Two research studies hold promise of assisting educators in developing appropriate recommendations for helping parents help their children learn to read and write. Dolores Durkin studied children who entered school already knowing how to read. She followed the students for several years and found that the early readers maintained or extended their lead in reading over their non-early reading peers. Durkin's study associates early success in reading with parents who did activities with their children, talked with their children about words and experiences, and answered their children's questions and responded to their requests. Denny Taylor and Catherine Dorsey-Gaines focused for several years on four inner-city families of children who were successful in learning to read. The most significant finding was that even though the families lived in terrible, desperate conditions, the success of the children defies the stereotypical view that children from such conditions can never succeed. The families were highly cultured, literate, provided a rich literate home environment, and had high expectations for the children. From these studies, three recommendations for parents regarding literacy learning can be gleaned: (1) have high expectations for children; (2) provide children with a rich literate environment; and (3) become involved in the reading and writing life of children (particularly by reading to the children daily) in a low-key and informal way. (RS)