Write to Read Literacy Project launched by Minister Ruairí Quinn

The Write to Read Project was launched by the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn TD, on Monday 11th April at St Patrick’s College. The Project, a partnership between the College, schools and local communities, takes an innovative approach to improving literacy outcomes for children.

The Project grew from award-winning research conducted by Dr Eithne Kennedy, Education Department, St Patrick’s College, which aimed to address consistent inter-generational cycles of underachievement in literacy experienced by children in disadvantaged schools and communities in Ireland. Dr Kennedy worked with parents, teachers and children in Our Lady Immaculate Junior National School in Darndale to develop an intervention programme customised to the school context.

This programme helped children make dramatic gains in their literacy levels. At the end of the two year intervention, the proportion of children performing below the 10th percentile on a national standardised test of reading achievement was reduced by three quarters. 20% performed above the 80th percentile – none were at this level when initially tested.

Speaking at the launch, Breda Murray, Principal of Our Lady Immaculate JNS, described the critical role of the teacher in implementing a custom-designed programme such as Write to Read, whose success depends on responding flexibly to each child’s stage of literacy development.

As part of the process, children experience intensive writing and reading workshops.

The range of creative work produced by the children was illustrated by Alan, Tony, Rachel, Lee and Alicia from Our Lady Immaculate, who generously shared their poetry, creative writing, autobiographical sketches and factual reports with the launch audience.

The project is now being rolled out to a wider area covering eight schools and 1,200 pupils, with a strong emphasis on parental and community involvement.

If you would like to know more about the project, please contact Dr Eithne Kennedy at Eithne.Kennedy@spd.dcu.ie.

 

 

Last Updated: Wednesday April 13 2011