The first part of this paper discusses the general decline in reading and writing ability in the United States and suggests several methods for improving literacy education, including teaching students the reading process several times a year from kindergarten through grade twelve. The second part of the paper makes two positive assumptions: that we are entering a new era with great growth potential for expanded literacy; and that since much information retrieval will still be from books, reading and writing will remain as active components in communication for some years. Several suggestions are offered for teachers of college composition courses: study some of the new books on diagnosing reading difficulties, on phonetics and phonetic systems, and on developmental reading programs which could serve as bases for courses in reading; build better relationships with schools of education; expand the freshman program; and work to increase students' motivation. Finally, this paper describes a three-course sequence for increasing literacy which was developed at William Paterson College in New Jersey. (TS)