The Grattan Institute’s recently released report, ‘The Reading Guarantee: How to give every child the best chance of success’ concurs with the work we support that’s being led by principals and teachers in schools on the Mornington Peninsula.
The report states: “For too many students, learning to read well comes down to luck, not design.”
With the support of MPF donors the schools we work with are remedying this with professional development in high impact teaching led by literacy specialist Julie Scali and Knowledge Society.
The Grattan Institute’s proposed six-step ‘Reading Guarantee’ strategy to address low reading levels closely aligns with the work our education partners began in 2022.
From the report:
“…The strategy should include six steps.
First, they should commit publicly to ensuring that at least 90 per cent of Australian students learn to read proficiently at school.
Second, they should give schools and teachers specific, practical guidelines on the best way to teach reading.
Third, they should ensure schools have well-sequenced, knowledge rich curriculum materials and effective assessment tools.
Fourth, they should require schools to do universal screening of reading skills and help struggling students to catch-up.
Fifth, they should ensure teachers are equipped to teach according to the evidence through training, new quality-assured micro-credentials, and by creating specialist literacy roles.
And sixth, they should improve system monitoring and accountability by mandating a nationally consistent Year 1 Phonics Screening Check for all students, and strengthen school and principal reviews.”
With the generous support of MPF donors, our partner schools work with external literacy specialists who train teachers in specialist literacy roles how to do universal screening of reading skills and deliver high impact evidence based teaching of reading. MPF has also provided funding for decodable books and for casual relief teachers so that permanent staff can attend professional development in high impact teaching of reading.
This would not be possible in these public schools without philanthropic support.
As one principal MPF partners with says, “We don’t have the professional learning budgets to embark on something like this with such fidelity. We would have picked pieces from it and attempted to create our own professional learning and with that you lose the holistic nature of it.”
Our education partners are leading the way in community wide systems change by adopting evidence-based practice and acquiring the skills and resources to ensure all children are in optimal learning environments.
We are encouraged continuously as the schools report on their reading and learning data showing rapid and significant improvements and to speak with teachers who love their jobs and are proud of the impact they’re having.