In addition to the best available research, you can turn to policies such as federal legislation, regulations, professional guidelines, position statements, or program and personnel standards to answer questions about dialogic reading practices. A policy serves as the foundation for a course of action to be taken at the federal, state, or local level. As there is no formal legislation on dialogic reading, this module information draws on a joint position statement developed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the International Reading Association (IRA), and draws upon the Head Start Performance Standards.
The joint position statement developed by NAEYC and IRA consists of recommendations and principles for teaching practices and public policy related to early literacy development. For more information, read the full report: Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children.
The Head Start Performance Standards include a standard on education and early childhood development Subpart C (45CFR 1302.31), which requires that agencies “Include developmentally appropriate learning experiences in language, literacy, etc.”.
Follow the instructions on Activity 6.7a to learn more about recommended policies on reading with young children.