A juvenile sits in a classroom, struggling to read. They desperately want to learn the information in the book, but the black letters on the page don't make any sense. Frustrated, they close the book.

In Ohio, this scenario is all too common. On average, incarcerated juveniles read at four years below their age level and about 50% of youths are in need of special education classes. Officials fear that with the numbers against them, many of these juveniles will fall right back into the same pattern of failure and crime that landed them in DYS the first time.

“Our juveniles need to learn to read before they can read to learn, and that's the bottom line,” says Tom Stickrath, Director of the Ohio Department of Youth Services. “We know what a strong common denominator illiteracy is in correctional facilities – not just in Ohio, but throughout the nation.”

Now, The Ohio Department of Youth Services (DYS) will have the chance to make an impact on that common denominator. Teaming up with the Ohio Department of Education and Ohio State University, DYS was recently awarded a $14 million “Striving Readers” grant from the U.S. Department of Education to target juvenile illiteracy.

A Benchmark in Juvenile Justice

The “Striving Readers” grant is a benchmark in juvenile justice because the grant is typically reserved for public schools. But the DYS had a compelling need to address literacy and Ohio was the only correctional system to apply for the funding.

“When we saw this grant announcement, we just felt it really tied in perfectly with the needs of our kids,” says Stickrath. “It just seemed so natural and we went after it with gusto.”

The grant was awarded to the DYS just one week ago, and now officials are looking ahead. This is the largest grant ever awarded to the agency, and officials plan to use it to create new classes with an intense focus on reading, and new training for teachers.

 “It just makes sense for us to target literacy,” says Stickrath. “This is a key component to help our juveniles re-enter society. And if our juveniles gain nothing else from their experience here, we want them to leave with the ability to read.”

And officials want their juveniles to leave with the ability to read for good reason. Strickrath cites that recent studies indicate that juveniles who struggle with literacy are three times more likely to re-offend, and often return to a DYS facility within three years of their release.

But with help from the “Striving Readers” grant, officials hope to turn those numbers around – and return juveniles to the community with the ability to read.

Intensive Literacy Intervention: Three T's and an E

Looking forward with a new grant and a new, intense focus on juvenile illiteracy, the DYS has developed a plan using three T's and an E: Training, Testing, Teaching and Evaluation. Program development is currently underway, and the DYS expects to launch their new curriculums this fall.

“We are training all of our teachers in improving the quality of literacy in every subject. We are going to test these kids when they enter to see which level they are reading on, and we're going to do follow-up testing to see how they have improved. We are putting every child that reads beneath their grade level into a comprehensive program aimed to meet their needs,” explains Stickrath.

Revamping their current class structure, officials have developed a new 90-minute class that will meet the needs of each juvenile individually. The classes will typically work with 12 to 15 students at a time, and offer everything from paperback books to audio books to videos on reading. Juveniles will also have the chance to take advantage of one-on-one instruction with their teachers.

“Whatever tools these juveniles need, whichever learning methods work for them will be available. We're calling this an intensive literacy intervention,” says Stickrath.

Collaboration and Control Groups: An Implementation Model

For Ohio, the “Striving Readers” grant is a chance for collaboration between the DYS, The Ohio Department of Education and Ohio State University.

Teachers that work within the DYS will receive new training, no matter what subject they teach. Strickrath says that by incorporating reading and writing into every subject, youths will have the advantage of a constant focus on literacy. The Ohio Department of Education will supply the training, and officials are optimistic that they will see results.

“The Ohio Department of Education will be working closely with our educators for this training,” says Stickrath. “The idea is to teach a math teacher how to infuse literacy into their classes, how to promote that focus.”

Initially, these classes and intensive literacy interventions will be implemented in three juvenile facilities across Ohio, targeting 750 youths. The rest of the facilities in Ohio will serve as a control group.

“Having a control group for the initial launch of this program will help us take a look at the results,” says Stickrath. “Since Ohio State University is working with us on the grant, these students will be involved in that research in terms of evaluation and hopefully this will show our success.”

Employees at the DYS are equally excited about the chance to make a difference.

“When they awarded us this grant, there were high-fives all around,” says Stickrath. “But it wasn't because we received money – it was because our staff is excited. They believe this is the crucial programming that will help our youths. Our educators really believe this is going to make a difference in the lives of the kids in our custody.”

With a brand new grant in hand, and a renewed focus on literacy, the Ohio DYS is looking forward to providing education for every juvenile.