What 20 Years of Research Tells Us About Adolescent Literacy Efforts

A review of over 7,000 research articles has identified a dozen programs and practices that have positive or potentially positive effects on adolescent literacy. The literature review from Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southeast was released by the Institute of Education Sciences today (Sept. 6) and covers 20 years of research on instructional programs and practices designed to improve the reading comprehension, vocabulary, and general literacy of adolescents.

REL Southeast reviewed the studies against the rigorous standards of the What Works Clearinghouse. Based on the review, 12 programs and practices demonstrate positive or potentially positive effects on adolescents’ reading achievement.

Key findings from these 12 programs and practices include:

• Most included explicit instruction in reading comprehension and vocabulary, as well as instructional routines, cooperative learning, feedback, fluency building, or writing; and

• The programs or practices can be implemented within the structure of a typical middle-school language arts or content-area classroom. In most cases implementation involved ongoing support for teachers.