$67 million for structured teaching approaches
This is a summary of funding and support to help teachers use structured teaching approaches.
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See Materials that come with this resource for more details about how the changes will be rolled out.
$67 million for structured teaching approaches
Budget 2024 includes funding to help kaiako teach using evidence-based, structured teaching approaches. This underscores the Minister’s intention for all kura to use evidence-based, structured teaching approaches.
In summary, the Minister announced:
- new funding for professional learning and development (PLD) in structured teaching approaches over the next four years
- funding to support schools in purchasing classroom resources
- funding for online support, administration, and evaluation of the programme.
A "structured approach" to teaching refers to both the content and the methods of teaching. It is not one particular programme, but an approach that guides teaching. Structured literacy approaches emphasise systematically learning letters, letter combinations, and new words using sound, along with explicitly teaching vocabulary, comprehension, and writing.
There is a wealth of evidence from schools in New Zealand that have implemented a structured literacy approach, showing that the approach is lifting achievement, closing the equity gap, and reducing the need for reading and pānui interventions (extra learning support).