Background and Overview

In the spring of 2006, Portland Public Schools was awarded 24 million dollars from the U.S. Department of Education for a five year federal research grant to improve adolescent literacy. This grant has come to be known as Striving Readers.

Striving Readers was launched in the fall of 2006 in nine Portland area middle and high schools.

Striving Readers utilizes the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning's Strategic Instruction Model (SIM) Content Literacy Continuum (CLC).

Now, in 2010-2011, Striving Readers is being implemented in 21 schools, in two distinct arenas:

Tier one is a school wide effort, where all teachers at ten K-8 and Middle Schools schools are trained in methods designed to help struggling readers learn content material, regardless of their reading ability. Teachers are expected to integrate these methods into their instructional practice. So far, teachers in language arts, social studies, math and science have been trained. Year one, social studies and language arts teachers were trained in the content enhancement routines and their implementation in classes in order to help struggling readers access the core content. In the summer of 2007, training focused on math and science teachers. Approximately 450 teachers have received training in content enhancement routines so far.

Teachers at Tier One participating K-8 and Middle Schools are supported by a full-time Striving Readers instructional coach and teachers at all of the ten schools are eligible to participate in numerous content enhancement trainings and facilitated work times to develop CERs to implement in classrooms.

Tier two is a reading intervention class at each school where students who are identified as two years or more below grade level learn reading strategies, and students are expected to make significant gains in their literacy skills. About 60 reading teachers have participated in intensive training in learning strategies and the Xtreme Reading curriculum since the program's inception.

Schools participating in Striving Readers in 2010/2011 Tier One component:

Schools participating in Striving Readers in 2010/2011 Tier Two component: