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July 13, 2006
Literacy education more than elementaryElementary, my dear literacy! Not anymore. An article in today's Washington Post emphasizes the need for increased literacy programs in secondary schools. The article reinforces the recommendations of NSBA's new publication, The Next Chapter: A School Board Guide to Improving Adolescent Literacy.
The article notes that "The Alliance for Excellent Education ... estimates that as many as 6 million middle and high school students can't read at acceptable levels," and that "only 51 percent were prepared for college-level reading." NSBA's guide encourages school boards to "understand the issues surrounding adolescent literacy," and offers questions board members can ask themselves in order to help "board members explore the state of literacy in their own districts."
In addition to the urging of NSBA and other education associations, such as the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the National Association of State Boards of Education for strong adolescent literacy programs, the Bush administration has launched the Striving Readers program, a $24.8 million program targeting middle and high school students. Educators note that the program is "a drop in the bucket compared with the nearly $5 billion the federal government has spent to help younger kids read since 2002."
The Post article notes that officials in Maryland districts Montgomery and Anne Arundel counties will increase programs for secondary students who have difficulty reading, while in Virginia, "state education officials have formed a task force that will examine, among other issues, why so many of its high school students are struggling to read."
Here's a free copy (pdf) of The Next Chapter: A School Board Guide to Improving Adolescent Literacy. For a hard copy, contact Elizabeth Partoyan.
Posted July 13, 2006 12:45 PM | Students
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