What's cool in teen reading and why? That's the topic of a July 21, 2004 CFK online chat aimed at encouraging more tweens and teens to read. Research shows this hard-to-reach age group is falling behind in reading skills. And a recent survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau indicates a dramatic decrease in literary reading over the past 20 years by America's youngest citizens.

One kid nearly hyperventilated. Another almost knocked himself unconscious. Overanxious athletes? Nope. Spellers. What drives some students to endure the stress of competitive spelling, and what do they learn along the way? Rob Capriccioso looked for answers at the 2004 National Spelling Bee.

Twenty-five percent of the nation's secondary school students read considerably below grade level, putting them at risk of dropping out of high school or graduating unprepared for college or work. This new Alliance for Excellent Education issue brief offers guidance for middle and high school administrators and teachers looking for effective adolescent literacy programs.

America's teens lag behind much of the world when it comes to reading skills; jeopardizing their academic performance, college success, and civic engagement. Most efforts to boost reading achievement take place in the early elementary grades. But Caitlin Johnson reports that some middle and high schools are taking on the more complex challenge of improving teen literacy.

Teaching 6- to 9-year-old struggling readers to connect sounds and letters can make a lasting impact on brain function, according to research published in Biological Psychiatry and reported on NPR by Rachel Jones. The researchers say for children with learning disabilities the use of an evidence-based phonologic reading intervention facilitates the development of those fast-paced neural systems that underlie skilled reading.

Parents and the public say they're concerned about discipline in the schools, but zero tolerance policies that suspend or expel youth can be counterproductive and perpetuate achievement gaps. Instead, Northern Elementary School used old-fashioned disciplinary techniques, core values, committed teachers and leaders, and child and family support programs to dramatically raise achievement levels and reduce suspensions. During the 1999-2000 school year, only 15 percent of the students were reading at grade level. With school reforms, that number steadily increased to 81 percent in 2003.

Up to 60 percent of the nearly 2.9 million of school-age children classified as having learning disabilities may have undetected, correctable vision problems, including "visual attention problems" -- the inability to focus long enough to accurately perceive information and send it to the brain for interpretation. A 12-hour computer program that trains participants' eyes and brains to coordinate has been shown to boost sixth-graders' reading comprehension and test scores by up to two grade levels.

Dr. Seuss is 100, yet kids are still soaking up his timeless tales. Would they even bother to pick up a book if they never knew the likes of hat-wearing cats, small-hearted grinches, and harried Whos? Sure. But would it be—could it be—quite as much fun?

Neither seen nor heard—that seems to be the general rule for incarcerated youth. What are they thinking, feeling, and living inside their locked-down world? Connect for Kids offers a glimpse of the talent and fierce energy, courtesy of The Beat Within.