1. Raise statewide awareness of young adolescents' reading needs and the dangers Indiana faces if it does not address them.

2. Undertake demonstration projects directly benefitting young adolescent readers, particularly those in greatest danger of reading--and thus academic--failure.

3. Develop statewide capacity to address these needs through strengthening professional skills and knowledge.

4. Support school improvement efforts and policy initiatives that will further these ends.

     In assessing impact, there are many things we can count that can give us a sense of how successful we were. For instance, library circulation increased wildly in those schools that received Reading Excitement and Paperbacks grants or, its rural cousin, the Books for Rural Youth Access project. This is irrefutable evidence that getting books that kids want to read into schools will get kids to read more.

     In assessing impact, it is also important to consider those things that have to be experienced to be understood--such as the grin of delight on the face of a young man who has always been considered a reading failure when he receives a T-shirt for having read the most books in the Anchor Reading Club, a special project for readers-at-risk at the Community of Readers site in Jeffersonville.

     I am proud to have been a part of this initiative from its inception. As I think about the impact that it has had, I think about what has been learned that I hope will be of benefit to others. Four lessons that stand out forcefully to me, as I think back upon my many experiences with this work are:

1. You can't grow good readers without something good to read and the time and encouragement to read it.   Books and access to excellent school and public library collections are critical if young adolescents are to develop to their full potential as readers. There must be time to read embedded in each young person's day.

2. Everyone can make a difference.   Teachers, principals, parents, school and public librarians, youthworkers, and other community members have important roles to play as reading leaders for our young people. To do so effectively, they need information about the importance of addressing these needs and knowledge about the best ways to do so.

3. Communities that successfully support young adolescent readers develop multiple overlapping approaches and supports that are "cooked" together to create a rich "stew" of opportunities.   In such locations, young adolescents receive encouragement and opportunities to read and have access to reading resources across their entire day. The adults they encounter in school and in the community enjoy reading themselves and are always on the lookout for ways to share this interest with young people.

4. It's never too late.   If nothing else, the work of the last nine years demonstrates that good supports will make a difference to reluctant readers. If we take the time to understand who these readers are, to determine their needs, and to build programs that appropriately address these young people, they will respond--and they will read!