During this time, she also taught as visiting faculty at Yale University in New Haven, CT.[7] From 1984 to 1986, Neuman was a Senior Research Associate for the Educational Development Center (EDC) in Newton, Massachusetts.
In 1990, Susan Neuman became an associate professor of Curriculum, Instruction and Technology in Education and Coordinator of the Reading and Language Arts Graduate Program at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.
[21] The purpose of this program is to promote young children's school readiness and learning outcomes by providing high quality, professional development for early childhood educators and caregivers working in poverty-stricken communities.
[26] This project focuses on developing and assessing scientifically based literacy curricula for use in early childhood (pre-K and K) classrooms, online education for teachers and care providers, and resources for parents and families.
Neuman characterized television viewing as a situated social practice embedded within family life and as such, needed to be carefully examined within the context of a child's environment.
She has incorporated multimedia resources and technologies into preschool and professional development curricula to provide a "360 degree surround" of information for early childhood education programs.
Neuman saw the potential for newly evolving media as means to support young children's literacy development and close the knowledge-gap for disadvantaged students with limited opportunities for enriched experiences.
While at Temple University, Neuman and research associate, Donna Celano, conducted a study that revealed the drastic inequities in available print resources for children in four different Philadelphia communities.
Similarly, day-care centers that served disadvantaged communities provided a caring environment for children, but were lacking in print-rich materials and staff expertise in early literacy development.
This paper established literacy goals for early childhood programs and outlined what parents and teachers could do to help children in preschool through second grade successfully develop reading and writing skills.
[51] Concerned with the achievement and knowledge-gap between low and middle/upper income children evident even during the early years of life, Neuman has been a strong proponent of intensive, content-rich preschool instruction that fosters essential links between vocabulary/language, concepts, and content area learning.
While emphasizing the importance of literacy and content area goals for early childhood programs, Neuman insists that national and state educational reform initiatives need to encourage school readiness through developmentally appropriate practices.
[52] Neuman warns that "nonsensical" skill-and-drill approaches to learning focus on a small set of procedural skills within activities disconnected from the real purposes of literacy.
[53] As architects of the foundations for later learning, early childhood educators need to provide at-risk children with a "great infusion of knowledge" developed through words, meanings and a network of concepts that connect them to real world experiences.
[55] She observed that in the face of overwhelming disadvantages of children living in poverty, extensive school-based educational reforms can only hope to marginally close the achievement gap for these youngsters.
Neuman derived essential principles for this approach from an extensive review of highly effective programs that were consistently "changing the odds" for young, at-risk children.
Neuman further argues that intensive, compensatory services need to be provided by highly trained professionals with an eye toward accountability and continuous monitoring children's progress and program improvement.
[55][56] Dr. Neuman's personal mission to "change the odds" is reflected in her current research efforts toward designing quality preschool curriculum and professional development initiatives for early childhood programs in disadvantaged communities.
[27][57] Moreover, through her determination and dedication to bringing this positive, yet urgent message to a national level of awareness and action, Susan Neuman makes a significant contribution to the field of early literacy education as well as society.