Handbook of Early Literacy Research, Volume 2 (Volume 2) - Softcover

David K. Dickinson, EdD, is a professor at the Peabody School of Education, Vanderbilt University. He received his doctoral training at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education after teaching elementary school in the Philadelphia area for 5 years. Since the early 1980s he has studied language and early literacy development among low-income populations, with a focus on the role of oral language in literacy development. Dr. Dickinson has examined the interrelationships among language, print skills, and phonemic awareness and has conducted detailed studies of language use patterns in early childhood classrooms. He helped create tools for describing literacy support in preschool classrooms, and developed and studied approaches to providing professional development for preschool teachers. Widely published, Dr. Dickinson has served on numerous advisory boards and recently was on a commission assisting the National Association for the Education of Young Children with revising its accreditation standards.

Susan B. Neuman, EdD, a professor in educational studies specializing in early literacy development, returned to the University of Michigan in 2004 after a 2-year hiatus, during which she served as the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education. Her research and teaching interests include early childhood policy, curriculum, and early reading instruction. In her role as Assistant Secretary, she established the Reading First program and the Early Reading First program, and was responsible for all activities in Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Dr. Neuman recently received an honorary doctorate from the California State University-Hayward, where she also conducted her master's work in reading and curriculum. Widely published, she received her doctorate from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California.

"Amidst a sea of political controversy surrounding early reading instruction, this book offers the most up-to-date and definitive research perspectives available today. While dealing fully and well with the importance of phonemic awareness and decoding, it places reading within the wider context of language development and child development. I particularly applaud the stress on children, rich and poor, learning to read in such a way that they don’t just pass reading tests, but are successful learners in the content areas throughout their school years. This book is essential reading, cover to cover, for anyone interested in reading and literacy."--James Paul Gee, PhD, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Wisconsin-Madison

"This extraordinarily valuable resource brings together the work of knowledgeable and credible scholars in a variety of areas related to early literacy research. Writing in a manner that is accessible to both researchers and practitioners, the contributors go beyond updating us on the vast amount of accumulated knowledge on emerging and early literacy. They help us make sense of its applications to our work with young children and those who care for and teach them."--Dorothy S. Strickland, PhD, Department of Learning and Teaching, Graduate School of Education, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

"This book is brimming with research-based insights into foundational topics in early literacy learning and instruction, including vocabulary development, phonemic awareness, the role of policy, and sociocognition. It also contributes to a growing knowledge base in such cutting-edge areas as the role of caregiver-teacher collaboration, second language learning, brain imaging, and early educational interventions. Delving deeply into early childhood literacy issues, this book will make a powerful contribution as a guiding text for researchers, graduate students, and educators."--Linda D. Labbo, PhD, Department of Language and Literacy, University of Georgia

"I used both Volumes 1 and 2 in a course on theory and research in early literacy. The texts provided my graduate students with contemporary theoretical frameworks and addressed a range of questions commonly asked by those engaged in dissertation research. I would definitely use these books again."--Olivia Saracho, PhD, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Maryland, College Park