Dr. Smith has always enjoyed working directly with young children and teachers of young children. Beginning in 1987, she collected and analyzed data for the longitudinal Home-School Study of Language and Literacy Development. Her work on that project brought her into many classrooms as an observer and researcher and propelled her interest in classroom environments and practices that promote children's early language and literacy development. Later work conducted for the Center for Children & Families at EDC cemented her commitment to working directly with teachers, supervisors, and education leaders to promote conditions that positively affect children's learning. Currently a consultant to EDC, Dr. Smith continues to engage in research, writing, and professional development with teachers of young children. An active volunteer in local schools and child care programs, she most enjoys spending time in the "living lab" of daily life with her three children. Ms. Brady is recognized nationwide for her contributions to the field of early childhood education. She provides leadership to a range of complex projects that focus on research, assessment, technical assistance, and professional development that translates research and recommended practice into useful programs and products for practitioners and policy makers. Her groundbreaking work with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has led to a performance-based assessment to certify accomplished early childhood teachers. In recent years, Ms. Brady has concentrated her efforts on the design of professional development approaches that build teachersâ (TM) knowledge and skill in content areas, especially language and literacy. Ms. Brady and her colleagues are examining the impact of literacy-related professional development on teachersâ (TM) practices and childrenâ (TM)s learning. Ms. Brady presents her work at major conferences and seminars in the United States and abroad and has contributed to numerous publications, including Critical Issues in Early Childhood Professional Development (Zaslow & Martinez-Beck, Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2006). Dr. Clark-Chiarelli began her career as a special education teacher with a specialization in language and literacy development. Over the years, she taught all grades K-12 and has deep knowledge of effective classroom pedagogy. Dr. Clark-Chiarelli is the Principal Investigator on a project studying the impact of two variations of professional development for early childhood educators in the area of language and literacy. Drawing upon her extensive experience in K-12 special education and literacy, Dr. Clark-Chiarelli is also leading a project to identify and study schools with effective K-3 reading programs. In addition to research, her work at Education Development Center, Inc., has also included designing a web site for PBS Parents focused on language and literacy development of children birth through age 8 and numerous online literacy courses for teachers of prekindergarten through sixth grade.
