About the Inquiry

On 30 November 2004 the then Minister for Education, Science and Training, the Hon Dr Brendan Nelson MP, announced details about the Australian Government National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy. The Inquiry was a broad, independent examination of reading research, teacher preparation and practices for the teaching of literacy, particularly reading.

The Hon Dr Nelson appointed an independent Committee to conduct the Inquiry. The Committee was chaired by Dr Ken Rowe, Research Director of the Learning Processes and Contexts research program at the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). The Committee comprised people with backgrounds in literacy research and policy, teacher preparation and professional learning, leadership, a practising principal and teacher, a parent, and a journalist. A broadly based Reference Group was established to assist and inform the Committee. A Secretariat drawn from the Department of Education, Science and Training managed the progress of the Inquiry.

Calls for submissions to the Inquiry were published in national newspapers. The Inquiry received a total of 453 submissions from a range of organisations, including: State and Territory government and non-government education authorities; teacher and health professional associations; industry bodies; peak parent, principal, teacher and union bodies; commercial organisations that provide reading materials and support of various kinds; as well as a diverse group of individuals.

The Committee drew on the collective experience of members and consulted widely, including with health professionals. The Committee also visited a cross-section of schools and conducted a study of teacher preparation courses at Australian higher education institutions. To inform its findings and recommendations, the Committee also reviewed Australian and international experience, as well as findings from the available evidence-based research literature. The Committee’s report, Teaching Reading, was launched on 8 December 2005.