The so-called "structured literacy" approach is backed by 30 years of educational research - but schools are not entitled to any funding from the Ministry of Education to do it. The school, which has 225 students, has spent about $30,000 on professional development for its teachers and another $15,000 on resources to complement the structured literacy approach. The ministry does fund the Reading Recovery programme, pioneered by Marie Clay, at a cost of just over $29.1 million this year. Schools that did not want Reading Recovery should be able to use that funding for something else, in his view. Fellow Canterbury principal Penny O'Brien agreed it was inequitable that schools were funded for Reading Recovery but not alternatives.

Source: Otago Daily Times November 19, 2020 20:22 UTC