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This review examines patterns found in early (preschool-grade 3) literacy research appearing in English-language publications during the period from 2006 through 2015. It focuses on studies related to early literacy learning and teaching in home and school/school-like environments. The review sought to answer two questions: (1) What has early literacy research focused on over the past decade? and (2) What has that body of research contributed to our enhanced understanding of early literacy development, teaching, and learning? The results report on patterns of publishing early literacy research found in scholarly journals, topics researched, ages of children researched, characteristics of the populations researched, and designs used in early literacy research. In addition, qualitative analyses report on the content and trends of the research for a sample of studies for each of seven facets of early literacy research: phonics, phonological awareness, reading fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension, writing, and digital literacies, as well as for the umbrella terms emergent literacy/early literacy/beginning reading. The results found from these analyses are discussed through an historical lens which identified four patterns characterizing early literacy research of 2006-2015: accretion, the influence of "scientifically valid" research, limited response to increasingly diverse student populations, and increased research focus on younger children.

In the 21st century, our students increasingly communicate, connect, collaborate, and interact with diverse cultures and traditions around the world, so they need to develop global literacy. This department column highlights research and research-to-practice at the international level to bring global best teaching practices to the forefront. Topics include international literacy instruction, international professional development, global literacy initiatives, global partnership and collaborative projects between schools and educators, best practices in literacy globally, and advocacy.

There is widespread agreement with in the field of early childhood education that vocabulary is important to literacy achievement and that reading aloud can support vocabulary growth. However, there are unexplored and significant problems with the ways we assess young children's vocabulary learning from read-alouds. This paper critically reviews the forms of vocabulary assessment commonly used with young children, examining the benefits and drawbacks of each. This review found: (a) general vocabulary measures are not practical, meaningful measures for vocabulary learning of specific words from books read aloud, (b) researcher-developed measures for specific words from books read aloud that mimic normed general vocabulary measures include serious threats to validity and reliability, and (c) other forms of measurement, such as soliciting definitions from children, are difficult to score reliably. This critical review of existing vocabulary assessments of word learning from read-alouds concludes that researchers and practitioners should carefully consider their needs for assessment data so as to choose, design and balance the uses of assessments to meet their needs for meaningful, reliable data.

This study analyzed 90 realistic novels written and published in the United States between the years 2000 and 2010 and featuring mixed race characters. The researchers examined specific textual features of these works of contemporary and historical fiction and employed Critical Race Theory to contextualize the books within paradigms about multiracial identity. Findings indicated three broad trends in representations of mixed race identity with an almost equal number of novels falling among three descriptive categories. Books in the Mixed Race In/Visibility category depicted stereotypical experiences and provided little or no opportunity for critique of racism. Mixed Race Blending books featured characters whose mixed race identity was descriptive but not functional in their lives. Mixed Race Awareness books represented a range of possible life experiences for biracial characters who responded to social discomfort about their racial identity in complex and credible ways. This study has implications for research and pedagogy in the fields of education and children's literature as they expand to become more inclusive of this type of diversity.

The high level of acceptance in US society of the preschool years as a critically important time for building early literacy skills has led to a flurry of activity in early childhood research and policy. The National Early Literacy Panel (NELP) report "Developing Early Literacy" (2008) is one example of this activity. The NELP report is part of a larger movement in the past decade to ground educational practice in scientifically based research results. In this article the authors examine recommendations for practice emanating from the NELP report and related documents designed to lead educators toward better early literacy classroom practice. They begin by describing the recent influences on early literacy, including the NELP report and other documents that interpret the report's findings. They then review the implications of literacy practice for preschoolers recommended in the NELP report and in publications that draw on NELP. The authors intend to make clear for practitioners, administrators, policy makers, and those involved in early childhood professional development which of the instructional recommendations made for early literacy are warranted and which may well create problems for some children's later reading success if implemented by preschool teachers.

By titling his 2008 book about urban school reform "So Much Reform, So Little Change," Charles Payne summed up the feelings of many educators. Although the school reform movement has been active nearly two decades and has gone through various phases of implementing policies and practices, there appears to be little overall significant improvement in urban student achievement or school environments during that time. Intrigued by his perspectives on reform in urban schools, the editors of the Urban Literacy department conducted an interview with Payne, hoping to broaden their ideas about how to approach change in urban settings.

This article discusses the potential positive and problematic influences of the National Early Literacy Panel (NELP; 2008) report on prekindergarten and kindergarten classroom instructional practice. The authors support the instructional importance of the majority of the foundational skills identified in the NELP report as having "clear and consistently strong relationships with later conventional literacy skills" but also detail a number of concerns about NELP-influenced instructional recommendations drawn to date, arguing that the NELP report is both insufficiently clear and overly narrow with respect to what preschool teachers should be focusing on instructionally in early literacy. (Contains 1 note.)

In an attempt to bring readers "on-the-ground" insights about effective urban literacy instruction, the authors interviewed three literacy educators who have extensive experience with learners in urban school environments. Each of them has taught literacy and developed teaching practices for urban schools, as well as conducted action research to test the efficacy of their practices. This article draws upon the voices and ideas of these three urban literacy practitioners who suggest what it takes to have effective elementary and middle school literacy instruction for urban students. ("Effective Literacy Instruction for Urban Children: Voices from the Classroom" was written in collaboration with Diana Dumetz Carry, Neshellda Johnson, and Des Remona Morgan.)

