John A. Smith Dr. John A. Smith is a professor in the Department of Elementary Education at Utah State University.nbsp; He holds a bachelorrsquo;s degree in Elementary Education from Brigham Young University, a masterrsquo;s degree in Elementary Curriculum from the University of Utah, and a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. nbsp; Dr. Smith has 10 years of elementary classroom teaching experience in 2 nd and 5 th grades and as a Chapter 1 reading teacher, and 20 years experience teaching at the university level.nbsp; Dr. Smith also taught at-risk students entering kindergarten and 1 st grade for three summers at the Frank Porter… Graham Child Development Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.nbsp; Dr. Smith served three years as Reading Coordinator for the Chapel Hill City School District, during which time the districtrsquo;s Chapter 1 program was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as an Exemplary Program.nbsp; A highlight of Dr. Smithrsquo;s teaching was taking a year off from university teaching to return to a first-grade classroom to implement the comprehensive literacy instruction framework described in this book. nbsp; Dr. Smith has worked extensively with teachers in elementary school classrooms as a Reading Excellence Act reading coach and currently as a consultant and Reading First technical assistant.nbsp; Dr. Smithrsquo;s publications and presentation topics include implementing balanced, comprehensive literacy instruction, implementing a variety of reading instruction strategies, and enhancing literacy instruction with childrenrsquo;s songs.nbsp; He is reviewer forThe Reading TeacherandLiteracy Research & Instructionjournals, and currently serves as a member of the Executive Board of the College Reading Association. nbsp; Dr. Smithrsquo;s teaching awards include USU College of Education Teacher of the Year, USU Department of Elementary Education Teacher of the Year, USU Extension Program Teaching Award, and the Mortar Board ldquo;Top Profrdquo; award. nbsp; Dr. Smith and his wife Joanne are proud parents of five children and three grandchildren, so far. nbsp; Sylvia Read Dr. Sylvia Read is an assistant professor in the Department of Elementary Education at Utah State University.nbsp; She holds a bachelorrsquo;s degree in English from the University of Illinois, a masterrsquo;s degree in Education from the University of Illinois, and a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Utah State University. nbsp; Dr. Read has 13 years of classroom teaching experience in 1 st , 2 nd , 6 th , and 7 th grades and 6 years of experience teaching at the university level.nbsp; nbsp; Dr. Read works extensively with teachers in elementary school classrooms as a writing instruction mentor, as a professional developer for school districts in the area of reading and writing, and as the leader of professional study groups locally.nbsp; Dr. Readrsquo;s publications and presentation topics include incorporating nonfiction in the reading and writing curriculum, implementing effective writing instruction strategies, and using childrenrsquo;s literature effectively in language arts instruction.nbsp; She is co-editor ofLiteracy Research and Instruction, a publication of the College Reading Association. nbsp; Dr. Read and her husband, Michael, have two children, Nancy and Isaac.