Effective instruction for older, low-progress readers

Over recent years, we have witnessed mounting public concern in several Western countries regarding the quality of the literacy instruction children are receiving in school, their levels of performance in reading and related skills, and the efficacy of the instructional methods and/or philosophies underpinning the teaching they receive. This has led to national inquiries in these countries: the National Reading Panel (NRP) in the United States reported in 2000 (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2000); the National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy (NITL) in Australia reported in 2005 (Department of Education & Science and Training, 2005) and the Rose Report in the United Kingdom was released in 2006 (Rose, 2006). In essence, all three of these reports found the current teaching of literacy wanting in several respects, not least a perceived reluctance by schools and teachers to employ instructional methods predicated upon the findings of sound scientific research into how children learn to read and the most effective forms of literacy instruction.