The purpose of this study was to explore and understand the instructional strategies that middle and high school teachers used to support struggling readers. Data from 2,400 minutes of direct classroom observation and interviews of secondary content-area teachers revealed that explicit reading comprehension instruction was not a significant way in which teachers assisted struggling readers. In order to provide struggling readers with necessary content information, teachers relied on several compensatory strategies including didactic instruction, multiple presentations of information through multiple modalities, alternate sources of texts, and heterogeneous grouping. Implications about secondary content-area teachers' understanding of the benefits of reading comprehension instruction and about teachers' instructional priorities and responsibilities are discussed. (Contains 1 table.)