Dr. Kay Wijekumar
Dr. Kausalai (Kay) Wijekumar is the Leader of LiteracyIO, a site dedicated to achieving reading and writing success for 100% of students and adults. Her research and development have led to transformational success in reading comprehension in English and Spanish for monolingual, bilingual, special education, dyslexic, and children adversely affected by socioeconomic conditions. Her work has also transformed adult learners.
She is an esteemed researcher and scholar who holds the Houston Endowment Chair, is a Chancellor’s EDGES Fellow, and serves as Director of the Center for Urban School Partnerships at Texas A&M University. She is a passionate advocate for all children, dedicating her research, development, and dissemination efforts to eradicating illiteracy. She has developed web-based intelligent tutoring systems for reading and writing in English and Spanish. Her ITSS web-based intelligent tutoring system is featured on the What Works Clearinghouse as an evidence-based system. She has further developed and integrated teacher professional development systems using the web-based tools.
She has secured over 90 million dollars in competitive grant funding from national agencies. Her work has been featured in the Johns Hopkins University curated list of literacy tools and US News and World Report. She has served two terms as an elected member of the Quaker Valley Board of School Directors in Pennsylvania, serving her community. She supports families with the innovative ACE podcasts featuring over 100 stories in English and Spanish. She is a musician, avid gardener, world traveler, and loves animals.
