Millions of students are graduating from high school without the necessary reading and writing skills for career and college success. According to the long-term trend reading assessments of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the literacy of thirteen- and seventeen-year-olds on the NAEP has stagnated for close to four decades. The lack of improvement in literacy achievement has many implications for the nation's economy and ability to compete globally. To face this growing crisis, the nation must devote considerable resources for comprehensive literacy plans that support children and young adults through all stages of learning. This paper presents the current statistics on adolescent literacy. (Contains 21 endnotes.)