Early Childhood Literacy

What are today's best practices in early literacy instruction--and what should schools and programs focus on in the near future? More than 20 of the biggest names in early literacy research explore the answers in this essential volume for program directors, administrators, and curriculum developers.

Using the landmark National Early Literacy Panel (NELP) Report as a starting point, this accessible book breaks the report down into key takeaways, recommends future directions in policy and practice, and tackles emerging issues and new research not addressed in the NELP report.

Readers will get balanced, insightful analyses of the latest research on

• identification of early literacy learning needs
• phonological awareness and print knowledge
• comprehension development
• effective book sharing with young children
• curriculum-based language interventions
• the effect of socio-emotional development on academic outcomes
• pre-K curricula (including which ones show clear evidence of positive effects)
• the role of home and parent programs in children's literacy development
• early literacy intervention for young children with special needs

A critical volume that sets the stage for positive change, this important book is a must for every leader in early education. Readers will come away with a nuanced understanding of key issues and recommended practices--knowledge they'll use to drive their decision-making and strengthen early literacy outcomes for young children.

See how this product helps strengthen Head Start program quality and school readiness.

Christopher J. Lonigan, Ph.D., is Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology and Associate Director of the Florida Center for Reading Research at Florida State University. He has been the principal investigator for numerous research projects and programs funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Lonigan's area of expertise concerns the development, assessment, and promotion of preschool early literacy skills. He has authored or coauthored more than 70 research publications.

Kate Cain, Ph.D., Reader, Department of Psychology, Fylde College, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YF, UK.
Dr. Cainâ (TM)s research focuses on the development of reading and listening comprehension in children and, in particular, how language skills, knowledge, and cognitive resources are related to reading and listening comprehension problems.

Judith J. Carta, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist in the Institute for Life Span Studies, Professor of Special Education, and the Interim Director of the Juniper Gardens Children's Project at the University of Kansas. Her research focuses on developing strategies to minimize the effects of poverty on children's outcomes, designing practices that teachers and parents can use to promote children's early learning and social-emotional development, methods for monitoring the progress of young children, and strategies for promoting family engagement in early intervention programs. She has been the PI of several multi-site research projects and centers funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Institute of Educational Sciences, and the Administration on Children and Families. She currently co-directs an IES-funded project to develop the Infant-Toddler Pyramid Model, a three-tiered model to promote social-emotional outcomes for infants and toddlers, based on the TPITOS. She was a member of the Federal Advisory Panel on Head Start Research and Evaluation, Division of Early Childhoodâ (TM)s Commission on Recommended Practices, and served as the Editor of Topics in Early Childhood Special Education as well as the boards of numerous scientific journals. She received the Mary E. McEvoy Service to the Field Award from the Division for Early Childhood.

David K. Dickinson, Ed.D., Associate Dean for Research and Strategic Initiatives and Margaret Cowan Chair of Education, Peabody College of Education, Vanderbilt University, PMB 230, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, Tennessee 37203-5721

David K. Dickinson received his doctorate from Harvard University's Graduate School of Education after teaching elementary school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania while earning his masterâ (TM)s degree at Temple University. For over 30 years, he has studied early language and literacy development among children from low-income backgrounds. Using observational and intervention research, he has sought to understand factors that foster short- and long-term development of language and reading comprehension and to improve the quality of support children receive. He has co-authored the widely used preschool curriculum, Opening the World of Learning (OWL), co-authored three volumes of The Handbook of Early Literacy Research, authored or co-authored over 100 peer review articles and spoken to practitioner and research audiences around the world.

Howard Goldstein, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is a nationally known scholar in the field of child language intervention research and the author of two books and more than 100 scholarly articles. His recent work has sought to enhance the language and literacy development of students in high poverty schools who are at high risk for language and reading disabilities. A certified speech-language pathologist and former ASHA Vice President for Science and Research, Dr. Goldstein is currently Associate Dean of Research and Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences at University of South Florida in Tampa.

James A. Griffin, Ph.D., Deputy Chief, Child Development and Behavior Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Director, Early Learning and School Readiness Program, 6100 Executive Boulevard, Suite 4B05, Rockville, MD 20852-7510. Dr. Griffin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude in psychology from the University of Cincinnati and a doctoral degree with honors in child clinical psychology from the University of Rochester. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in psychiatric epidemiology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health. Dr. Griffin's career has focused on research and evaluation efforts related to service systems and early intervention programs designed to enhance the development and school readiness of children from at-risk and disadvantaged backgrounds.

