Frank Smith

Frank Smith (1928–2020) was a British psycholinguist known for his influential work on the nature of reading and literacy education. Born in England, he began his career as a journalist and editor for various European and Australian publications before pursuing higher education in language and learning, completing a PhD in psycholinguistics at Harvard University in 1967. He later taught at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, served as professor of Language and Education at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, and was professor and head of Applied English Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.

Smith was a leading figure in reading research and, together with Kenneth S. Goodman, was a founder of the whole language approach to reading instruction. He authored numerous books on reading and language, including the widely cited Reading Without Nonsense, first published in 1979 and subsequently revised in multiple editions by Teachers College Press.