Recent research meta-analyses on the literacy education of children who are English-language learners (ELLs) were reviewed. The author discusses instructional implications that (1) are strongly supported by research, (2) are likely to be true, given the research evidence, and (3) need more research before recommendations can be made. (Contains 1 figure.)

Recent years have witnessed a surge of interest and activity in the field of young adult literature. In order to describe the types of young adult books being published currently, a systematic content analysis was undertaken on of a wide sample of titles published in English between 1999 and 2005 representing both high quality literature and books popular with teens. This article reports on trends found in the genres, descriptive features, subject matters, and writing styles of the books that can help teachers select reading material for their students. (Contains 5 tables.)

In urban elementary schools, considerable energy is focused on raising children's achievement in literacy. Literacy is central to learning in all subject areas throughout school, and in every aspect of literacy achievement--whether it's comprehension, vocabulary, word recognition, or writing. Research has shown that children in U.S. urban schools have significantly more difficulty than the overall population. From the 1990s on, a great deal of excellent work has focused on changing this situation. In this article, the author discusses a factor that can add significantly to the success of literacy instruction in urban settings: assessment. He also proposes several strategies for the successful implementation of literacy assessment programs that work.

Addressing beginning reading instruction in urban schools, this article proposes that a curriculum gap exists in many K-3 classrooms that operate under the guidelines of the No Child Left Behind Act and Reading First. The authors make a case for the inclusion of systematic and sustained instruction in comprehension, content knowledge, and writing in the early grades as well as attention to the Reading First emphases on phonological awareness, decoding, word recognition, and reading fluency. (Contains 1 table.)

For the past few years the authors have worked in urban public elementary schools to implement literacy instruction that emphasizes higher-level reading, writing, and thinking, while also maintaining instructional focus on the skills of decoding, word recognition, and fluency. Their efforts have involved implementing an initiative called In2Books. In2Books is a program that was developed to motivate children to engage in authentic literacy activities across the curriculum while also teaching them higher-level thinking, composing, and comprehension skills. It centers on a pen-pal exchange, with adult volunteers and students writing to one another about a common set of children's books they have read. The program is designed to create a context in which students are motivated to read books and to comprehend them deeply, because they will write about the books to an adult who engages them in dialogue about what they have both read. Overall, the results indicated that students who experienced In2Books as part of their instructional program were significantly more likely to have higher levels of achievement in reading than students not in the program. The authors suggest this program shows that there are better approaches than focusing merely on phonemic awareness, phonics, and word recognition. (Contains 5 end notes.)

Explores the effects of using CTELL (Case Technologies Enhancing Literacy Learning) cases on preservice teachers' learning. Describes CTELL as cases delivered via the Internet that incorporate a multimedia interface based on a cognitive apprenticeship model to promote literacy instruction; and compares traditional instruction, traditional plus video, and traditional plus CTELL cases. (Author/LRW)

Describes the Case Technologies for Early Literacy Learning (CTELL) project, designed to develop a specific approach to the use of cases in literacy teacher education. Draws attention to how people entering K-8 teaching receive their education about teaching reading and language arts as part of their initial certification program. (SG)

Describes two projects that incorporated inquiry into urban educational settings. Offers practical considerations for employing technology-enhanced inquiry in the classroom and discusses broader theoretical issues related to the contribution of technology to literacy learning and motivation when students ask their own significant learning questions, which, in the long run, lead to more questions. (SG)

Discusses three concepts from an emergent literacy perspective that are especially relevant to libraries: literacy learning starts early; young children construct their understandings of literacy; and adults are vital in teaching children literacy. Describes several ways librarians can promote early literacy learning. (AEF)

Standardized tests represent one way of obtaining assessment information. Yet in recent years educators and the public have voiced concerns about an overriding emphasis on tests and test scores. Pressure to "teach to the test" means that not enough time is spent on higher order thinking and literacy skills because minimal competencies have become the focus of the curriculum rather than one aspect of the educational program. These concerns are substantial; standardized testing of young children is an even more problematic practice. Some states are already responding to the problems associated with early childhood testing. Statewide testing of young children's reading and writing in Texas is accomplished through the first grade Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) test, a multiple-choice, standardized instrument that assesses minimal competency in nine reading and four writing skills. A majority of Texas principals, teachers, and supervisors feel that this standardized test has had a negative effect on curriculum and teaching, and research studies and experiences in other states mirror these conclusions. Therefore, the elimination of the present first grade assessment program using TEAMS is recommended. The state should insure that a high quality, developmentally appropriate literacy assessment program be developed and implemented, with the following goals: (1) knowledge and skills assessed would reflect classic and current research on early childhood literacy learning; (2) assessment procedures would be designed to fit with early childhood literacy teaching practices; and (3) methods for gathering assessment data would include observation and performance samples of children's work under normal classroom conditions as well as test-like situations. (MM)