Is Literacy Enough?: Pathways to Academic Success for Adolescents

by Catherine E. Snow, Patton O. Tabors

Do strong early literacy skills guarantee later reading and academic success? No. While early literacy skills are important, they’re not enough to ensure later school success. Four literacy experts lay out the evidence in this compelling book, based on the well-known Home-School Study of Language and Literacy Development that inspired the landmark resource Beginning Literacy with Language . Following a group of children living in low-income families from preschool through high school, the authors charted the students’ outcomes using test data to reflect language and literacy skills, self-report data reflecting motivation and engagement in school, and interviews with students, teachers, and parents. Through the sobering discoveries made during this long-term study, readers will discover the critical importance of factors such as Readers will also see how the specific risk factor of poverty relates to achievement, motivation, and school climate, and how elements of a special education model—more student/teacher interaction, smaller class size, and student directed learning—could enhance the quality of educational programs serving all adolescents. With this enlightening, meticulously researched book, all education professionals will gain a better understanding of factors critical to school success—and learn how to develop programs that go beyond K–3 literacy to help adolescents reach their full potential.

176 pages, Paperback

First published March 13, 2007