An Interview with Dr. Gabrielle Miller: Raising a Reader

6.29.10 - Michael F. Shaughnessy - I’ve been an educator all of my professional life, working with ‘at risk’ children of all ages—the vast majority of whom struggled with literacy. The longer I taught the more I wanted to know when, how, and why some of what I saw in the classroom came to be.

Michael F. Shaughnessy

Eastern New Mexico University

Portales, New Mexico

1) Dr. Miller, what first got you interested in early literacy?

I’ve been an educator all of my professional life, working with ‘at risk’ children of all ages—the vast majority of whom struggled with literacy. The longer I taught the more I wanted to know when, how, and why some of what I saw in the classroom came to be. That led me to (many years of) graduate school and the notion of practical strategies to bring research to practice.  I was very fortunate to have had many opportunities to do so, with children of many different ages. The one project that captured my imagination was a very small project I did with some colleagues at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore focusing on early language and literacy. With a very practical research-based intervention we were able to see significant effects after only nine weeks.  My interest in early literacy began with that simple project.

2) How exactly would YOU define early literacy?

It seems like a very easy question but it’s one that really takes some thought. Needless to say, there are many theoretical frameworks—each of which has merit.  Some years ago one of the research projects I worked on involved one of the country’s most distinguished researchers, Hollis Scarborough from Haskins Laboratories. She’d just written a book chapter on learning disabilities in which she included a visual representation of literacy which, I believe, was not only brilliant but perfectly defines the literacy continuum, especially early literacy.

Dr. Scarborough visualized literacy as a rope, with each strand of the rope representing a set of skills that needs to become automatic (word recognition skills) and/or strategic (comprehension skills).  Efficient reading is represented as the weaving of those strands over time, ultimately resulting in a tightly woven rope that represents efficient reading skills.

The diagram brought together both sides of my professional interests—as a teacher I had worked for many years with children who had not developed the skills necessary for the ‘rope’ to become tightly woven.  Then, when I became interested in early literacy and began thinking about all the theoretical frameworks around early literacy, it became clear that early literacy is the development of those ‘strands’ (skills) which will eventually become efficient reading.  Early reading, then, represents both the creation of those strands and ongoing support for the weaving of those strands into a strong rope. 

Let me explain.  With very young children we want to develop the cognitive ability to create those ‘strands’. That does not mean ‘skill and drill’ infants and toddlers to build word recognition or comprehension skills. It DOES mean that we must expose children to language and literacy experiences that will build the cognitive abilities represented by children’s ability to demonstrate those skills.  We know there is often a big difference between chronological and developmental age. So as chronological age advances and children begin to transition into pre-K, kindergarten and later elementary school, it is critical that the early reading practices continue to support development.  As the child’s ability to process information improves with high quality instruction AND ongoing family literacy experiences we are far more likely to see efficient reading skills develop. 

The irony is that with all the wonderful curricula that are out there, in the end, one of the most effective ways to support the process of early literacy is also the simplest—regularly spending time reading to children (something we at Raising A Reader call “book cuddling”). 

So, how would I define ‘early literacy’?  It’s the process of building cognitive, language, and social-emotional skills needed for efficient reading skills. Whether it’s visualized as a rope or just a continuum, early literacy is the ongoing process of helping children develop the cognitive and language capabilities needed to become efficient readers.

3) Now, what exactly is this "Raising A Reader" program and what are the main components of it?

Raising A Reader is a national nonprofit organization offering local agencies an evidence‐based early literacy and parent engagement program that has demonstrated it can improve the family engagement and early literacy skills of young children. It’s efficacy has been demonstrated through eleven independent evaluations.

With nearly half of all U.S. children entering kindergarten lacking the early reading skills needed for success in school, Raising A Reader has set a long‐term goal of reaching one million children and families. Raising A Reader currently serves 110,000 children through its 2,500 affiliate sites across the country.

Raising A Reader rotates bright red bags filled with award‐winning books into children’s homes on a weekly basis. In the average program a child is exposed to approximately 100 books per year. Local implementers are trained in interactive “read‐aloud” techniques that stimulate early brain development and language acquisition. They in turn, train parents and caregivers. The training helps parents and caregivers, even those with limited English proficiency or low literacy skills, learn how to engage their child by sharing a book. Through the program, families

are also connected to their local public library. At the culmination of the program, children receive a blue library bag to keep and continue the practice of borrowing books and “book cuddling.”

