Literacy In Post-Secondary Education

Introduction Since the induction of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, our nation continues the endeavor to provide fair and equal opportunities for all students, regardless of their race, ethnicity, socio-economic background, native language, or disabilities. Along with this undertaking is the emphasis of accountability, testing, and new standards that aim to prepare students for college and career readiness. The biggest challenges teachers face is how to meet the needs of all students and how to close the gaps in student achievement. Lacina and Griffith (2016) state, “over the last decade, school demographics have shifted; many countries have been in turmoil because of war, and poverty continues to be one of the greatest challenges to students

Martínez, Harris and McClain (2014) maintain that, “among all of the academic skills a student learns in school, none is more fundamental than reading” Furthermore, they believe that competence in reading is essential for education, employment, productive citizenship, and living a successful and satisfying life. (p. 129) Daggett and Pedinotti (2014) explain that “life outside of school requires substantially higher levels of reading proficiency than most students experience in the high school classroom and even in post‐secondary education” (p. 1). Students, who struggle with reading in early elementary years, tend to fall farther behind as they progress through the educational system. Fiester (2010) confirms, “The National Research Council asserts academic success, as defined by high school graduation, can be predicted with reasonable accuracy by knowing someone’s reading skill at the end of third grade” (p.9) Thus, efforts to meet the needs of all learners remains a priority across the nation. As a result, states and districts require schools to submit school improvement plans, which identify specific needs based on data, strategic goals and instructional strategies targeted toward