This report by the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices suggests five strategies to improve adolescent literacy achievement: build support for a state focus on adolescent literacy; raise literacy expectations across grades and curricula; encourage and support school and district literacy plans; build educators’ capacity to provide adolescent literacy instruction; and measure progress in adolescent literacy at the school, district, and state levels. A statewide commitment to providing literacy instruction to students from kindergarten through 12th grade is necessary for districts and schools to meet adequate yearly progress targets, raise high school graduation rates, increase the value of the high school diploma, and close the achievement gap. This paper shows the governors commitment helping the public understand the connection between literacy achievement and educational and employment opportunities.
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Background and Context
Across the country states are struggling to establish sound literacy learning standards for adolescents and appropriate teacher preparation standards in literacy for teachers who will work with adolescents. At the secondary level, literacy should not only be addressed in the language arts curriculum, but it should play a central role in every subject area.
