This paper reviews research which indicates that (1) more adults spend more time at job related reading than at any other type of reading; (2) materials written for functional purposes (job manuals, newspapers) are often too difficult for the people who are supposed to read them; (3) secondary English courses focus more on teaching reading and writing for academic purposes than for functional purposes; and (4) efforts are needed to provide re-direction for priorities and practices in teaching English at the secondary school, with a shift of emphasis away from English for academicians toward functional literacy. (Author)