ABSTRACT
This chapter is authored by six people, only the first of whom is anywhere near old enough to be considered as Reading Hall of Fame age. This may seem a strange way to write about one’s “history and scholarly work to frame the changes that have been taking place in our dynamic profession” in order to “inform the future” (see p. x of the introduction to this volume). But we chose this approach because we represent the voices of the different generations, or eras, of scholar-practitioners that this book is intended to address. We currently work closely together on two Early Reading First projects in which we are attempting to put into practice research-based early literacy theory, instruction, and assessment (https://education.uic.edu/erf). Through these projects and varied professional activities in elementary schools, we have been fortunate to gain inside perspectives on an array of contemporary early literacy practices and policies-at the classroom, school, and school district levels; in relation to state and federal government initiatives; in the world of foundations and other non-governmental organizations involved with early childhood education, and in the community of scholars in the United States and internationally.
