We have made a real difference to children's reading and writing success and continue to do so.

There is a significant gap occurring in New Zealand education. While many children in our schools do really well by international standards, many do not. There are several factors that contribute to children not learning to read and write successfully. How we teach them cannot be allowed to be one of these factors.

Much of the large amount of research and scientific evidence that supports effective literacy instruction does not reach teachers in our classrooms in a practical way. Instruction – the nature of instruction – is a key to removing the disparity that currently exists between children who do well and children who do not.

This website - Literacy Success For All - was set up to share the results of the Shine Literacy Project, a community-funded initiative that has proved that it is possible to change the pattern of underachievement that currently exists. It started in 2014 with a group of schools determined to make a difference. We have been astounded and delighted by the difference we have made to thousands of children. The Shine Project shows what is possible when a group of committed professionals and the communities and organisations that support them work together with a common goal - to improve the lives of children by improving their literacy outcomes.

You can read a short summary of our journey here.

You can read the reports of the project from 2015 to 2019 here.

You can track events on our blog.