The answer to the question "How well do young people and adults read?" is central to modern societies. Despite new forms of oral and visual communication, the written word is more important than ever in economic and social interaction. As the world becomes more complex, all citizens need to use reading and writing effectively to thrive in their daily lives. Reading literacy means being able to use reading skills to perform a wide variety of tasks in various situations, both within and beyond an educational context. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) has established an explicit framework for examining the extent to which students from around the world have these foundation reading literacy skills at age 15, on the eve of their completion of compulsory education. Results of the first PISA survey, in 2000, allow a rich profile to be drawn of reading literacy among 265,000 students in 32 countries who completed pencil-and-paper tests in their schools and filled out questionnaires about themselves. Results show not just how well students can perform in various reading tasks, but also the relationship between reading literacy skills and other characteristics, including the characteristics of their homes and schools, the students' attitudes to reading, and their reading habits. This brochure summarizes the results and considers emerging lessons for policy and practice. Includes extensive data. (NKA)