Excellence and Equity in Literacy Education The Case of New Zealand

by Tunmer, William E.; Chapman, James W.

• ISBN13: 9781137415561
• ISBN10: 1137415568
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2015-06-14
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

Literacy is arguably the most important goal of schooling as, to a large extent, it determines young children's educational and life chances and is fundamental in achieving social justice. New Zealand's literacy education programme has long been regarded as one of the world's most successful approaches to teaching literacy skills to young children. Excellence and Equity in Literacy Education questions this widely held assumption. In the late 1990s the New Zealand government developed a national literacy strategy aimed at reducing persistently large inequities in literacy achievement outcomes. The chapters in this edited volume present evidence indicating that the national literacy strategy has failed, examine the major factors responsible for the continuation of New Zealand's comparatively wide spread of scores in literacy achievement, and describe the most effective strategies for reducing the literacy achievement gap and achieving excellence and equity in New Zealand literacy education.

Author Biography

William Tunmer is Distinguished Professor of Educational Psychology at the Massey University Institute of Education, New Zealand. He has published over 150 journal articles, book chapters, and books on reading acquisition, reading difficulties, and reading intervention. In 1999 he was co-winner of the International Reading Association's Dina Feitelson Award for Excellence in Research.

James Chapman is Professor of Educational Psychology at the Massey University Institute of Education, New Zealand. He has extensive publications on learning difficulties and has served as President of the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities. In 1999 he was co-winner of the International Reading Association's Dina Feitelson Award for Excellence in Research.

Table of Contents

Foreword; Gail T. Gillon
1. The Development of New Zealand's National Literacy Strategy; William E. Tunmer and James W. Chapman
PART I: EVIDENCE THAT NEW ZEALAND'S NATIONAL LITERACY STRATEGY HAS FAILED
2. Findings from New Zealand's Participation in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) in 2001, 2006, and 2011; Jane E. Prochnow, William E. Tunmer, and Keith T. Greaney
3. Is Reading Recovery an Effective Early Literacy Intervention Programme for Children who Most Need Literacy supports?; James W. Chapman, Keith T. Greaney, and William E. Tunmer
4. Literacy Performances of Young Adults in New Zealand: Outcomes of School-Based Literacy Instruction; James W. Chapman, Keith T. Greaney, and Jane E. Prochnow
PART II: FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE FAILUER OF NEW ZEALAND'S NATIONAL LITERACY STRATEGY
5. Literacy and the Early Childhood Education Curriculum in New Zealand; Claire J. McLachlan and Alison W. Arrow
6. Pedagogical Constructivism in New Zealand Literacy Education: A Flawed Approach to Teaching Reading; William E. Tunmer, Keith T. Greaney, and Jane E. Prochnow
7. Literate Cultural Capital and Matthew Effects in Reading Achievement; Jane E. Prochnow, William E. Tunmer, and Alison W. Arrow
PART III: STRATEGIES FOR REDUCING THE LITERACY ACHIEVEMENT GAP AND ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE AND EQUITY IN NEW ZEALAND EDUCATION
8. Meeting the Needs of Beginning Readers through Differentiated Instruction; Alison W. Arrow, James W. Chapman, and Keith T. Greaney
9. Teacher Knowledge Needed for Differentiated Early Reading Instruction; Alison W. Arrow, Claire J. McLachlan, and Keith T. Greaney
10. Twelve Myths about Literacy Education in New Zealand; James W. Chapman, Jane E. Prochnow, and Alison W. Arrow