This monograph investigates the global literacy crisis through the lens of education policy. It argues that low levels of functional reading comprehension are not isolated instructional failures but the result of systemic policy decisions. Drawing from a range of international examples including countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, and North America, the book examines how national literacy benchmarks, curriculum reforms, teacher preparation, assessment regimes, and school and community partnerships contribute to or hinder equitable reading development.

Al Ryanne Gabonada Gatcho is Associate Professor at the School of Foreign Languages and Literature at Hunan Institute of Science and Technology, China, where he supervises PhD students and teaches English and Literacy Education at both undergraduate and graduate levels.