Your Presence is Requested: Critical Essays on Parenting and Education (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781491079942)

Dr. Veda Pendleton McClain, a native of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, was born an independent thinker. She is a mother, grandmother, aunt, daughter, niece, mentor, educator, author, friend and motivational speaker, and has spent over 30 years as a parent and grandparent, and over 20 years as an educator. She has spent many years working with students, parents and families about education and child rearing and continues to write for a local family magazine. As an educator, she has advised parents and students about the education process, planning for careers as lifelong learners, and child rearing in general. Her research interests include family literacy, particularly with economically disadvantaged groups, and culturally diverse children's literature. She has researched and written about child-parent interactions as they relate to how a child learns how to read, as well as about the importance of parental engagement in the lives of their children. She has been a university professor, department chair and college dean. A graduate of The Ethel Walker School through the A Better Chance Program, Dr. McClain earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Wesleyan University, a master of science in education degree in reading from the University of Central Arkansas, and a doctor of philosophy degree in reading education from The University of Georgia. She is the founding member of Veda McClain Consulting, LLC, and of Friends of Children in Urban Schools (FoCUS). Read more about her at www.vedamcclain.com.