Ireland has been among the highest performing English-speaking countries in PIRLS and PISA for almost two decades. In a report I wrote after visiting Ireland last year, I concluded that these high levels of literacy have a number of mutually reinforcing contributing factors. The societal foundation is a high level of cultural and social value attached to language and literacy, which supports the work of schools. Teachers are high academic achievers who have rigorous initial teacher education. As a result, teachers are respected and trusted and have professional autonomy. Mandatory testing, reporting and inspection are not universally welcomed but are accepted and not seen as a professional insult. Low teacher attrition is an indication that, although workload is still an issue, teaching is a rewarding and stable job. Low attrition also creates a workforce environment where there is little pressure to graduate large numbers of teachers each year, allowing teacher education courses to emphasise quality over quantity. Teacher education and the primary language curriculum are rigorous and generally well-aligned with evidence-based practice and do not seem to have been subject to the dramatic shifts in practice seen in other countries. Literacy teaching is generally high quality. Systematic instruction in phonics, for example, seems to have been a constant feature in reading instruction. This is sufficient to get the majority of students on the path to reading. However, there is enduring disadvantage associated with socioeconomic status. The long-term dominant intervention program has been Reading Recovery. Since this program has not been evaluated in Ireland, it is difficult to know with certainty how much improvement could have been achieved if it had been replaced with a more effective intervention but, based on international research on Reading Recovery that has demonstrated it has weak and even negative effects on reading achievement, there is a powerful case for the Irish education system to investigate effective, evidence-based alternatives. @ChurchillTrust Read the full report: churchilltrust.com.au/projec…