Students cannot comprehend what they do not understand. Vocabulary is the gateway to meaning, comprehension, and learning across every subject. This month’s newsletter highlights how intentional vocabulary instruction strengthens reading outcomes and builds confident readers.

In this Newsletter

• Blog: Strengthening Vocabulary in Secondary Classrooms
• Summer Intervention: Using Summer to Accelerate Literacy Growth
• Upcoming Webinar: Aligning Instruction and Intervention in Adolescent Literacy
• Research: Evidence-Based Vocabulary Instruction
• Success Spotlight: Sunburst Youth Challenge Academy
• Independent Review: The Reading League® Curriculum Navigation Report

District leaders play a critical role in creating the conditions for strong vocabulary instruction. This blog outlines how leadership decisions around professional learning, resources, collaboration, and data can support teachers in building language-rich classrooms across secondary settings.

Summer creates space for intentional literacy instruction and intervention. Discover how structured summer programs support measurable growth, reduce regression, and inform fall placement and instructional decisions.

In this webinar, district and school leaders will share how aligning Tier 1 instruction, intervention, and professional learning has strengthened literacy outcomes for adolescents.

Learn how districts reduced fragmentation, clarified priorities, and built coherent literacy systems across middle and high schools. We will see you there!

Effective vocabulary instruction goes beyond memorization. This research brief explores evidence-based approaches that build deep word knowledge, support language development, and help students use vocabulary meaningfully across contexts.

At Sunburst Youth Challenge Academy, explicit, structured instruction helped adolescent learners rebuild reading skills and confidence. This spotlight highlights how consistency, data, and intentional routines supported measurable growth and renewed engagement with reading.

Did you know that Really Great Reading’s programs have been reviewed through The Reading League's Curriculum Navigation Reports? This independent evaluation offers districts a clear, research-aligned perspective on curricular alignment with the scientific evidence base that supports literacy instruction.

Last year, we launched our newsletter, The Reading Roadmap. Thank you for reading, sharing, and learning with us! We look forward to continuing to bring you even more insights, resources, and classroom ready tools in 2026.