Carnegie Gives $210,000 to State Board of Education Association to Boost Adolescent Literacy.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The Carnegie Corporation of New York has awarded the National Association of State Boards of Education a $210,000 grant to fund state efforts to improve adolescent literacy. The 18-month grant will help establish an Adolescent Literacy Network that will support comprehensive state policies to raise adolescent literacy levels.

"The issue of literacy goes to the heart of what NASBE and state boards consider their essential work--instituting standards-based reforms that ensure students are well-prepared to meet the demands of employment, advanced training, and civic participation. NASBE has done extensive work on this issue, and state board of education members are intensely aware of the importance of addressing the national crisis in adolescent literacy. We appreciate the support of the Carnegie Corporation in helping NASBE and state boards tackle this dire problem," said Brenda Welburn, NASBE Executive Director.

And the problem is staggering. According to the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), approximately two-thirds of 8th- and 12th-graders read below the proficient level. For minority students--only 13 percent of African Americans, 16 percent of Latinos, and 17 percent of Native Americans are reading at or above proficient level. Overall, nearly half of African American and Latino 8th-graders read below basic level.

NASBE's adolescent literacy project will coordinate a number of states into a national network to guide state board of education leadership efforts in crafting comprehensive state literacy initiatives that are implemented within the context of core academic subjects and as part of the states' overall school improvement initiatives.

"The literacy crisis cannot be solved in isolation with some extra tutoring or supplementary programs for those unable to read well--it will take a concerted statewide policy and program effort that reaches deep into districts and the instructional practices of teachers across the curriculum," noted Welburn.

A year-long study of adolescent literacy by NASBE in 2005 concluded that state policymakers needed a new approach to teach adolescents how to read was needed by state policymakers. The renowned report, Reading at Risk: The State Response to the Crisis in Adolescent Literacy, recommended a new paradigm--one based on joint problem-solving, collaborative practice, and collective accountability that engages students in purposeful reading and writing in all subjects being taught--that is the basis of the NASBE Adolescent Literacy Network.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was created by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote "the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding." Advancing Literacy is a relatively new subprogram of the Education Division aimed at advancing literacy by affecting policy, practice, and research.

NASBE represents America's state and territorial boards of education. Its principal objectives are to strengthen state leadership in education policymaking; advocate equality of access to educational opportunity; promote excellence in the education of all students; and assure responsible lay governance of education.