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Keys to Literacy
"There is a crisis in American middle and high schools: one in four adolescents cannot read well enough to identify the main idea in a passage or informational text."
—Michael Kamil, Adolescents and Literacy, Reading for the 21st Century
My name is Joan Sedita, the founding partner of Keys to Literacy. Welcome to our website aimed at improving adolescent literacy. Based on over 30 years experience, I know the reading comprehension issues noted in the above quote can be addressed. At Keys to Literacy we are experts in reading comprehension. We have developed research-based, highly effective professional development programs that improve comprehension for students in grades 4 through 12. Our professional development approach trains teachers to embed reading comprehension strategies in the content classroom which results in improved student learning.
Literacy problems among 4th through 12th graders are significant. The challenge of reading comprehension affects the ability of far too many to be productive and fulfilled students. Educators understand that mastering fundamental reading comprehension skills is critical to improving adolescent literacy, but they often need professional development for teaching literacy to help implement successful comprehension instruction. Professional development is also necessary to establish school-wide consistent instruction that leads to improved levels of reading comprehension and adolescent literacy.
We believe that literacy instruction should be consistent and persistent from grade to grade and classroom to classroom. We facilitate school-wide literacy planning for grades 4 through 12, and we provide in-depth onsite professional development for comprehension strategies and vocabulary instruction that is embedded in content learning.
Please make use of the resources and links on our website as you consider your issues and solutions, and please contact us to discuss how we can support your priorities.