We have made tremendous progress in changing how we teach children to read. But what happens to the students who are already in middle and high school?
For more than a decade, the science of reading has transformed the national conversation about literacy. As reported by EdWeek, as of March 30, 2026, 42 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws or implemented new policies related to evidence-aligned reading instruction since 2013. Schools have also adopted new curricula, invested in professional learning, and embraced the idea that reading outcomes improve when students receive explicit, systematic instruction.
These changes represent one of the most significant shifts in education in a generation and are worth celebrating. However, if you walk into many middle and high school classrooms today, you might find a different reality.
You might find a seventh grader who can decode words well enough to get by, but falters when confronted with the vocabulary, sentence structure, and background knowledge required to comprehend increasingly complex texts. You might find a high school senior who struggles to make sense of a science or history textbook. Their teachers recognize that they are struggling, but have never been taught how to identify the root cause or what evidence-aligned instruction looks like for adolescents.
These students are sitting in classrooms all across the country.
The science of reading movement has changed how we teach young students to read. Now it’s time to ask an important question: What about the students already in middle or high school?
Prevention alone isn’t enough
To be clear, our emphasis on early literacy was the right one. Research has consistently shown that providing evidence-aligned instruction in the early grades can prevent many reading difficulties down the line. Prevention should always be our first priority, and the progress made in kindergarten through third grade has the potential to change the lives of millions of children nationwide. Sadly, prevention alone cannot help the students who have already moved beyond those early grades.
Many of today’s adolescents entered school before evidence-aligned reading instruction became mainstream. Some never received the foundational instruction they needed, and they continue to carry skills gaps into middle and high school. Others learned to decode accurately enough to meet early benchmarks but came across new challenges as texts became denser, vocabulary became more sophisticated, and comprehension demands increased across all subjects.
At the same time, secondary educators were rarely given the preparation they needed to support these students. While many teacher preparation programs have evolved and elementary teachers have increasingly benefited from professional learning grounded in the science of reading, middle and high school teachers have often received far less support in foundational reading instruction.
These educators are expected to help students navigate complex texts, but this is difficult to do without the tools needed to identify and address underlying literacy challenges. And the consequences extend far beyond English class.
Students who struggle to read cannot fully access grade-level content, such as English literature, historical documents, scientific explanations, and technical subjects. As literacy demands increase, so do the barriers to academic success, high school graduation, college readiness, and career opportunities.
The personal costs are equally significant.
The underlying issue is literacy
Adolescence is a time when students are developing their sense of self and becoming increasingly aware of how they compare with their peers. Reading difficulties can erode confidence, discourage class participation, and lead students to believe they are simply “not good enough.” Too often, these struggles are misinterpreted as a lack of motivation, poor behavior, issues at home, or disengagement. The reality is that the underlying issue is literacy.
The encouraging news is that the science of reading has never suggested that learning ends at third grade. The research offers valuable guidance for supporting adolescent students across secondary schools. For example, evidence-aligned instruction for adolescents includes teaching the structure of complex texts, multisyllabic words and morphology, comprehension strategies and routines, and content-area vocabulary and literacy knowledge.
Educators are ready for this next conversation. This summer, more than 4,000 educators registered for The Reading League’s adolescent literacy book study. Their participation reflects something I’ve seen repeatedly in conversations with teachers and school leaders across the country: They recognize that while tremendous progress has been made in early literacy, many older students still struggle and need our support. Educators want to know how to provide it.
The science of reading movement has accomplished something remarkable. It has fundamentally changed how we think about teaching children to read. Now we have the opportunity to build on that success.
The next chapter should extend the same commitment, urgency, and evidence-aligned practices we provide our youngest learners to the millions of adolescents still working to become skilled readers. All children deserve to learn to read, and all educators deserve the knowledge to make it possible. That commitment should not end after third grade.
Ready to keep the conversation going?
Explore The Reading League’s adolescent literacy resources and professional learning opportunities to learn more about supporting students beyond the early years.
Dr. Marisa Ramirez Stukey
Chief Academic Officer, The Reading League
