We know that literacy is the key to learning in school, yet millions of middle and high school students lack the literacy skills they need to succeed. What can educators do?

Authors Gay Ivey and Douglas Fisher make a compelling case that all teachers—across the content areas—have a role to play in students' development of literacy, which they define as reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing. Rather than focusing solely on reading instruction and the cliché that says "all teachers are teachers of reading," they urge teachers to incorporate rich literacy-based learning experiences into their classrooms, with the goal of helping students to learn and think across the curriculum.

With research-based findings, engaging examples, and extensive lists of resources, Ivey and Fisher encourage readers to

• Reexamine the materials, experiences, and expectations of the English/language arts classroom;
• Use strategies to improve literacy in all the content areas and alternatives to the traditional textbook;
• Make independent reading an important part of students' ongoing literacy development;
• Design and use interventions that really work for struggling students; and
• Consider the schoolwide elements—professional development, peer coaching, leadership, and assessment—that should be in place to support teachers and students.

Essential questions provide the focus for each chapter, and Quality Indicators for Secondary Literacy help readers gauge where they are on the continuum of providing a meaningful literacy experience for students. Rather than being overwhelmed by the challenge of improving literacy at the secondary level, readers will be inspired to move ahead with confidence that the task is essential, worthwhile, and—perhaps most important—achievable.
ASCD. 154 pp. 2006. Grades 6–12.

No. 03214