A Path to Follow: Learning to Listen to Parents

The diverse and difficult needs of today's children far outstrip the ability of any one institution to meet them. Yet one of the richest resources for understanding a child's early learning experiencesparentsis quite often the most frequently overlooked. A Path to Follow suggests that parent "stories" can be a highly effective, collaborative tool for accessing knowledge that may not be obvious, but would obviously be of benefit.

PATRICIA EDWARDS is a Professor of Language and Literacy and a Senior Researcher at the National Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement at Michigan State University. She holds a Doctorate in Reading Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is the author to nationally acclaimed family literacy programs: Parents as Partners in Reading: A Family Literacy Training Program and Talking Your Way to Literacy: A Program to Help Nonreading Parents Prepare Their Children for Reading (on video). She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the International Reading Association and has participated in the UNESCO World Symposium on Family Literacy as one of 50 researchers contributing to the development of world policy on family literacy. Dr. Edwards has served as an advisor to the First National Goal "Readiness for School," and the Michigan State University Institute for Families, Youth, and Children. Numerous foundations and