Adolescent Literacy: What Works and Why

Originally published in 1988. Much has changed since then in schools. Mobile technologies, interactive whiteboards, digital texts, class websites, student-authored blogs, social networking and photo sharing sites found integrated into so many classrooms hadn’t even been imagined by most educators.

What hasn’t changed, however, are the developmental needs of adolescents. A sense of competence, opportunities for creative expression, positive social interactions, and opportunities for self-definition remain centrally important. Similarly, print literacy (i.e., reading and writing with traditional orthography) continues to contribute strongly to academic success, employment opportunity, health, and life satisfaction.

Consequently, this book remains very relevant today. Through case descriptions of literacy programs situated in formal and informal settings, the book draws attention to the ways that developmental appropriateness and engaging literacy instruction can assist all youth in reaching their full potential as readers and writers.