William Scott Gray

Background

Gray was born on June 5, 1885 in Coatsburg, Illinois, the son of William Scott Gray, a schoolteacher and one-term state senator, and Annie Gilliland.

Education

Gray graduated from Camp Point High School in 1904. He studied at Illinois State Normal University from 1908 to 1910. He then entered the University of Chicago, which awarded him a B. S. in 1913. The following year, after receiving an M. A. at Teachers College, Columbia University, he returned to Chicago to pursue further graduate study, receiving the Ph. D. in 1916.

Career

Following graduation, Gray taught in a rural school in Adams County, Illinois. From 1905 to 1908 he served as principal and teacher in the elementary school at Fowler, Illinois. In 1910 he became principal of the training school of Illinois State Normal University, a post he held until 1912. In 1914 he was appointed assistant in education at the University of Chicago, and in 1915 he was made instructor. After receiving the Ph. D. in 1916, Gray was promoted to assistant professor and named dean of the College of Education, a post he held from 1917 to 1931. He became associate professor in 1918 and professor in 1922. He retired in 1950. Gray was a pioneer innovator and developer of such measurements of reading skills and teaching effectiveness as the Gray Standardized Oral Reading Paragraphs and the Gray Silent Reading Test. He was also an early exponent of the "sight method" of reading instruction. Between 1909 and 1950 he published more than 400 reports, essays, articles, and books. He continued writing after his retirement, producing some 100 more published pieces. As senior editor of the reading publications division of Scott, Foresman, book publishers, he was the creator of the "Dick and Jane" elementary reading books. They were the basis of reading instruction for students in the United States and Canada for almost half a century. Through his work with UNESCO he aided reading education worldwide. Gray's writing career began with the essay "Society and the Delinquent" (1909), which was the subject of an oratorical contest he won at Illinois State Normal School. In 1911 and 1912 he published a dozen articles on the study of geography in School Century. His doctoral dissertation, Studies of Elementary School Reading Through Standardized Tests (1917), was one part of the Educational Monographs series. He contributed nineteen volumes to this series, one of which, Summary of Scientific Investigations in Reading (1925), brought together 500 investigations in reading and their results. He continued his summary analysis of research work with articles in the Elementary School Journal (1925-1932), the Journal of Educational Research (1932-1957), and the Review of Educational Research (1937-1940). Gray inspired and promoted the establishment of national conferences on reading at the University of Chicago, making it the center of research and organization in reading. As compiler, organizer, and editor of proceedings of these conferences, he encouraged colleges and universities throughout the country to model programs after those at the University of Chicago. Gray's Remedial Cases in Reading (1921) called attention to the many types of reading problems among children and demonstrated methods for solving them. His monograph The Reading Interests and Habits of Adults, written with Ruth Monroe (1929), isolated the kinds of books read by a cross section of adults. It was followed by a Manual for Teachers of Adult Illiterates (1930), sponsored by the Office of Education of the Department of Interior as a part of a national drive to reduce adult illiteracy. His later work included Reading in General Education (1940) and On Their Own in Reading (1948), an exposition of the effects of reading techniques on students. Two final monographs, The Teaching of Reading and Writing (1956) and Maturity in Reading (1956), written with Bernice Rogers, brought together his research interests. Gray died in Wolf, Wyoming on September 8, 1960.

Achievements

• Gray stands as the dominant educator in the field of reading. He was a pioneer innovator and developer of such measurements of reading skills and teaching effectiveness as the Gray Standardized Oral Reading Paragraphs and the Gray Silent Reading Test.

Works

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  • The World of Dick and Jane and Friends

    (Our second Dick and Jane treasury is here! The World of D...)

  • Hotel and Motel Management and Operations (4th Edition)

    ( This book provides information on every facet and depa...)

  • Ultimate Dick and Jane Storybook Collection

    (the ultimate dick and Jane)

  • The New Times and Places (Curriculum foundation series)

    (Basic reader; 4th grade)

  • Guidebook to Accompany More Days and Deeds (Teacher's Edition - Grade 5/Level 2)

    (vintage textbook)

  • The New More Streets and Roads, The 1956 Edition

    (6.25" x 8.25", 319 numbered pages with many color illustr...)

  • days and deeds

  • book

  • book

Personality

Gray was a man of simple tastes, a devoted teacher who was revered by his students.

Connections

On September 14, 1921, Gray married Beatrice Warner Jardine; they had two children.

Father:

William Scott Gray

Mother:

Annie Gilliland

Spouse:

Beatrice Warner Jardine

References

• Know your reader: the scientific approach to readability
• William S. Gray: Teacher, Scholar, Leader
• Shaping the Reading Field: The Impact of Early Reading Pioneers, Scientific Research, and Progressive Ideas
• On Their Own in Reading: How to Give Children Independence in Analyzing New Words