Since teachers lack a certified reading specialist to guide their high school literacy efforts, they have never had a well-reasoned, research-based plan for addressing the growing needs of adolescent readers. According to a June 2009 National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) report, most U. S. secondary schools do have personnel who are acting as reading specialists or reading coaches (Keigher). However, not all teachers serving in these positions are certified reading specialists. It is essential that all middle and high school teachers play a role in helping their students become critically literate. In this article, the author describes common misconceptions about reading development and discusses the need for critical literacy and for helping students to become critically literate. The author also shares some ways that school librarians can lead the reading effort in their high schools.