Tributes Flow for Reading Expert

Educators the world over have mourned the loss of Dame Marie Clay, an internationally renowned reading expert who has died in Auckland aged 81. Clay was a leading figure in the International Reading Association (IRA), serving as its president from 1992-3. “Marie Clay was a remarkable educator,” said current IRA president Timothy Shanahan in an official statement. “She was by far the most important champion of the idea that reading problems could be identified and addressed with young children. Previous to her landmark efforts, it was common educational practice to ignore early learning delays in the hopes that these children might outgrow the problems, with the result that many struggling readers fell further behind … Her passing is a great loss to the education community and to the world.” Clay is best known in NZ for the acclaimed Reading Recovery Programme she established in 1983, which continues to be used in primary schools all over the country. “Not only was Dame Marie a highly skilled thinker, but she was always accessible to the teaching profession to spread her ideas and engage in dialogue about literacy,” says Irene Cooper, president of the NZ Educational Institute. “She will be sadly missed, but her work remains as her memorial.”

Marie Clay: January 3 1926 – April 13 2007