Pinnell's parents were educators in Portales, New Mexico and Pinnell has an undergraduate degree from Eastern New Mexico University.[1] In 1975, Pinnell earned her Ph.D. from Ohio State University where she worked on the language with first-grade students.[2] In 2018, Lesley University awarded Pinnell an honorary doctorate to recognize her contributions to childhood literacy.[3]
Working with Irene Fountas, Pinnell developed a system of guided reading for teachers which assigns letters (A through Z, commonly known as the Fountas and Pinnell reading levels) to students based on their reading ability and comprehension.[4][5] Their work is also known as leveled reading,[6] and establishes guidelines to identify books for children by reading level.[7] Pinnell's books include Guided Reading Good First Teaching for All Children that was reviewed by Harvard Educational Review,[8]Literacy Quick Guide for pre-K to 8th grade, [9] and Matching Books to Readers that was reviewed by Education Review.[10]
Pinnell also contributed financially to literacy programs for young children, including multiple contributions to Ohio State's Literacy Collaborative[11] and she endowed the Mary Fried Endowed Clinical Professorship at Ohio State University in 2020.[12] Eastern New Mexico University named her Philanthropist of the Year in 2019.[13]