Excellence and Equity in Literacy Education The Case of Ne Zealand [Hardcover]

Literacy is arguably the most important goal of schooling as, to a large extent, it determines young childrens educational and life chances and is fundamental in achieving social justice. New Zealands literacy education programme has long been regarded as one of the worlds 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 Zealands 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.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 Zealal“±