Impact case study database

The ongoing failure to translate reading science to policy and practice is a major contributor to low literacy around the world. Over 15% of children in high income countries leave school with poor reading skills, and the figure is closer to 50% in low income countries. Professor Rastle’s research has influenced how stakeholders from across the literacy ecosystem are addressing the challenge of teaching children to read, as evidenced by the ESRC ‘Celebrating Impact’ Prize for Outstanding International Impact awarded in 2020. On their website (E1), they state: ‘Research outlining the science behind how children learn to read is transforming the way reading is taught in classrooms around the world and helping potentially millions of children improve their life chances through better literacy skills.’

Professor Rastle’s research informs scientific understanding of word reading, and her synthesis of the ‘science of reading’ (R6) has provided tangible recommendations for policy and professional practice. There are three major areas of impact: (a) influences on practitioner knowledge, capacity, and practice; (b) changes to literacy policy in Australia and the USA; and (c) shaping the 10-year literacy strategy of the World Bank.

(a) Influences on practitioner knowledge, capacity, and practice

Professor Rastle’s research has shaped knowledge of the psychological basis of reading across a wide range of stakeholder groups that influence teaching practice (E2). The work is discussed on the websites of parent advocacy groups (e.g. MomsRising USA, with over 1,000,000 members); dyslexia charities (e.g. International Dyslexia Association UK; Reading is Fundamental USA); and educational publishers (e.g. Lexica Learning; Reading Rockets, ABOUND, Piper Books) (E2). Mandy Nayton, CEO of the charity AUSPELD, writes that the research ‘was instrumental in changing attitudes, beliefs and teaching practices, in the area of reading instruction’ (E3).

Rastle’s research was debated in the Scottish Parliament in 2019, and her findings are cited in key educational policy documents within Australia and the UK. These include the Inquiry into the Status of the Teaching Profession (Australia - 2019) and the Secondary Literacy Guidance (UK - 2019). Rastle’s research informed All Party Parliamentary Group on Literacy (UK - 2019) and is cited in their report, Language Unlocks Reading (E2).

Professor Rastle’s research has enhanced the capacity of literacy professionals to communicate reading science within their networks (E2). Twelve major educational leadership organisations have discussed Rastle’s work on their websites, bringing reading science to hundreds of thousands of literacy professionals. These organisations include the Thomas B. Fordham Institute (USA), The Reading League (USA), and ASCD (USA; alone has over 113,000 members in 129 countries) (E2). High-profile teachers in the USA, Netherlands, UK, and Australia have written about the research in blogs and books (E2). For example, Alex Quigley, National Content Manager at the Educational Endowment Foundation, cited the work in his acclaimed new book “Closing the Reading Gap”. He engages with over 14,000 schools in England and states (E3) that Rastle’s work is ‘integrated into our literacy training… informing high quality professional development in reading instruction.’ One of Rastle’s articles (R6) has been shared over 3,000 times on Twitter and reached over 4,400,000 individuals.

The traction of this research across different sectors of the global literacy community is yielding demonstrable changes in educational practice. Benjamin Riley, founder of Deans for Impact, states (E3) that Rastle’s research ‘is quite literally transforming the academic and political landscape in this country’ (US)… and ‘…driving transformative change to our expectation of what future teachers need to know about how children learn to read and how to apply this knowledge to their practice.’ Deans for Impact is a US non-profit organisation working with over 50 teacher education programmes to drive improvements in teacher knowledge and preparedness, reaching over 10,000 future teachers annually. The impact of Rastle’s work on practitioner understanding of literacy is articulated by award-winning education journalist Emily Hanford (USA), who states (E3) ‘…the international conversation going on right now about reading instruction is …taking place in part because of this article’.

Professor Rastle’s work is cited in the curriculum plans of a minimum of nine primary schools in the UK (E4). Rastle has also given practitioner talks and training sessions related to this work, with audiences amassing over 2,000 attendees during the period, most of whom were teachers. In cases where feedback has been obtained (E5), 70% of attendees have indicated that the presentation has changed their understanding of reading and underpinning skills, or will impact their practice. Megan Dixon, of the Aspire Educational Trust, states “I frequently use this paper with groups of teachers, student teachers, head teachers and system leaders when working across the UK, delivering training into how to effectively teach children to read. The paper is a key reading for the students on the Aspire Teaching School initial teacher training course ... I use extracts in seminars and short briefings to highlight both the importance and complexity of the reading process.” (E3).

(b) Changes to literacy policy in Australia and the USA

Professor Rastle’s research has led directly to policy changes in Australia. In 2020, it was announced that state-wide phonics screening would be introduced in New South Wales, Australia (E6). This change has been linked explicitly to Rastle’s research (E6). Phonics screening provides an assessment of the degree to which children have acquired the foundations of literacy, and identifies those in need of further support. Evidence indicates that this policy will have a significant impact on teaching practice and outcomes for children: preliminary trials in Australia have indicated large increases from 43% to 63% in the number of children reaching the expected standard over three years (E7). Jennifer Buckingham, key educational advisor to the Australian government, states (E8), Rastle’s research ‘has been invaluable in reducing the research to practice gap that has long beleaguered progress in improving literacy levels in Australian schools’.

Professor Rastle’s work has also led to major policy change in the USA. In 2020, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education launched ‘Mass Literacy’, which entails substantial state-wide changes to the literacy curriculum from Kindergarten to Grade 3. Rastle’s research is cited in the Mass Literacy curriculum, and she was a research advisor to the programme (the only non-US advisor acknowledged on the Massachusetts Department for Education website; E9).

(c) Shaping the 10-year literacy strategy of the World Bank

Professor Rastle’s work has influenced the global literacy strategy of the World Bank. The World Bank’s Ending Learning Poverty strategy to halve global illiteracy by 2030 cites Rastle’s research (R6). Rastle has also worked closely with the World Bank to operationalise this strategy across countries in the developing world; for example, by developing structured pedagogies suitable for children learning to read in different alphabetic writing systems. Testimonial from Michael Crawford, the World Bank’s global lead for Curriculum, Instruction, and Learning (E10) states: ‘the Bank's work on early grade reading in Angola, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and in other countries is benefitting from her [Rastle’s] generosity in sharing her expertise and her commitment to translating research findings into policy actions’. Michael Crawford summarises the impact of Rastle’s research (R6) by writing: ‘In my twenty-five year tenure at the World Bank, I have not seen an instance where our actions have been more clearly influenced by social science research.... The clear and thorough consolidation of decades of research on reading, and the inclusion of policy- and classroom-implications especially allowed the Bank to adopt its goal and strategy.” (E10).