Learn the 5 steps that school leaders can take to improve student literacy in all content areas, with targeted interventions for students who are struggling the most.

Directly linked with overall student achievement, graduation rates, and success in higher education, literacy is essential for reaching academic goals in a school or county. Adolescent literacy has become the focus of many school improvement efforts to meet the needs of secondary and high school students. Without the requisite expertise in literacy, administrators and other school leaders charged with literacy improvement initiatives need a systemic and sustained approach for improving student literacy and learning. Taking the Lead on Adolescent Literacy presents a concrete, user-friendly, and practical guide to developing, implementing, and monitoring a schoolwide or county-wide literacy action plan. Readers will find rubrics, tools, and processes developed and field-tested by the authors over more than 10 years of close work with schools across the country.

Adolescent Literacy discusses issues such as including English language learners, struggling readers, technology in the classroom, multimodal literacy, compelling writing instruction, teaching in a "flat world," engagement, and young adult literature. In addition Adolescent Literacy's assessment rubrics for teachers, administrators, and staff developers make it a resource for schoolwide and districtwide professional development, while its accompanying study guide is designed for small-group discussions. --From publisher's description.

Each chapter addresses one of the critical issues that middle and high school literacy leaders across the United States have said get in the way of implementing a schoolwide plan to raising studentś literacy achievement.

This book presents an evidence-based framework for understanding the literacy needs of adolescents. The premise is that educators and other critical stakeholders need to understand evidence-based principles in order to develop effective curriculum to meet the needs of diverse learners. Recommendations are provided for middle and secondary education, professional development, teacher education research and policy. At the center of the book are Eight Guiding Principles developed by the authors through a process that included an extensive review of research and policy literature in literacy and related fields, a comparison of National Standards documents, and visits to the classrooms of 28 middle and high school teachers across the United States. The Principles are broad enough to encompass a variety of contexts and student needs, yet specific enough to offer real support to those involved in program development or policy decisions. They provide an overarching structure that districts and teachers can use to develop site-specific curriculum that is both research-based and designed to meet the needs of the learners for whom they are responsible. Important Text Features: Organized to help readers understand empirically supported principles of practice that can be used to address literacy concerns in today's schools, each chapter that addresses one of the eight Principles follows a similar format: * The Principle is presented along with a brief explanation of the research base and a sample of national standards that support it. * One or more case examples spanning a wide variety of disciplines, grade levels, and local conditions - provide an in-depth look at the Principle in action. * A well-known adolescent literacy expert offers a response to each case example, giving readers an informed view of the importance of the Principle, how it is enacted in the cases, and examples of other work related to the Principle. Discussion questions are provided that can be used for individual reflection or group discussion. Principled Practices for Adolescent Literacy is intended as a text for pre-service and in-service upper-elementary, middle and high school literacy methods courses and graduate courses related to adolescent literacy, and as a resource for school district personnel, policymakers and parents.

Deborah Appleman dismantles the traditional divide between secondary teachers of literature and teachers of reading and offers a variety of practical ways to teach reading within the context of literature classrooms. --from publisher description.

With 50% new material reflecting current research and pedagogical perspectives, this indispensable course text and teacher resource is now in a thoroughly revised third edition. Leading educators provide a comprehensive picture of reading, writing, and oral language instruction in grades 5–12. Chapters present effective practices for motivating adolescent learners, fostering comprehension of multiple types of texts, developing disciplinary literacies, engaging and celebrating students' sociocultural assets, and supporting English learners and struggling readers. Case examples, lesson-planning ideas, and end-of-chapter discussion questions and activities enhance the utility of the volume. New to This Edition *Chapters on new topics: building multicultural classrooms, Black girls’ digital literacies, issues of equity and access, and creating inclusive writing communities. *New chapters on core topics: academic language, learning from multiple texts, and reading interventions. *Increased attention to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. *The latest knowledge about adolescents' in- and out-of-school literacies.