A Remembrance of Mrs. Phyllis Christine Hunter

It is with great sadness that we said good-bye to our long-time advisory board member, Phyllis C. Hunter who passed away on February 4, 2018 in Houston, TX. Mrs. Hunter was a valued member of the CORE family and a true leader in the field of reading and literacy instruction. Throughout her 40-year career she championed educational equity for all students, regardless of zipcode, and coined the phrase “”reading is the new civil right!”

Mrs. Hunter’s enthusiasm for learning, young people and her fellow educators were contagious. While known for her sense of humor and ability to put others at ease, Mrs. Hunter never shied away from tough issues or tough conversations. As part of her commitment to closing the achievement gap, Mrs. Hunter worked diligently for the use of research-based reading programs to ensure all students become strong readers by third grade.

Hundreds of students and teachers have benefited from Mrs. Hunter’s passion, guidance and wisdom. She served as a reading and literacy expert, an elementary school principal, middle school assistant principal, speech therapist, district administrator, and consultant to President George W. Bush. Her work will continue to have an impact on generations of students and teachers, particularly through her best selling books, It’s Not Complicated! What I know For Sure About Helping Our Kids of Color Become Successful Readers and the Phyllis C. Hunter Classroom Libraries.

Mrs. Hunter is survived by her son Andrew De Leon Hunter II and grandson Andrew DeLeon Hunter III of Brooklyn, NY. She will be deeply missed by everyone at CORE and by the entire educational community but we will continue to be inspired by her and continue to live by her words, “Good won’t do when we can do better.”