Reading Instruction that is Liberating: Professional Development for Content Area Teachers at a School for Incarcerated Youth

In this article, the professional development activities at a school for incarcerated youth are described through a format that incorporates multiple voices of participants. Based upon input from the director and the teachers at the school, a professional development initiative included (a) specific strategies for word identification, including phonics, for students who were adolescent or adult beginning readers; (b) informal diagnostic assessment techniques; (c) teaching reading comprehension and writing; (d) metacognition for both word identification and comprehension; and (e) the professional concepts/language of literacy instruction, such as authentic assessment, miscue analysis, levels of reading and readability of texts. Outcomes of the project included the development of knowledge related to adopting literacy assessment and instruction for this special population and setting, new perspectives and empowerment of the teachers, and a sense of urgency to teach reading.