I would like to know what Sonia and any
other New Zealander thinks of the following
reports. One is report is called 'An
Examination of the Effectiveness of Reading
Recovery: A Longitudinal Study", that was
produced in 1998 by Chapman, Turner, and
Prochinow. This study was funded by, and
submitted to the New Zealand Ministry of
Education.

Another report was published in 'The New
Zealand Listener'in March of 2000. This
report states that there is disillusionment
with whole language and RR in NZ. It also
states that teachers were turning to a
program called 'Jolly Phonics'
which is said to be 'inexpensive', 'more
effective', and 'more fun' than RR. It said
that Jolly Phonics has an excellent track-
record in the UK, Canada, NZ, and elsewhere.

Also, in a report that was produced by the
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (an
official UK government body)found that
children age 6 who had gone through RR were
roughly two years behind.

Finally NZ Times Education Writer Richard
Colvin wrote that in the summer of 1996,
University of Aucklamd researchers reported
that nine of 10 working class children were
three grade levels behind.

Yet another report states that the NZ has
the largest gap between majority and
minority than any other country that was
part of the Internation Assoc. for the
Evaluation of Educational Acheivement
investigation in 1991.

As I said in an earlier editorial, let's
examine closer the truth about RR, NZ, and
whole-language.

AP

AP
11/15/02

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