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 a “Bridge Event” held February 17, 2010, in Portland by REL Northwest, operated by Education Northwest. Bridge Events, funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), are designed to connect researchers, policymakers, and practitioners. 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. Three of the recommendations offer instructional strategies to help students gain more from their reading tasks in content-area classrooms, including explicit vocabulary instruction; direct and explicit comprehension strategy instruction; and opportunities for extended discussion of text meaning and interpretation. The fourth recommendation describes how to increase student motivation and engagement in literacy learning, and the fifth refers to struggling readers who need intensive help.

The two researchers offered practical suggestions to help the audience apply the recommendations, and they also discussed challenges in implementing them. Kamil warned that “not all research is created equal” and explained how the practice guide authors rated the evidence behind their recommendations.

When asked how the information from the forum would be used, one participant commented that it will “support a change in instructional practice in the classroom. The research-based summaries make the usefulness of these tools valid.” For future Bridge Events on a range of important regional topics, check the Events section of our Web site. Archives of past Bridge Events can also be found on the site.