Background

The Office of Vocational and Adult Education's (OVAE) investment in adolescent literacy research supports the principles of No Child Left Behind by contributing to the proliferation of research-based practice, amplifying the focus on reading proficiency for all students, and identifying solutions for closing the achievement gap.

Overview

In partnership with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, OVAE provided funding for multidisciplinary research projects and the development of an Adolescent Literacy Research Network. The research will examine cognitive, perceptual, behavioral, and other mechanisms that influence the development of reading and writing abilities during adolescence, as well as the extent to which interventions may narrow or close literacy gaps for adolescents.

Outcomes and Products

• Award of five five-year research grants to:
  See abstracts from the funded projects
  1. James McPartland, Johns Hopkins University, Supporting Teachers to Close Adolescent Literacy Gaps;
  2. Elizabeth Birr Moje, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Social and Cultural Influences on Adolescent Development;
  3. Hollis Scarborough, Haskins Laboratories, Adolescent Reading Programs: Behavioral and Neural Effects,
  4. Bennett Shaywitz, Yale University, Adolescent Literacy: Classification, Mechanism, Outcome, and
  5. Laurie Cutting, Johns Hopkins University, Cognitive and Neural Processes in Reading Comprehension
     
• Development of an Adolescent Literacy Research Network that serves to promote discourse about and facilitate the dissemination of research findings

Timeline
Research studies conducted from 2004-2008

Contact
Mary.Campbell@ed.gov
Rebecca.Moak@ed.gov

Website
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/hs/reading.html