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Adolescent holding a stack of books that are as high as the top of her head.

AdLit 101: Overview

“For adolescents, literacy is more than reading and writing. It involves purposeful social and cognitive processes. It helps individuals discover ideas and make meaning.”            — National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)

Federal spending and research on adolescent learners over the past 15 years has sharply increased (Reynolds, 2021) but systemic, instructional changes in middle and high school literacy instruction have been slower to emerge. What have researchers learned in recent years about adolescent literacy? How are schools working to improve how they teach reading and writing in their secondary schools? What can you do to teach reading and writing more effectively in your classroom and school?

AdLit is made possible by a generous grant from

National Education Association (NEA)

YA BOOKS stacked on a low bookshelf in a teacher's room with a 'hello' sign in front.

AdLit 101 is designed to help you get up to speed on recent research and policy developments, to give you some practical advice on infusing reading and writing skills into your instruction, and to point you towards a wide range of resources. Are you ready?