RICHARD GENTRY earned his elementary education degree from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and a Ph.D. in reading education from the University of Virginia. For sixteen years he taught reading education at Western Carolina University, where he directed the Reading Center. Well known for his research and writing in literacy education, Gentry is currently an independent researcher, author, and consultant. His published books include Breaking the Code: The New Science of Beginning Reading and Writing and The Science of Spelling.