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Reading is the cornerstone of academic achievement, not only in language arts but also for content areas such as science and mathematics. Yet, national data show that 69 percent of all eighth-graders are not proficient in comprehending the meaning of text at their grade level, and 26 percent of students read below the basic level. Studies also reveal that even high school students with average reading ability are unprepared for the literacy demands of college and the workplace.

Recommendations for ameliorating adolescent literacy concerns were the focus of this "Bridge Event," funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Almost 100 secondary school teachers, instructional coaches, and district-level reading specialists from Oregon, Washington, and Alaska attended the session, which featured presentations by Dr. Michael Kamil of Stanford University and Dr. Janice Dole of University of Utah.

Kamil and Dole are two of the coauthors of the IES practice guide Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices. The guide provides five recommendations for increasing the reading ability of adolescents, based on a rigorous review of the research:

• Provide explicit vocabulary instruction
• Provide direct and explicit comprehension strategy instruction
• Provide opportunities for extended discussion of text meaning and interpretation
• Increase student motivation and engagement in literacy learning
• Make available intensive and individualized interventions for struggling readers that can be provided by trained specialists

Outcomes of the Event

• Review research-based recommendations for improving adolescent literacy classroom and intervention practices
• Focus on instructional strategies to build vocabulary and comprehension skill
• Learn, first-hand, how to translate theory into practice

Presenters

Michael L. Kamil

Michael L. Kamil is a Professor of Education at Stanford University. He is a member of the Psychological Studies in Education Committee and is on the faculty of the Learning, Design, and Technology Program. He received his B. A. from Tulane University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin. Currently he serves as the evaluation consultant for the Early Childhood Educator Professional Development Program for the Department of Education. He is a member of the steering committee for the United States involvement in the 2009 administration of the Program in International Student Assessment (PISA). In addition, he is a member of the Adolescent Literacy Advisory Board for the Alliance for Excellent Education. Kamil also serves as chair of the research panel for the New York State English Language Arts Standards Revision. He is also research advisor for the Louisiana Department of Education Adolescent Literacy Plan and has worked in similar capacities with state departments of education in Oregon and New Jersey. Currently he serves as a member of the Feedback Group and the Writing Team for the Common Standards Initiative.

He was a member of the National Reading Panel, chairing the subgroups on comprehension, technology, and teacher education and was a member of the RAND Corporation Reading Study Group, which produced the report Reading for Understanding: Toward and R&D Program in Reading Comprehension. He was also a member of the National Literacy Panel, synthesizing reading research on language minority students. He chaired the Planning Committee for the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress Reading Framework. In addition, he was a member of the Carnegie Corporation Advisory Council on Advancing Adolescent Literacy. He currently is a member of the Technical Advisory Committee for the Partnership for Accessible Reading Assessments. He also is chair of the Reading Advisory Panel for the Pacific Regional Educational Laboratory.

Dr. Kamil recently served as the chair of the group that produced Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices, a practice guide from the Institute of Education Sciences. Other publications include the Handbooks of Reading Research, Volumes I–III. Currently he is the lead editor for the forthcoming Volume IV. Another recent volume, Teaching and Learning Vocabulary was co-edited with Elfrieda Hiebert. He has co-edited a volume on early childhood professional development with Susan Neuman that will be published next year.

Janice Dole

Janice A. Dole, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Utah. Dr. Dole’s university experience includes positions held at the University of Denver, the Center for Reading at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Michigan State University. She has published widely in journals such as Reading Research Quarterly, Journal of Educational Psychology, Review of Educational Research, The Elementary School Journal, and Reading and Writing Quarterly. She is also the coauthor of Adolescent Literacy: Research to Practice.

Dr. Dole served as a member of the reading development and anchoring panel for the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP). She also was a panel member of the RAND Reading Study Group on reading comprehension. She is currently a member of the Committee on the Study or Teacher Preparation Programs in the United States, spearheaded by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences.

In 1996, Dr. Dole began a career-long interest in school reform in reading and professional development in high-poverty schools. She coauthored Utah’s Reading Excellence Act for the Utah State Office of Education and was project co-coordinator as well as state technical assistant. She also served as an evaluator of Utah Reading First and as an investigator for Mathematica on a four-year IES national study of the effectiveness of comprehension interventions in high-poverty middle schools. Currently she is working with Title I middle schools on a writing intervention program for struggling adolescent writers.

Susan Davis Lenski

Susan Davis Lenski, Ed.D., is a professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Portland State University in Oregon. Before joining the faculty at PSU, Dr. Lenski taught in public schools for 20 years and at Illinois State University for 11 years. Her teaching experiences include working with children from kindergarten through high school. Dr. Lenski currently teaches graduate reading and language arts courses.

Dr. Lenski has been recognized by several organizations for her commitment to education. Among her numerous awards, Dr. Lenski was presented with the Nila Banton Smith Award from the International Reading Association; she was instrumental in her school receiving an Exemplary Reading program Award from the International Reading Association; and she was inducted into the Illinois Reading Hall of Fame. She served on the International Reading Association Board of Directors (2004–2007).

Dr. Lenski's research interests focus on strategic reading and writing and adolescent literacy. She also conducts research on preparing teacher candidates. She has conducted numerous presentations in the United States, Canada, Guatemala, the Philippines, and Panama, and has presented at many state and national conferences. Dr. Lenski has published over 60 articles and 12 books.

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The following documents, from the Institute of Education Sciences and the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), may also be of interest to participants.

Attachment
WWC What Works for Practitioners.pdf
Improving Adolescent Literacy.pdf
WWC Frequently Asked Questions about Practice Guides.pdf
WWC Bringing Answers to Educators.pdf