Multi-Level Management and Literacy

Abstract

This article raises an important question about whether primary schoolchildren’s success in reading and writing depends as much on how the teaching of literacy is managed at different levels as on the underlying pedagogic principles. In doing so, it challenges the assumption that ‘literacy problems’ can be solved only by introducing (or imposing) new pedagogical approaches and assessment strategies, without considering the complex organizational nature of schools and education authorities. The introduction into British schools of the Catch Up Programme, a literacy intervention to assist 7–8-year-old struggling readers, has provided a useful context in which to examine some of these complexities. These include the range of people involved in decision making, implementation and evaluation, and the management style of the actual teaching, all of which may influence whether the programme succeeds or fails.