Promoting Early Reading

"This outstanding resource makes rich connections between the research base and instructional practices for preschoolers. It provides the tools to assess children and to plan appropriate lessons. The chapter on language development is very powerful. The case studies take you through the implementation of effective teaching strategies and document their impressive results."--Elaine Merritt, EdS, literacy coach, Johnson County Elementary School, Wrightsville, Georgia "Wow--this book is a 'one-stop shop' for early educators! It explains the benefits of establishing a nourishing reading environment for young learners and offers research-based strategies for designing and implementing effective programs. The instructional suggestions are realistic and easy to follow. The case studies of successful classrooms are a testament that we can't afford not to provide relevant classroom instruction to preschool-age children."--Nacole S. Guyton, EdS, Head Start and Early Head Start Director, Economic Opportunity Authority, Savannah, Georgia "McKenna, Walpole, and Conradi have assembled an outstanding group of early literacy scholars, who admirably address key issues in early reading instruction. This excellent volume will be useful in graduate-level teacher education courses in both reading and early childhood programs. I recommend it highly."--Dorothy S. Strickland, PhD, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Professor Emerita, Graduate School of Education, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Michael C. McKenna, PhD, is the Thomas G. Jewell Professor of Reading in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. His research interests include comprehension in content settings, reading attitudes, technology applications, and beginning reading. Dr. McKenna has published 16 books and more than 100 articles, chapters, and technical reports. He was appointed by the United States Department of Education to the Expert Review Panel of Reading First and has worked closely with reform initiatives in seven states. Sharon Walpole, PhD, is Professor in the School of Education at the University of Delaware. She has extensive school-based experience designing and implementing tiered instructional programs. Dr. Walpole has also been involved in federally funded and other schoolwide reform projects. Her current work involves the design and effects of schoolwide reforms, particularly those involving literacy coaches. She has coauthored or coedited several other books with Michael C. McKenna, including How to Plan Differentiated Reading Instruction: Resources for Grades K-3 and The Literacy Coach's Handbook, Second Edition, and she is coauthor of The Building Blocks of Preschool Success with Katherine A. Beauchat and Katrin L. Blamey. Dr. Walpole is a recipient of the Early Career Award for Significant Contributions to Literacy Research and Education from the Literacy Research Association. Kristin Conradi, MEd, is a doctoral candidate at the University of Virginia. She has taught literacy at several grade levels in high-poverty, inner-city schools; has worked as a K-3 reading specialist and a K-2 mentor and coach; and has served as a clinician at the McGuffey Reading Clinic. Ms. Conradi has planned and implemented extensive professional development programs in literacy for elementary faculty and has worked with Early Reading First projects as an assessment specialist.

1. Overview of Early Reading First, Michael C. McKenna, Sharon Walpole, and Kristin Conradi 2. Language Facilitation in the Preschool Classroom: Rationale, Goals, and Strategies, Anita S. McGinty and Laura M. Justice 3. Language and Literacy Development for English Language Learners in Preschool, Karen Ford 4. Phonemic Awareness Instruction in Preschool: Research Implications and Lessons Learned from Early Reading First, Lea M. McGee and Alanna Rochelle Dail 5. Improving the Quality of Preschool Read-Alouds: Professional Development and Coaching That Targets Book-Reading Practices, Tricia A. Zucker and Susan H. Landry 6. Assessing Children's Needs, Billie J. Enz 7. Preparing Centers and a Literacy-Rich Environment for Small-Group Instruction in Early Reading First Preschools, Lesley Mandel Morrow 8. Evaluation: Practical Applications for Closing Achievement Gaps, Susan J. Kimmel and Priscilla L. Griffith 9. Why Families Should Matter for Early Reading First, Martha Jane Buell, Michael Gamel-McCormick, and Donald Unger 10. Assessing and Creating Effective Preschool Literacy Classroom Environments, D. Ray Reutzel and Cindy D. Jones 11. Case Study of a Successful Urban Implementation, Cynthia W. Hutchinson, Christopher E. Chin, Joan A. Rhodes, and Evelyn Reed-Victor 12. Case Study of a Successful Rural Early Reading First Implementation, Michael C. McKenna, Carol Brown, Glenda T. Eady, and Marilyn E. Lee 13. Early Reading First Graduates Go to Kindergarten: Are Achievement Gains Enduring?, Carol Vukelich, Martha Jane Buell, and Myae Han