Weekly Word Roots

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, but not limited to, Greek & Latin Roots: Keys to Building Vocabulary, 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, as well as TCM's curriculum resource Building Vocabulary series.

Dr. Rasinski is a frequent, well-known presenter nationwide and in 2021 and 2023 was named one of the top 2% most-citied scientists in the world. His scholarly interests include reading fluency, word study, reading in the elementary and middle grades, and readers who struggle. Dr. Rasinski served a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the International Reading Association and was co-editor of The Reading Teacher, the world's most widely read journal of literacy education. He has also served as co-editor of the Journal of Literacy Research. Dr. Rasinski is a former president of the College Reading Association and has won the A. B. Herr and Laureate Awards from the College Reading Association for his scholarly contributions to literacy education. In 2010, Dr. Rasinski was elected to the International Reading Hall of Fame, and in 2019 Dr. Rasinski was recipient of the International Literacy Association's 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.