During the past 20 years, Cathy Grace has assisted in developing programs to serve children and families in
Mississippi. She has served as the early childhood coordinator at the Mississippi Department of Education and assisted
school districts in the implementation of public kindergarten in the state. Working with the Department of Human
Services, Ms. Grace coordinated the development of a family support/family preservation program that is now a statewide
model.
She co-authored with Elizabeth Shores The Portfolio Book: A Step-by-Step Guide for Teachers, published by Gryphon
House, which provides portfolio assessment techniques in easy-to-manage steps. The book was written to encourage
teachers to begin the process of assessing children, using portfolios to demystify the process. Ms. Grace has served
as President of the Mississippi Early Childhood Association and currently serves as third vice-president. She has
served on the nomination panel for the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and represents
Mississippi on the Human Resources Committee of the Southern Regional Education Board. She also received the Outstanding
Member of the Early Childhood Association in 2000.
Ms. Grace has also held the title of Executive Director of the Southern Early Childhood Association, which gave
her an opportunity to assist in the professional development of early childhood educators across the South. She
has spoken to groups across the country on behalf of children and families.
Cathy Grace is married with two children and two grandchildren and resides in Tupelo, Mississippi.
Shores, Elizabeth :
Elizabeth F. Shores, M.A.P.H. was editor of the journal Dimensions of Early Childhood and director of publications
for the Southern Early Childhood Association (SECA) from 1990 to 1995. As editor, she wrote or edited numerous
manuals, monographs, and booklets about assessment and curriculum. She co-authored with Cathy Grace The Portfolio
Book: A Step-by-Step Guide for Teachers, published by Gryphon House, which presents a methodical way to incorporate
portfolio-based assessment into curriculum development and family involvement.
Ms. Shores also has published several articles on the early history of developmental disabilities services in
Arkansas, monographs on K-12 reform and child welfare reform in Arkansas, social studies curricula, and articles
in various parenting publications. She has contributed a chapter to an upcoming edited volume on the history of
special education, to be published by New York University Press.
Shores brings a clear and engaging writing style to editorial projects for teachers, caregivers, and parents,
focusing always on developmentally appropriate practice and family involvement. As a scholar, she specializes in
20th century U.S. policies that affect children and families.
Shores lives in Little Rock, Arkansas with her husband and two teenaged sons.
Summary
The Portfolio Book introduces a method to help early childhood teachers improve the responsiveness of their
teaching. The ten-step process lets teachers begin to work with the portfolio assessment process at a comfortable
pace. This book breaks the portfolio assessment process into small, easy-to-manage steps that can be inegrated
painlessly into everyday teaching.
