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Blog Index
2024
Supporting older struggling readers & writers LLA
Our feedback to Ministry on literacy supports LLA
Pending announcement on Tier 2 & 3 Literacy Supports LLA
We need the best for our most vulnerable children, and it is not Reading Recovery LLA
We must set our teachers up for success Leslee Allen
Job cuts and getting PLD right LLA
Allaying fears over mandate LLA
Knowledge Building Leslee Allen
Assessing ‘evidence-based’ claims LLA
Looking back to look forward LLA
2023
Our Literacy Policy White Paper LLA
LLA Post-Election Advocacy Update LLA
No child should be left out in the cold on literacy LLA
A Unique Chance For All Parties To Do What’s Right for Learners LLA
Quarter (25%) of NZ schools using Structured Literacy approach LLA
‘And + And’ rebrand won’t hide stale practice Emeritus Professor James Chapman and LLA
Rhetoric of Minister and behaviour of Ministry and ITE at odds LLA
Initial Teacher Training - the elephant in the room LLA
Lowering standards is not the answer to literacy crisis LLA
No need for political football LLA
An expert take on the literacy news this week LLA
Explicit teaching of literacy must not be buried in CPM LLA
We support the teacher strikes LLA
Office of Auditor General probing MoE LLA
2022
Principal calls for Govt to scrap Reading Recovery LLA
Reading Recovery refresh - not good enough LLA
Minister ill-informed, Strategy hollow LLA
2021
We write to Māori Affairs Select Committee LLA
Reaction to Select Committee Report Emeritus Professor James Chapman
Holding Feet to the Fire LLA
Structured Literacy is an Equalizer for ESOL Students Marianne Brown
Funding Your Structured Literacy Journey LLA
Features of good education research Emeritus Professor James Chapman
Reading is fundamental to success in Maths too LLA
Helping to better understand poor attendance and engagement LLA
Free evidence-based resources LLA
My Aha! Moment as a Literacy Intervention Teacher Marianne Brown
The Claimed Success of Reading Recovery is Based Largely on a Myth Emeritus Professor James Chapman
Knowledge is Power Bex Street, Whakarongo School, Palmerston North
Abandon our Literacy Myth Emeritus Professor James Chapman
MPs urged not to leave change to chance LLA
Phonics Fanatics? Definitely not! LLA
Helping ESOL learners - Rosemary’s story Robertson Road School, Auckland
- Accreditation
- Achievements
- Advocacy
- Assessment
- Attendance
- Bipartisanship
- Common Practice Model
- Election
- Engagement
- ESOL
- Evaluating evidence
- Evidence-based approach
- Funding
- IDA
- Inequities in education
- Instructional Coaching
- Intermediate
- Intervention support
- ITE
- James Chapman
- Job Cuts
- Knowledge Building
- Leadership
- Learning Support
- Leslee Allen
- Lifting Literacy Aotearoa
- Literacy Block
- Literacy Policy
- Literacy Strategy
- LLA survey
- Massey Early Literacy Project
- Maths
- Ministry of Education
- MTSS
- NCEA
- OAG
- Older students
- Personal story
- Petition
- Pillars of Literacy
- Play-based learning
- PLD
- Reading League Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines
- Reading Recovery
- Red flags
- Review
- Science of Reading
- Secondary
- Select Committee
- Structured Literacy definition
- Structured Literacy Mandate
- Structured Literacy uptake
- Stuart McNaughton
- Support for parents
- Teacher Autonomy
- Teachers Strike
- Time
- Whitepaper
- ākonga Māori
Looking back to look forward
A wrap up of all the positive developments in literacy policy and teaching practice over the past year in New Zealand and our focus for the year ahead.
Our Literacy Policy White Paper
Read our Draft Literacy Policy White Paper and send us a submission by 17 February 2024.
LLA Post-Election Advocacy Update
Find out what we have been up to over the past 12 months and what our focus is now that we will soon have a new Government and Minister in place.
No child should be left out in the cold on literacy
We respond to Minister of Education and teacher union response to National Party Literacy policy announcement.
A Unique Chance For All Parties To Do What’s Right for Learners
Read our press release in response to the National Party’s “Literacy Guarantee” policy annoncement ahead of the 2023 Election.
Quarter (25%) of NZ schools using Structured Literacy approach
As part of our advocacy work, we have collected and present here, information from schools across Aotearoa New Zealand on their implementation of a structured literacy approach.
‘And + And’ rebrand won’t hide stale practice
Emeritus Professor James Chapman responds to the Reading Recovery ‘And + And’ “refresh”
Rhetoric of Minister and behaviour of Ministry and ITE at odds
We are concerned that the rhetoric of the Minister and the behaviour of the Ministry and ITE providers does not align in regard to the elimination of balanced literacy practices and the Minister’s firm adherence to implementing evidence-based practice
Initial Teacher Training - the elephant in the room
This report summarises feedback received in late 2021 from 237 teachers on the quality of teacher training they received at New Zealand universities on literacy instruction. There is a lot of room for improvement!
Lowering standards is not the answer to literacy crisis
Read about our reaction to the Government’s announcement that it will offer a temporary reprieve to schools concerned about implementing its new NCEA numeracy and literacy standards.
No need for political football
Read this post about what you can do to stop literacy instruction becoming a political football.
An expert take on the literacy news this week
Listen in as Professor Emeritus of Educational Psychology at Massey University, James Chapman, provides some serious food for thought on the new Common Practice Model and some of the controversial elements of the National Party's education policy.
Explicit teaching of literacy must not be buried in CPM
Our initial reaction to release of Common Practice Model by Ministry of Education.
Office of Auditor General probing MoE
Give your feedback to the Office of the Auditor-General on how the Ministry of Education uses information to understand and address inequities in education.
Principal calls for Govt to scrap Reading Recovery
New data out from the Ministry of Education NZ showing a further drop in the number of schools participating in Reading Recovery - a failed literacy intervention.
Reading Recovery refresh - not good enough
Professor James Chapman on why the Reading Recovery refresh is not good enough.
Minister ill-informed, Strategy hollow
Read our press release on the Minister’s new Literacy Strategy released 25 March 2022
We write to the Māori Affairs Select Committee
Read our submission to the Inquiry on ākonga Māori learning support
Reaction to Select Committee report by Prof James Chapman
In this blog post, Professor Emeritus, James Chapman, provides his response to the Report of the Education and Workforce Committee on the Petition of Amanda Drumm: Teach reading in school through explicit and systematic phonics.
Holding feet to the fire
We recap over advocacy efforts over the year, including a link to our latest letter to the Associate Minister for Education setting out five key areas that need to be addressed in the Literacy Strategy. We also provide the first iteration of our ‘Report Card’ of the Government’s progress on permanently and efficiently lifting literacy for all.