Why the Crisis in Adolescent Literacy Demands a National Response

Alliance for Excellent Education
Alliance for Excellent Education
This policy brief from the Alliance for Excellent Education asserts that it makes little sense to create a strong foundation of reading in grades K-3 if there is no plan to build upon the foundation in later grades. The Alliance offers a series of federal policy recommendations, including the expansion of the Reading First program (K-3) to the upper grades, increased funding to help states use assessments with open-ended writing and analytic reading items, and increased flexibility for schools to schedule more time for reading and writing instruction.

Over the past four decades, Congress has directed substantial resources toward improving young children’s literacy skills, and that investment has grown significantly in recent years. Through initiatives such as Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (better known as the No Child Left Behind Act), Reading First, and Head Start, the federal government has spent billions of dollars promoting vital research and improved reading instruction in the home, in preschool settings, and during the first few years of elementary school. As long as millions of young readers continue to struggle, this work should remain a high priority.

Read the policy brief
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