Previously, he was the Silverman Endowed Chair in Literacy at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Dr. Young received his Ph.D. in Reading Education from the University of North Texas where he was named the 2011 Outstanding Doctoral Student in Reading Education. Before entering higher education, he taught in the primary grades and served as an elementary reading specialist. In 2014, the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers selected him to receive the Jerry Johns Promising Researcher Award. His research as appeared in such journals as the Journal of Educational Research, Reading Teacher, Literacy Research and Instruction, and of course, the Texas Journal of Literacy Education. He is the author of, Texas History: Readers Theater Scripts, and Tiered Fluency Instruction: Supporting Diverse Learners in Grades 2-5.