Do you work in a rural or regional primary school in Victoria? Are you passionate about improving early reading instruction?
La Trobe's School of Education is seeking Victorian primary schools to participate in a new research project on reading instruction in rural and regional schools.
Principal Investigator, Professor Tanya Serry, said the 'Rural Roads to Reading' project will explore the classroom practices and tools used to monitor student progress in the first three years of formal reading instruction.
“This project has been generously funded by the Bertalli Family Foundation, as part of a $2.5 million donation over five years to La Trobe’s Science of Language and Reading Lab (SOLAR) programs,” Professor Serry explains.
“It will help us develop a detailed understanding of classroom practices and instructional approaches employed in rural and regional schools across Victoria. Ultimately, we hope to identify practices that are associated with stronger patterns of student reading achievement and engagement."
Schools participating in the project will take part in surveys, classroom observations, interviews with school staff, student data collection.
“This is a longitudinal study that will require a three-year commitment from schools, and all participating schools will receive reports of student assessment results,” says Professor Serry.
“At the SOLAR Lab, we are passionate about helping schools adopt well-established, scientific approaches to help children learn how to read. The 'Rural Roads to Reading' project will help us continue this important research in rural and regional Australia.”
This project has La Trobe Ethics approval: HEC23480
