hall of Fame, received the State of Ohio’s Governor Award and multiple Ohio State alumni awards. The developments and standards Pinnell implemented in her lifetime hold a lasting significance not only for the current generation of students and educators but for generations to come.