In order to succeed in college, students need to be able to read closely, critically, and independently. Unfortunately, large scale studies of graduating high school students in the United States have indicated that many are underprepared for college and career reading. When these students enter college, they often find themselves in a space that…

We have conducted the national annual literacy survey since 2010 and have surveyed young people on literacy issues since 2005. This report outlines findings about children's and young people's reading from our seventh annual literacy survey conducted in November/ December 2016 and where possible relates those findings back to our other reading…

"A Reason to Read" is the culminating work of the ArtsLiteracy Project, an ambitious and wide-ranging collaborative that aims to promote literacy through rich and sustained instruction in the arts. At the heart of the book is the "Performance Cycle," a flexible framework for curriculum and lesson planning that can be adapted to…

This article describes a community science night as a professional development experience for teachers in a rural school in the southeastern United States. As participants circulated through eight astronomy activities, they engaged in reading images, reading writing, and reading their natural and physical world. Through such diverse textual…

Historically, comics have been viewed as a "debased or simplified word-based literacy," explains Dale Jacobs, who considers comics to be complex, multimodal texts. Examining Ted Naifeh's "Polly and the Pirates," Jacobs shows how comics can engage students in multiple literacies, furthering meaning-making practices in the classroom and beyond.

The United States ranked ninth among 35 nations in an international study among students in reading, as reported by the Progress in International Reading Literacy. Standards keep going up for students in reading achievement. Literature books for children must be rewritten in keeping up with the times in a demanding school and societal environment.…

This book arranges more than 900 children's books, both fiction and nonfiction, by school grade (one through six) and by difficulty level (easy, average, challenging), enabling teachers, librarians, and parents to have an extensive bibliography of interesting and worthwhile books for every child's interests and reading abilities. The book lists…

Ten years ago the first author and colleagues decided to publish a list of the topics in literacy that were (or had been) receiving attention in the reading field in general education publications such as the widely read journal "Educational Leadership," and in the popular media (Cassidy & Wenrich, 1997). Despite the popularity of the list, many…

By selecting appropriate reading materials, teachers can engage African American adolescent males with text, particularly students who have not mastered the skills, strategies, and knowledge that will lead to positive life outcomes. This approach takes into account students' four literacy needs--academic, cultural, emotional, and social--and…

Librarians and teachers can tap a powerful source for motivating children to read by involving parents and creating a partnership between home and school. This guide shows educators how to encourage literacy and reading by establishing a book club for parents, teachers, librarians, and students. Chapter 1 discusses directions for starting a book…