The research revealed that 6 percent of all 9-year-olds in the United States lack rudimentary reading skills and that 40 percent of all 13-year-olds lack the many reading comprehension skills. In addition, the writing skills of many 13-year-olds are inadequate. Causes of these problems include poor instruction, lack of exposure to literacy and the modeling of experienced readers and writers, lack of a meaningful curriculum, differences between school and home expectations, and frequent learning disruptions due to family relocation or other factors. Site visits to 17 selected school programs, after-school programs, and summer programs revealed that successful programs are responsive to young adolescents' developmental needs and provide successful learning environments that involve mentors and active student involvement. Findings indicated that successful programs can be located either in a school or in a community agency, and they need effective instruction matched to the students' developmental needs. Photograph and 2 references.