Abstract

With literacy being an issue that continues to plague too many students, the Mentor/Mentee Literacy program evaluation, emphasizes the need for programs that foster a community of readers. The purpose of the evaluation was to examine the impact of positive peer interaction improving the critical reading skills of sixth grade remedial reading students. The initial focus of the pilot program was to improve language arts class performance, at the middle school level. However, the evaluation ultimately found that reading skills must be incorporated into all of the core subjects. Recognizing that reading is a gateway skill, educational decision-makers must begin to examine the best methods of merging reading skills into all core subject areas (US Department of Education, 2002). The United Nations, Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization defines literacy as, “the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, compute and use printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning to enable an individual to achieve his or her goals, to develop his or her knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in the wider society.” This comprehensive explication is a definitive statement of the path literacy education should consistently pursue.