Adolescent Literacy: The Cornerstone of Student Success

In many middle and high schools, literacy is seen as secondary to school reform; it is often perceived as being a problem for only a few students-that improving the literacy abilities of students is remedial in nature and should not be part of the "normal" classroom. It is felt that improving literacy levels should be the responsibility of English teachers who, ironically, are rarely trained to teach literacy. Yet most students in middle and high schools read below grade level and are unable to comprehend their increasingly complex texts and course materials. Thus, they fall behind and struggle to advance through the grades in every subject. In actuality, literacy should be the concern of teachers in every subject. If efforts to turn around low-performing secondary schools are to succeed, educators and policymakers must take their cue from elementary schools and make literacy the cornerstone of school reform.