Talkative Parents Have Talkative Children -- Early Parent Talk Predicts Later Language Ability -- New Discoveries -- Pattern of Talk during the Day -- Words, Turns, and Television -- Book Reading Increases Talk and More -- Autism Research -- Preterm Infant Studies -- Seasonal Variation in the Talk Gap -- Mothers Talk More Than Fathers, and They Talk More to Their Daughters Than to Their Sons -- Most Parents Think They Talk to Their Child More Than They Do -- LENA Feedback Narrows the Talk Gap -- Discussion and Recommendations -- Start Early-Birth is Not Too Soon -- Focus on Talk, Books, and Television -- Measure Words and Turns and Obtain Feedback with LENA -- Reduce Costs -- Conclusion -- Spotlight Recommendation -- References -- Chapter 10: Summer Reading Loss is the Basis of Almost All the Rich/Poor Reading Gap -- The Rich/Poor Reading Achievement Gap -- The Gap is Not Primarily Attributable to Ineffective Schools or Teachers -- Why Do Children from Low-Income Families Consistently Experience Summer Reading Loss? -- Ameliorating the Rich/Poor Reading Achievement Gap -- Conclusion -- Spotlight Recommendation -- Note -- References -- Part IV: Contradictory Efforts and Commonalities in Attempts to Close the Gaps in Reading Achievement -- Chapter 11: The Federal Effort: How Five Different and Sometimes Contradictory Efforts Have Been Made to Close the Achievement Gap -- Trend 1: Equity and Access to Effective Instruction -- Trend 2: Federal Reading Programs and Research-Demonstrating Success -- Trend 3: A Focus on the Culture of Poverty -- Trend 4: No Child Left Behind and IDEA Accountability as Policy Tools -- Trend 5: President Obama's Policy Initiatives-The Child and School Environment -- Conclusion -- Spotlight Recommendation -- References -- Chapter 12: Synthesis, Discussion, and Recommendations: What We Can Do to Advance Reading Achievement