Shaping Literacy Achievement: Research We Have, Research We Need

In the era of No Child Left Behind, what literacy research is still needed? How should it be conducted? And what role does research play in determining the kinds of literacy experiences that actually take place in classrooms? This forward-thinking book brings together leading authorities to address these vital and hotly debated questions. Contributors analyze the existing knowledge on core aspects of literacy education, describe how science is currently informing practice, and identify important methodological challenges and research directions. A highlight of the book is a chapter in which Michael Pressley offers an insightful critique of Reading First as well as practical recommendations for improving future policies.

Michael Pressley, PhD, was University Distinguished Professor, Director of the Doctoral Program in Teacher Education, and Director of the Literacy Achievement Research Center at Michigan State University. An expert on effective elementary literacy instruction, he was the author or editor of more than 300 journal articles, chapters, and books. Dr. Pressley was the recipient of the 2004 E. L. Thorndike Award (American Psychological Association, Division 15), the highest award given for career research accomplishment in educational psychology.

Alison K. Billman, MEd, is a doctoral candidate at Michigan State University. Her research focuses on language and literacy development in preschool and primary grades. These research interests emerge from her extensive classroom experience with children. Her teaching has been marked by innovative practices involving complex inquiry projects in which primary student researchers accessed resources in the community and in universities across the United States. Ms. Billman is the recipient of a Spencer Research Training Grant Fellowship and the Robert Craig Scholarship in Educational and Psychological Studies.

Kristen H. Perry, BA, is a doctoral candidate at Michigan State University. Her work focuses primarily on the ways in which culture and literacy development transact in diverse communities, particularly in African communities both in the United States and abroad. Her research also investigates the various ways in which home and community practices of literacy align with school practices of literacy, particularly for immigrant and refugee children. Ms. Perry has taught in multigrade classrooms in Denver; worked as a resource teacher and HIV/AIDS educator in Lesotho, Africa, through the U.S. Peace Corps; and tutored African refugees in Michigan. She is the recipient of Michigan State University's Distinguished Fellowship and a Spencer Research Training Grant Fellowship.

Kelly E. Reffitt, MEd, is a doctoral candidate at Michigan State University. Her research focuses on teacher education. Her experience as an elementary teacher has contributed to her research interest in effective literacy instruction, particularly in rural settings. Ms. Reffitt’s work with the late Dr. Michael Pressley focused on effective teaching in a rural district in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Julia Moorhead Reynolds, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Education at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She earned her doctorate in teacher education and literacy from Michigan State University. Previously, Dr. Reynolds worked as a high school English and reading teacher, a K-12 language arts curriculum specialist, and a secondary language arts curriculum coordinator in school districts in West Michigan.