| The persistence of the U.S. achievement gap is | | | | positioned students as active collaborators |
| especially problematic when we realize that current | | | | investigating their own learning, personal responsibility, |
| statistics likely underestimate the problem. The | | | | and construction of identities as self-sufficient |
| problem persists because of a failure in the system | | | | learners. |
| to provide much more than cookie-cutter instructional | | | | |
| responses that do not address youth's literacy needs. | | | | Several thoughtfully constructed, supplemental |
| Too many young people leave our schools with | | | | instructional programs have demonstrated positive |
| identities as poor readers and failures, a situation that | | | | effects on young people's reading achievement and |
| cautions us, first, to do no harm. Programs that | | | | identity construction (Slavin, Cheung, Groff, & |
| exacerbate youth's negative identity constructions | | | | Lake, 2008). Qualitative case studies demonstrate |
| abound, and Terrance's story tells us that there are | | | | how identity transformation takes place when youth |
| more positive alternatives. Terrance's work in Ms. | | | | are shown how their personal strengths can inform |
| Ryan's RAAL classroom suggests instructional | | | | the problem solving needed for academic literacy |
| alternatives that can yield positive outcomes for the | | | | tasks (Jimenez, 1997; O'Brien, 2003). Such research |
| young people represented in the NAEP statistics. | | | | tells us that young people deserve instruction that |
| Indeed, research suggests that large-scale RAAL | | | | reaches for high-level literacies and that equips them |
| replication has begun to yield measurable positive | | | | for the challenges ahead—in school, in life, and in |
| student outcomes (Kemple et al., 2008). As | | | | the workplace. |
| important, our interviews suggest that Terrance has | | | | |
| constructed an identity as a thriving, problem-solving | | | | Even though adolescent literacy instruction in the U.S. |
| Omega Replica reader of primary source academic | | | | remains woefully underfunded and itself marginalized, |
| and digital texts. There is much about Terrance's | | | | teachers like Cindy Ryan and students like Terrance |
| array of life contexts that facilitated his development | | | | renew our resolve and shift our vision. Imagine what |
| of such a resilient learner identity, but Ms. Ryan's | | | | could happen if we assisted secondary schools to |
| teaching also likely made contributions to this | | | | build on the small gains documented for literacy |
| construction. Key features of her teaching included | | | | interventions thus far, to create and sustain |
| the following: | | | | comprehensive programs that address all students' |
| | | | | literacy needs, including those who struggle. To do so |
| 1. High academic challenge coupled with explicit | | | | would be to address a fundamental Omega Replica |
| support calibrated to aid young people's development | | | | Watches human right of U.S. adolescents. To come |
| of generalized strategies and discipline specific insights. | | | | to see themselves as thriving readers, young people |
| 2. Asset-oriented teaching that began with youth's | | | | who struggle with reading have a right to expert |
| existing cultural, linguistic, and experiential resources | | | | instruction that treats them as capable and |
| through emphasizing student choice and | | | | competent, and that helps them to use existing |
| interest-driven reading of a wide array of texts. | | | | competencies to develop the knowledge, dispositions, |
| 3. An inquiry-oriented learning environment that | | | | and strategies needed for academic and life success. |