Embedded into the Partnering with Parents philosophy is the belief that we need more confident parents, not ones who feel their experience or knowledge is inferior; that the family is the most important support group for the child and that the child learns best when their family and teachers work in partnership to support the child's... Keep Reading
Our averages in PIRLS and PISA have remained the same for 10 years. Our top students are among the best in the world but the gap between those who do well in our school system and those who do not is one of the largest in the world and it has not and is not changing. This is unacceptable, not only for the thousands of students who fail in our... Keep Reading
Everyone needs to be literate - our economy depends on this. English is the international language of business but many people teaching it do not really understand its structure. There is a definite link between illiteracy and crime. 85% of juvenile offenders in the US justice system can't read above a 9-year-old level. Our prison population... Keep Reading
Waiting for a year for a child to fail before providing help is not an option. We must make sure that our teachers are armed with a variety of research-based strategies to use from school entry. The problem is that teachers are not always clear about what they need to do differently and most importantly how to change their practice to incorporate a Keep Reading
Nelson Mandela and charter schools - what's the connection in my head? I have been thinking about how uncomfortable the introduction of charter schools makes me feel and I could not work out why. Then I heard someone on National Radio saying he felt distressed because charter schools represent a further fracturing of our education system and the wo Keep Reading
At the start of 2010 the teachers in the junior syndicate at Titahi Bay School began a learning journey. In 2008 and 2009, we found that our new entrant children were not achieving the literacy results we expected or wanted. As a team we thought about [reading educator researcher] Marie Clay's comment that if children are apparently unable to learn Keep Reading
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