Inside Phonics

Associate Professor, Literacy Education Northern Illinois University Dr. Alfred Tatum began his career as an eighth-grade teacher, later becoming a reading specialist and discovering the power of texts to reshape the life outcomes of struggling readers. His current research focuses on the literacy development of African American adolescent males, and he provides teacher professional development to urban middle and high schools. He serves on the National Advisory Reading Committee of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and is active in a number of literacy organizations. In addition to his book Teaching Reading to Black Adolescent Males: Closing the Achievement Gap, he has published in journals such as Reading Research Quarterly, Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Educational Leadership, Journal of College Reading and Learning, and Principal Leadership.

Dr. Tatum's monographs include: Becoming An Insider: Reaching All Students, Reading Fluency, Capturing the Readers, Not Responses, and Enabling Texts: Texts That Matter.

Professor of Education Arizona State University Dr. David Moore taught high school social studies and reading in Arizona public schools before entering college teaching. He currently teaches secondary school teacher preparation courses in adolescent literacy. He co-chaired the International Reading Association’s Commission on Adolescent Literacy and is actively involved with several professional associations. His twenty-five year publication record balances research reports, professional articles, book chapters, and books. Noteworthy publications include the International Reading Association position statement on adolescent literacy and the Handbook of the Reading Research chapter on secondary school reading. Recent books include Teaching Adolescents Who Struggle with Reading (2nd ed.) and Principled Practices for Adolescent Literacy.

Dr. Moore's monographs include: Direct Instruction: Targeted Strategies for Student Success, Robust Vocabulary Instruction, Build Reading Power: Strategies for Comprehension, and Reading Comprehension Strategies, Why Vocabulary Instruction Matters, Science through Literacy, and Supporting Geography Learners with Texts.

Dr. Short directs Academic Language Research & Training and provides professional development on academic literacy, content-based ESL, and sheltered instruction worldwide. At the Center for Applied Linguistics, she co-developed the research-validated SIOP Model. She has directed research and program evaluations on English learners for the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Rockefeller Foundation, U.S. Department of Education, and U.S. Department of Justice, among others. Publications include ESL textbooks for National Geographic Learning/Cengage, professional journal articles, and SIOP Model books. She taught English as a new language in New York, California, Virginia, and the DR Congo. She recently served on TESOL’s Board of Directors.

Dr. Short's monographs include:Extend Your Students’ Reach and Move Them Toward Independence, Base Your ESL Instruction in the Content Areas, Reach for the Common Core, Structural Supports for English Learners, Comprehensive and Responsive Assessment, and Developing Academic Literacy in Adolescents, Differentiate Instruction.

Gretchen Bernabei, a secondary teacher for more than 20 years, shares the strategies in The Good Writer’s Kit that have led her struggling students to a 100% pass rate on her state’s high stakes test. Her teaching career spans more than 25 years. She has most recently taught English at Sandra Day O’Connor High School in San Antonio, Texas, where she was named Educator of the Year in 2003. Gretchen has taught both middle school and high school. Gretchen has shared her experience with other teachers through journal articles as well as several notable books offering field-tested techniques for teaching writing to young people. The Good Writer’s Guide is a multi-component program for inspiring struggling adolescent writers. Other recent publications include Why We Must Run with Scissors (with Barry Lane) and Reviving the Essay: Teaching Structure without Formula. She is also the author of Lightning in a Bottle, a program featuring photographs (on CD-ROM) that are used to prompt and guide student writing. In addition, Gretchen presents several hands-on workshops and staff-development seminars every year, in various locations across the U.S.

Ms. Bernabei's monograph is titledBuild Writing Power.

Dr. Tinajero specializes in staff development and school-university partnership programs and has consulted with school districts in the U.S. to design ESL, bilingual, literacy, and bi-literacy programs. She has served on state and national advisory committees for standards development, including the English as a New Language Advisory Panel of the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards and the Texas Reading Academies. She is currently professor of Education and Interim Dean of the College of Education at the University of Texas at El Paso and was President of the National Association for Bilingual Education, 1997–2000.

Dr. Tinajero's monograph is titled Teaching the Fundamentals.