Book Review
by Michelle Accorso

The Wasted Years: American Youth, Race, and the Literacy Gap by James McCabe
The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, 2003
272 Pages
$39.95

Since the early 1980’s, the literacy gap in the United States has not changed. African-American and Latino teenagers in 12th grade have the same reading skills as white teenagers in 8th grade. The Wasted Years includes the voices of practitioners and researchers in an attempt to identify the factors that are perpetuating the literacy gap in American secondary schools.

James McCabe is currently manager for a consulting training group, Center for Teaching Excellence, at American University in Washington, DC.

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