Adolescent Literacy Resource Hub

Free Adolescent Literacy PL We All Can Use

This past spring, I had the pleasure of collaborating with the Wyoming Department of Education and Dr. Ali Wilson to host webinars for the SF0059 Focus Series: Adolescent Literacy. From May through mid-June 2026, this statewide webinar series provided information, reflection, and community building as a direct on-ramp to the L3 Summit: Embracing Leadership, Language, and Literacy.

The live series has now concluded, and every session resource is available to the wider field.  Whether you are an individual classroom teacher, a literacy coach, or part of a middle or high school PLC team, these open-access resources offer practical tools to bridge literacy scholarship directly into everyday classroom practice. You can find the Wyoming Adolescent Literacy Resource Hub here.

Five Pillars of Effective Adolescent Literacy Instruction

The series featured five 90-minute sessions led by prominent literacy researchers and practitioners. They examined critical practices and policies from the classroom to the state department. Together they establish five core pillars for adolescent literacy:

1. Comprehensive Instruction: Establishing a Clear Reading Model This first session centered on A Model for Adolescent Reading Instruction and featured an introduction from Doug Fisher. This evidence-based model for reading instruction in middle and high schools leverages student efficacy, knowledge building, and key literacy practices that teachers can leverage across content areas.

2. Foundational Skills for Older Readers: Addressing Skill Gaps Without Sacrificing Rigor During the second session, Sarah Lupo shared how to support adolescent students’ foundational literacy skills development using the Standards & Instructional Practices for Adolescent Foundational Literacy Skills. Dr. Lupo showed how to keep developing those skills within disciplinary coursework in middle and high schools, providing both research background and practical classroom guidance.

3. Systemic Support: Building Effective MTSS Frameworks for Secondary Schools Michelle Elia provided a practical roadmap for designing Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) in secondary settings (rooted in Struggling Adolescent Readers: Planning for Successful Implementation of MTSS). Dr. Elia focused on school structures that identify struggling readers early and deliver targeted support within middle and high school schedules.

4. Disciplinary Literacy: Guiding Students Through Complex, Tough Texts Dan Reynolds explored strategies for guiding secondary students through dense, complex academic texts, grounded in his book Tackling Tough Texts. This session was learn-by-doing at its finest. Dr. Reynolds led us through a series of routines to help students unpack subject-specific vocabulary, complex concepts, and varied text structures across disciplines.

5. Targeted Interventions: Applying Evidence-Based Practices for Grades 4–9  Sharon Vaughn walked through evidence-based recommendations from the IES Practice Guide for Reading Interventions, Grades 4-9. Dr. Vaughn’s session explored the role of intervention across school settings to deliver high-leverage, research-backed reading supports designed specifically for upper elementary and middle grade students (which she promises also extend through high school).

   
   

Assets Available in the Hub

For every session in the hub, educators can access five core assets:

• 📺 Webinar Video: Full 90-minute presentation recording.

• 🔎 Anchor Resource: Foundational research paper or book guiding the session.

• 💡 Session Deck: Downloadable presentation slides.

• 📄 Resource Pack: Curated readings, practice guides, application videos, and reflection prompts.

• 📂 Session Folder: Comprehensive collection of presenter research and supplementary readings.

You can find these assets for each session in the Wyoming Adolescent Literacy Resource Hub here.

Reflection Questions for PLCs and Secondary Leaders

School leaders and educator teams can leverage these materials to reflect on four core questions:

• What makes adolescent literacy distinct from literacy in elementary school?

• What are critical components of adolescent literacy that leaders and educators should focus on?

• How does a school system successfully support the literacy development of adolescent students?

• What does excellent literacy instruction look like for an adolescent student?

A Proposed Structure for Collaborative Learning 

If you have the opportunity to explore these resources with colleagues, I suggest following a learning cycle to frame and support your learning. Such a cycle is outlined below, assuming colleagues meet each week for at least an hour. Feel free to adjust the time and frequency to meet your own educator context. The collective expectation is that each group member is reading, reflecting, and acting on this new learning in their own education contexts (i.e. classroom teachers enacting literacy instructional strategies, leaders improving intervention supports, etc.). The purpose is to first know better and then immediately start doing better. 

Our Next Steps

Strengthening adolescent literacy requires collective leadership and shared practice across all levels of the adolescent literacy ecosystem. I encourage educators, building leaders, and district teams to explore these open-access session materials and incorporate them into your upcoming professional learning discussions. Together, we can ensure every middle and high school student gains the literacy skills needed for academic and lifelong success.

For questions, feedback, or further collaboration on bridging literacy research to practice in your school, reach out to the Education4500 team at info@education4500.com.