Adolescent Literacy
A Special Issue of the Harvard Educational Review

This Special Issue examines key issues and debates in the adolescent literacy crisis in an effort to
move toward consensus around future research agendas and best practices. The authors analyze
the state of the field, explore the popular use of cognitive strategies, and discuss disciplinary and
content-area literacy. Also examined are alternative forms of literacy, afterschool interventions,
new instruction models for African American males, and the experiences of educators.

Contents Include:

• Adolescent Literacy: Putting the Crisis in Context by Vicki A. Jacobs
• Teaching Disciplinary Literacy to Adolescents: Rethinking Content-Area Literacy by Timothy Shanahan and Cynthia Shanahan
• Redefining Content-Area Literacy Teacher Education: Finding My Voice through Collaboration by Roni Jo Draper
• Cognitive Strategy Instruction for Adolescents: What We Know about the Promise, What We Don’t Know about the Potential by Mark W. Conley
• The Complex World of Adolescent Literacy: Myths, Motivations, and Mysteries by Elizabeth Birr Moje, Melanie Overby, Nicole Tysvaer, and Karen Morris
• Toward a More Anatomically Complete Model of Literacy Instruction: A Focus on African American Male Adolescents and Texts by Alfred W. Tatum
• Implementing a Structured Reading Program in an Afterschool Setting: Problems and Potential Solutions by Ardice Hartry, Robert Fitzgerald, and Kristie Porter
• State Literacy Plans: Incorporating Adolescent Literacy by Catherine E. Snow, Twakia Martin, and Ilene Berman
• Beyond Writing Next: A Discussion of Writing Research and Instructional Uncertainty by David Coker and William E. Lewis