Susan B. Neuman

Susan B. Neuman is a Professor in Educational Studies specializing in early literacy development. Previously, she served as the US Assistant Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education. She is especially known for her work in establishing the Early Reading First program and the Early Childhood Professional Development Education Program, and enhancing accountability efforts to improve children's achievement.

At Michigan, she directed the Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement (CIERA), focusing early childhood policy, curriculum, and early reading instruction for pre-kindergarten through grade three students.

Neuman is Director of the Michigan Research Program on Ready to Learn, which includes projects working to change the odds for children in poverty. She received her doctorate at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif. in 1977, her M.A. at California State University-Hayward, and her B.A. at American University. Prior to coming to Michigan, she was a professor at Temple University, the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, and Eastern Connecticut State University.

Her newest books include Preparing Teachers for the Early Childhood Classroom and the Handbook of Early Literacy Research, Volume 3. She is the author of such widely-read titles as Changing the Odds for Children at Risk; Educating the Other America; Nurturing Knowledge: Building a Foundation for School Success by Linking Early Literacy to Math, Science, Art, and Social Studies (with Kathy Roskos); and Reading to Your Young Child: A Parent's Guide (with Tanya Wright).

Other books include: The Handbook of Early Literacy Research, Volume 1; Access for All: Closing the Book Gap for Children in Early Education; Handbook on Early Literacy Research, Volume 2 (with David Dickinson); Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practice; Children Achieving: Best Practices in Early Literacy; Single-Subject Experimental Design: Applications for Literacy; Literacy in the Television Age; and Language and Literacy in Early Childhood. She has written over 100 peer-reviewed articles focused on improving the odds of children who live in disadvantaged communities.