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Voices in Urban Education
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Adolescent Literacy
VUE Number 3, Spring 2004
| VUE Home | Archives | Order Print Copy |
EXCERPT:
Adolescent Literacy: Beyond English Class, Beyond Decoding Text
by Mary Neuman and Sanjiv Rao
Mary Neuman is the former director of Leadership at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform. Sanjiv Rao is a former senior associate at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform.
> Complete Biographies
The literacy problem among adolescents is partly caused by the way high schools view literacy and their responsibility for developing it. By looking beyond simple decoding skills and by making sure that literacy is the responsibility of teachers in all subject areas, schools can help improve students' literacy skills.
Arespected, highly skilled practitioner in a large urban school system recently shared her observations on adolescent literacy issues in her district: “Not many high schools are willing to look into the core work of teaching reading, writing, and other forms of literacy as part of the everyday life of the student and the school. Of those that do, most only seem willing to look at reading — and that's not enough.”
There is little dispute that the state of adolescent literacy is a problem. As commentators in education journals and newspapers and on television and radio continue to point out, many schools and districts are failing to help all students become literate. Despite (or, some would argue, because of) the implementation of a bewildering variety of programs — many focused specifically on literacy — far too many students leave their educational experience disengaged and unprepared to meet the demands of higher education and the world of work, much less the loftier goals of education: to participate effectively in one's community, make informed choices, and contribute to cultural well-being.
Yet, as the urban practitioner quoted above suggests, how schools view literacy — and how they view their responsibility for developing it — go a long way toward explaining these results. Many students require significant support in order to develop their literacy skills, but often teachers do not feel competent or adequately prepared to address those needs. In fact, though the vast majority of educators have the best of intentions, some secondary educators still feel it is the responsibility of the English teachers alone to solve literacy problems; others believe literacy is irrelevant to teaching in the content areas.
Moreover, schools and school systems too often limit reform efforts to some version of “breaking the code of texts,” to the exclusion of the complex communicative, functional, and socially embedded characteristics of literacy. According to the groundbreaking work of Paulo Freire (1970), reading and speaking the word is inseparable from engaging with the world.
To be sure, this broader view of literacy frequently bumps up against the political, fiscal, and policy realities of classroom life. Traditional high schools are ill equipped to integrate literacy instruction across the curriculum or to address much beyond basic decoding skills. Fortunately, though, reform efforts are paying increasing attention to adolescent learners and moving toward small schools and small learning communities in an effort to create relevant, rigorous, meaningful learning structures for students.
Archives
Adolescent Literacy
VUE Number 3, Spring 2004
| VUE Home | Archives | Order Print Copy |
EXCERPT:
Adolescent Literacy: Beyond English Class, Beyond Decoding Text
by Mary Neuman and Sanjiv Rao
Mary Neuman is the former director of Leadership at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform. Sanjiv Rao is a former senior associate at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform.
> Complete Biographies
The literacy problem among adolescents is partly caused by the way high schools view literacy and their responsibility for developing it. By looking beyond simple decoding skills and by making sure that literacy is the responsibility of teachers in all subject areas, schools can help improve students' literacy skills.
Arespected, highly skilled practitioner in a large urban school system recently shared her observations on adolescent literacy issues in her district: “Not many high schools are willing to look into the core work of teaching reading, writing, and other forms of literacy as part of the everyday life of the student and the school. Of those that do, most only seem willing to look at reading — and that's not enough.”
There is little dispute that the state of adolescent literacy is a problem. As commentators in education journals and newspapers and on television and radio continue to point out, many schools and districts are failing to help all students become literate. Despite (or, some would argue, because of) the implementation of a bewildering variety of programs — many focused specifically on literacy — far too many students leave their educational experience disengaged and unprepared to meet the demands of higher education and the world of work, much less the loftier goals of education: to participate effectively in one's community, make informed choices, and contribute to cultural well-being.
Yet, as the urban practitioner quoted above suggests, how schools view literacy — and how they view their responsibility for developing it — go a long way toward explaining these results. Many students require significant support in order to develop their literacy skills, but often teachers do not feel competent or adequately prepared to address those needs. In fact, though the vast majority of educators have the best of intentions, some secondary educators still feel it is the responsibility of the English teachers alone to solve literacy problems; others believe literacy is irrelevant to teaching in the content areas.
Moreover, schools and school systems too often limit reform efforts to some version of “breaking the code of texts,” to the exclusion of the complex communicative, functional, and socially embedded characteristics of literacy. According to the groundbreaking work of Paulo Freire (1970), reading and speaking the word is inseparable from engaging with the world.
To be sure, this broader view of literacy frequently bumps up against the political, fiscal, and policy realities of classroom life. Traditional high schools are ill equipped to integrate literacy instruction across the curriculum or to address much beyond basic decoding skills. Fortunately, though, reform efforts are paying increasing attention to adolescent learners and moving toward small schools and small learning communities in an effort to create relevant, rigorous, meaningful learning structures for students.
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