Laura M. Justice, Ph.D., is EHE Distinguished Professor at The Ohio State University, a speech-language pathologist, and researcher in early childhood language and literacy development, communication disorders, and educational interventions. She is Executive Director of the Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy, a multi-disciplinary research center dedicated to conducting empirical research on child development and early education.

Peggy McCardle, Ph.D., M.P.H., Owner, Peggy McCardle Consulting, LLC

Peggy McCardle is a private consultant and an affiliated research scientist at Haskins Laboratories. She is the former chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), U.S. National Institutes of Health, where she also directed the Language, Bilingualism, and Biliteracy Research Program and developed various literacy initiatives. Dr. McCardle is a linguist, a former speech-language pathologist, and, in her remote past, a classroom teacher. Her publications address various aspects of public health and developmental psycholinguistics. The recipient of various awards for her work in federal government, including a 2013 NICHD Mentor Award, she also was selected in 2013 to receive the Einstein Award from The Dyslexia Foundation. Her publications address various aspects of public health and developmental psycholinguistics (e.g., language development, bilingualism, reading, learning disabilities) . Dr. McCardle has taught scientific and technical writing and has extensive experience developing and coediting volumes and thematic journal issues.

Susan B. Neuman, Ed.D., is a professor in educational studies specializing in early literacy development. Previously, she directed the Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement. Her research and teaching interests include early childhood policy, curriculum, and early reading instruction from prekindergarten to Grade 3. In her role as Assistant Secretary, she established the Reading First program and the Early Reading First program and was responsible for the implementation of all activities in Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Act.

Jill M. Pentimonti, Ph.D., Researcher, American Institutes for Research, 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007

Jill M. Pentimonti is a researcher at American Institutes for Research. She specializes in child language and literacy development during the preschool years as well as home and educational interventions.

Dr. Spencer is an associate professor at the University of South Florida in the Department of Child and Family Studies. She earned a specialist degree in School Psychology and a Ph.D. in Disability Disciplines from Utah State University, with emphases in language and literacy and early childhood special education. She has been a board-certified behavior analyst since 2001. Dr. Spencer has worked with culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse children as well as children with disabilities, their teachers, and their families for 18 years. She has published 37 articles in peer-reviewed journals, 5 book chapters, and 22 non-peer reviewed articles, briefs, or encyclopedia entries. Her publications and editorial service span a number of disciplines, including speech-language pathology, early childhood education, special education, applied linguistics, and school psychology. Benefitting from strong collaborations with practitioners and other researchers, Dr. Spencer maintains a spirited research agenda to improve reading comprehension and academic outcomes of the nation's most vulnerable students. Specifically, she has developed dynamic screening, curriculum-based measurement, and intervention tools so that schools can implement an efficient multi-tiered system of language support to complement schools' decoding efforts. Finally, Dr. Spencer promotes interdisciplinary, collaborative relationships among clinicians, educators, and researchers through an evidence-based practice framework.

Barbara Hanna Wasik, Ph.D., William R. Kenan Distinguished Professor Emerita, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is a clinical/school psychologist who has devoted her career to the study of children with social/emotional difficulties as well as language and literacy difficulties, and their families. A Ph.D. graduate of Florida State University in psychology, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University then joined the faculty at the University of North Carolina where she held a professorship in the School of Education as well as a research position with the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG). She taught masters and doctoral students in the School Psychology Program and held administrative positions in the UNC Graduate School, the School of Education, and FPG. She was one of the directors of Project CARE, a randomized study of child care and home visiting and served as an investigator on the longitudinal outcomes of both Project CARE and the Abecedarian Project. She was co-director for curriculum in the national study for low birth weight infants, the Infant Health and Development Program. Bringing together her interests in children and families, she is the developer of a comprehensive preschool and home intervention for preschool children and their families.

She served as President of the North Carolina Psychological Association, a member of the APA Council of Representatives, Chair of the APA Board of Educational Affairs and Chair of the APA Committee on Early Childhood Education. She was one of the three co-chairs of the National Forum on Home Visiting and has served on numerous national boards. She was an invited participant to the White House Conference on Child Care and served as a member of the Committee on Early Childhood Pedagogy of the National Academy of Sciences that produced the study Eager to Learn - Educating Our Preschoolers. Her professional interests include the observational study of children, social and emotional behaviors, problem solving, parenting, language and literacy, and home visiting. The author of over 100 publications and five books, she continues her professional involvement as a fellow of the FPG Institute.