Nell K. Duke, Ed.D., is a professor of literacy, language, and culture and faculty affiliate in the combined program in education and psychology at the University of Michigan. Duke's award-winning research focuses on early literacy development, particularly among children living in poverty. Her specific areas of expertise include development of informational reading and writing in young children, comprehension development and instruction in early schooling, and issues of equity in literacy education. She is author and co-author of numerous journal articles and book chapters as well as co-editor of the Handbook of Effective Literacy Instruction: Research-Based Practice K-8 (Guilford) and co-author of Literacy and the Youngest Learner (Scholastic) and Reading and Writing Genre with Purpose in K-8 Classrooms (Heinemann).