Struggling Learners

Thu., December 11, 2025, 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
Reading & Literacy K-12 Essentials Forum Supporting Struggling Readers in Middle and High School
Join this free virtual event to learn more about policy, data, research, and experiences around supporting older students who struggle to read.
Register
December 11, 2025
Loralyn LaBombard, a reading specialist, reads “Among the Hidden” by Margaret Peterson Haddix with a group of students in a 7th grading reading class at Bow Memorial School in Bow, N.H., on Oct. 29, 2025.
Loralyn LaBombard, a reading specialist, reads <i>Among the Hidden</i> by Margaret Peterson Haddix with a group of students in a 7th grade reading class at Bow Memorial School in Bow, N.H., on Oct. 29, 2025. Nationally, experts say there is a lack of resources available to help middle and high school students learn basic reading skills.
Sophie Park for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Many Teens Lack Basic Reading Skills. These Teachers Are Trying to Change That
Schools are building programs to provide sustained reading support to older students.
Sarah Schwartz, December 4, 2025
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6 min read
Students follow along in their copies of “Among the Hidden” by Margaret Peterson Haddix in a seventh grade reading class at Bow Memorial School in Bow, N.H., on Oct. 29, 2025.
Students follow along in their copies of <i>Among the Hidden</i> by Margaret Peterson Haddix in a seventh grade reading class at Bow Memorial School in Bow, N.H., on Oct. 29, 2025.
Sophie Park for Education Week
Special Report Beyond 3rd Grade: What to Do When Older Students Struggle to Read
Many secondary students also struggle with basic reading. How can schools catch them up?
November 24, 2025
Photo illustration of a female teen hanging from the very top of a tall stack of books. The background is a sky with clouds.
iStock/Getty
Reading & Literacy 4 Tips for Supporting Older Struggling Readers, From Researchers and Experts
No matter the age, reading draws on the same underlying skills. But teens may need different supports.
Sarah Schwartz, November 24, 2025
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5 min read
High school teachers learn how to teach reading to struggling older readers during an AIM training at Marietta High School in Marietta, Ga., on Nov. 10, 2025.
Most secondary educators don't get much teacher preparation to help students struggling to read. Realizing that its teachers needed help, the Marietta district in Georgia has invested in PD that gives high school teachers techniques for integrating word-reading, vocabulary, and other skills, like this workshop at Marietta High School on Nov. 10, 2025.
Jason Drakeford for Education Week
Professional Development Teachers Need Help Reaching Teens Who Missed Basic Reading Skills. Can PD Help?
There are far fewer PD providers to train secondary teachers on reading fundamentals.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, November 24, 2025
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9 min read
Students attend Bow Memorial School in Bow, N.H. on Oct. 29, 2025. Bow Memorial School is a middle school that has developed a systematic approach to addressing foundational reading gaps in middle school students.
New data show that many educators report that middle and high school students struggle with aspects of foundational literacy. At Bow Memorial School in Bow, N.H., pictured on Oct. 29, 2025, students work with reading specialist Loralyn LaBombard, who has helped pioneer a systematic approach to addressing foundational reading gaps in grades 5 to 8.
Sophie Park for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Secondary Students Are Struggling With Reading, Too. A Look at the Landscape
Exclusive survey findings outline how educators perceive the obstacles affecting older students' reading.
Stephen Sawchuk, November 24, 2025
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5 min read
Students attend Bow Memorial School in Bow, N.H. on Oct. 29, 2025. Bow Memorial School is a middle school that has developed a systematic approach to addressing foundational reading gaps in middle school students.
Though states have put an emphasis on reading intervention, most don't specify how to help students beyond grade 3. Older students may need more support on vocabulary development, or understanding how word parts convey meaning. Middle school students learn about suffixes at Bow Memorial School in Bow, N.H. on Oct. 29, 2025. The school has developed a systematic approach to addressing foundational reading gaps in grades 5-8.
Sophie Park for Education Week
States State Reading Laws Focus on K-3. What About Older Students Who Struggle?
Should lawmakers push reading legislation to address the needs of students beyond elementary grades?
Evie Blad, November 24, 2025
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8 min read
A student shows their spelling of the word “knew” during an exercise in a fifth grade structured literacy class at Bow Memorial School in Bow, N.H. on Oct. 29, 2025. Bow Memorial School is a middle school that has developed a systematic approach to addressing foundational reading gaps in middle school students.
Bow Memorial School has developed a systematic approach to addressing foundational reading gaps among middle schoolers, integrating sound-letter skills with a rich diet of reading materials. A student shows their spelling during an exercise in a 5th grade class at the school in Bow, N.H. on Oct. 29, 2025.
Sophie Park for Education Week
Reading & Literacy When Older Students Can't Read: How This Middle School Is Tackling Literacy
Structured literacy classes at a New Hampshire middle school have helped some students crack the code.
Sarah Schwartz, November 24, 2025
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14 min read
AI Reading BS
Ashley Gutierrez for Education Week
Artificial Intelligence Video These Students Are Using AI to Visualize Their Reading Comprehension
Students learn how to write AI prompts while demonstrating reading comprehension in this middle school classroom.
Jaclyn Borowski & Kaylee Domzalski, November 13, 2025
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2:40
Student Achievement Spotlight Spotlight on Unlocking Potential: How Interventions Transform Learning
This Spotlight explores how interventions can shape student outcomes, with a focus on supporting older students who struggle with reading.
November 3, 2025
Teaching Spotlight Spotlight on Innovative Ways to Support Teaching & Learning
This Spotlight focuses on supporting teachers and learners navigating key issues in today's ever more complex learning environment.
October 15, 2025
conceptual illustration of a figure coming to a crossroads
Frances Coch/iStock/Getty
Student Achievement Struggling High School Seniors Fall Even Further Behind on 'Nation's Report Card'
More 12th graders than ever before are scoring below the test's threshold for mastery of “basic” skills.
Sarah Schwartz, September 9, 2025
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7 min read
Student Achievement Spotlight Spotlight on MTSS: Pathways to Achievement
This Spotlight will help you explore effective MTSS implementation and strategies for supporting struggling learners.
May 15, 2025
Student Achievement Spotlight Spotlight on Adolescent Intervention
This Spotlight will help you explore effective interventions to address learning gaps, support literacy development, and more.
March 21, 2025
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