New grads hinder charge to implement evidence-based reading instruction: teachers

Led by assistant principal and Monash University researcher Karina Stocker, researchers canvassed the views of more than 70 teachers across three schools to identify the barriers and enablers they experience in their MTSS implementation, finding new graduates sucked up precious resources and put a ‘massive strain’ on teams already under the pump. 

“Teachers reported the ongoing challenge related to staff knowledge, particularly the continued need to upskill graduate teachers who arrived without sufficient preparation in evidence-based reading instruction and MTSS-related practices,” Stocker tells EducationHQ. 

This was the case even for schools who were well into their MTSS implementation journey, she adds. 

“This created an ongoing implementation burden for school-based professional learning and also their coaching systems. [They had to] continually upskill,” she says. 

Despite the ‘pushback’ from ITE providers who maintain they are teaching the fundamentals of reading instruction aligned with the evidence, our teachers on the ground in schools are “telling us a different story”, Stocker argues. 

“Listen to the practicalities of the classroom teachers and what they're saying.” 

A recent report by Grattan Institute warned that one in four Victorian school children are below proficiency in reading.

For some time Australia’s ‘education state’ has come under fire for its lack of commitment to drive evidence-based teaching practice at scale. 

But in 2024, Education Minister Ben Carroll declared ‘the evidence is in’, and unveiled a plan to embed explicit instruction and structured literacy in every public school in what was a bid to weed out approaches rooted in whole language or balanced literacy – approaches which have historically dominated Australian classrooms despite a lack of robust evidence behind them. 

The reform effort is significant, Stocker says, and successful change demands that all schools are given the resources, professional development, and system-level supports to ensure evidence-based reading instruction can be delivered as promised. 

Teachers reported that reactive funding models were a barrier to MTSS implementation in their schools.  

“So arriving once reading difficulties are already entrenched at Grade 3 – (they reported) a ‘wait to fail’ approach to funding.”

This created ongoing issues around planning and sustaining early intervention staff, she adds. 

“So they train them, get them ready, but they can't guarantee [their work] because they don't know what funding is coming, despite early intervention [being] critical to MTSS…” 

Teachers are frustrated because they know what works here but they are unable to deliver it, Stocker flags. 

“Schools don't have the intervention staff, so they're pulling resources from all different places and this impact is real. Intervention then becomes inconsistent, kids get it or don't.”

It’s an uphill battle for many teachers who are diligently trying to make MTSS work in systems “that don't always provide the time, preventative funding or the staffing needed to do it well”, the researcher says. 

Stocker advises schools to build strong foundations at Tier 1, including in curriculum, instructional practice, data systems and staff capacity, and then to layer MTSS practices over time. 

One really positive finding emerged around school leadership. 

“Leadership was never identified – not once – as a barrier in this study. It was only identified as a helper, as a facilitator.

“Teachers consistently described strong, knowledgeable leadership with a clear vision for evidence-based practice as creating the conditions that made MTSS possible in these schools,” Stocker explains. 

Teachers reported that their leaders were united in their goals for this work, understood it at a granular level, protected it against other priorities, and supported staff through the change process. 

Yet even in these contexts teachers still reported clear pressure points, Stocker says. 

“So, this really reinforced how demanding MTSS implementation is and how critical leadership is in navigating those pressures.”  

For Stocker, a key message is that MTSS is not just a technical framework or something to be ticked off – rather, it’s an ongoing implementation challenge that requires the strategic allocation of resources at both the system and school level. 

“Teachers' responses can suggest that successful implementation requires a staged, system-focused approach, rather than trying to do everything at once, or looking for quick fixes.

“Schools need to build strong foundations at Tier 1, so in curriculum, instructional practice, data systems and staff capacity, and then layer MTSS practices over time. 

“They also need to think about strong induction programs, as well as coaching and ongoing professional learning systems, because of the highlighted gaps in knowledge and skills of graduate teachers.”

Principal Sarah Asome, from Bentleigh West Primary School in Melbourne, has previously outlined how the key to successful MTSS boils down to the quality of a school’s classroom instruction – nail this and the number of students needing additional intervention will drop dramatically, she told EducationHQ.

Asome says her school “talks about inclusive education in tiers”.

“We talk about tier one, tier two and tier three. So, the students at tier three need a lot more intensive intervention and supports, and tier one is your mainstream instruction.

“If you haven’t got the mainstream instruction right, you end up with a lot more students in tier two and three, who really shouldn’t be there.”

Stocker is hopeful the Victorian Government will now look to provide the resourcing and implementation support to genuinely match the ambition of its education reform.