NEW REPORTS ON ADOLESCENT LITERACY
Friday, December 12, 2003
ALLIANCE FOR EXCELLENT EDUCATION
Reports Offer Suggestions to Help Older Students Become Better Readers

(Washington, DC) - Two important reports regarding adolescent literacy today were released by the Alliance for Excellent Education. Originally released at the group's First Annual High School Policy Conference in November, the reports are now available to the general public and news media.

Adolescents and Literacy: Reading for the 21st Century, by nationally renowned literacy expert Dr. Michael Kamil, documents what is currently known about effective literacy instruction for older students. For the first time in one document, the report brings together the findings of reliable, empirical research on how to improve the reading skills of older students. The report considers the importance and impact of factors such as comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, and alphabetic principle.

Additionally, the report offers a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities that confront the education and policy communities as they strive to improve the literacy levels of older children.

The Literacy Coach: A Key to Improving Teaching and Learning in Secondary Schools demonstrates how literacy coaches can be an integral part of the success of programs to improve adolescent literacy in middle and high schools across the nation.

The author, Dr. Elizabeth Sturtevant of George Mason University, reports that although the number of programs using literacy coaches is relatively small, early results and anecdotal evidence indicate high levels of success. She offers multiple options for training the thousands of literacy coaches that would be needed if these programs were to be expanded across the nation to serve even just those secondary schools with the most serious literacy needs.

"These reports demonstrate that we know a great deal about how to improve the literacy levels of our pre-teens and teenagers," said Alliance Executive Director Susan Frost. "We need now to develop the national will to put effective programs in place in the schools across the country. The future success of the eight million 4th through 12th graders who read below basic levels - and the continuing economic and social strength of our nation - depends on our willingness to act now."

Based in Washington, DC, the Alliance for Excellent Education is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping America's six million at-risk middle and high school students achieve high standards and graduate prepared for college and success in life