Effective literacy instruction for all students: A time for change

Australia’s 2016 Senate report is highly critical of current Australian government support for children with disabilities, including children with reading and literacy difficulties, and children with language weakness and communication difficulties (Senate Standing Committee on Education and Employment, 2016). It reveals serious inadequacies of current instructional supports, inappropriate lack of transparency by education systems, and a major need to improve instruction and increasing government transparency. This paper explores the Senate report in the context of children’s rights and Australian legal requirements for supporting children with literacy learning difficulties. It discusses the complexities facing Australia and other Anglophone nations endeavouring to provide effective instruction for at-risk and struggling readers.