Raising A Reader offers an affordable, scalable, and engaging model through which families can develop, practice and sustain the habit of sharing books.  It has also been very successful in facilitating a successful transition into Kindergarten.

Since it was founded in 1999, Raising A Reader has reached more than 700,000 children through its affiliations with local organizations such as United Way, Head Start, public libraries, home visiting programs and early learning programs in school districts.

4) Does it have a theoretical underpinning?

Raising A Reader believes that long term change will happen when there are systematic supports.  We believe our strong evidence comes from the theoretical model on which Raising A Reader operates.  Raising A Reader’s unique Theory of Change is based on peer‐reviewed educational, behavioral and systems change research. It is the framework used to insure the program’s standards of excellence.

Raising A Reader’s Theory of Change:

If…

-children drive the process with the Raising A Reader red book bags and books becoming a favorite toy;

-Program professionals learn how to train parents in interactive read‐aloud strategies and early brain development;

-Parents learn and engage in read‐aloud strategies and develop a regular routine of book cuddling;

-The weekly book bag delivery system is turnkey—a simple, sustainable routine that is easily managed in a number of diverse settings; and

-Families start to use their local library for an additional source of high‐quality

reading materials…

Then…children will enter kindergarten with a love of books and ready to learn to read.

5) Why is reading aloud to children so important?

We know that there is a tremendous amount of growth in a young child’s brain.  Over 700 neural connections are made in a young child’s brain per second- which is simply staggering to think about. Those essential connections represent the cognitive, language, and social-emotional framework through which a child develops.

Positive, supportive relationships with young children in which caring adults take the time to communicate are critical to build all three areas.  While talking, singing, playing, spending time together are very powerful, reading to children is perhaps the most powerful way to support cognitive and language development.  The vocabulary, semantics and syntax in books are generally much more complex than that which is used in every day conversation.  So, by reading to children, they’re exposed to far more vocabulary words and much more complex syntactical and semantic structures than they would in general conversation.  All of which continues to build neural connections—which builds language—which supports reading acquisition. 

Additionally, the act of ‘book cuddling’, that is, holding a child on a lap or sitting with a child sharing a book offers a very strong means through which a child can learn to develop strong social-emotional connections. A child’s capacity to do so is equally important to the child’s later capacity to interact appropriately in school and build appropriate relationships.

6) Every once in a while I go into schools and read poetry to children- they love it. Why are they so fascinated with poetry and the way it sounds?

How wonderful! It’s not surprising that children would love to hear poetry.  The cadence, rhythm, syntax, and rhymes are fun, engaging and wonderful sounds. By exposing children to different genre—like poetry, they have the opportunity to listen intently to something new and broaden their background.  Neurologists would say they’re building new neural connections!

7) What about picture books- how do they fit into the picture?

Picture books offer a wonderful way for children to stretch their imaginations.  Picture books  tell stories with images and words, making them fun and engaging for children to read together with a loved one.  Picture books can offer children who have not learned to decode a way to ‘read’ a story to a parent, practicing book-conventions along the way.  They are also an ideal for parents who may not read English well to be able to share a story with their child. And some of the most interesting picture books I’ve seen are for older children—with complex illustrations rich with detail. Picture books are one of my favorite genres!

8) Now, how do you get the local libraries involved?

Raising A Reader’s goal is to help families develop, practice and sustain the habit of sharing books.  The primary means through which our program helps families maintain the important  habit of sharing books is through connections to local libraries.  Through our program, children get into the habit of ‘borrowing’ books through Raising A Reader.  At the culmination of the program, children receive a blue library bag which is theirs to keep. In this way we hope to encourage children to keep borrowing books—but to borrow from the local library—so that the habit can continue for a lifetime.

9) What have I neglected to ask?

I would love for you to ask me how to contact us! We are expanding across the country. For more information, your readers can contact us at 650-450-5566 or visit www.raisingareader.org