Valued Outcomes for Workshop Leaders, Principals and other Teachers

Valued outcomes for Workshop Leaders, principals and other teachers participating in the Reading Together® programme include:

• Implementing a programme with parents/whānau that:
  - is clearly focused on children's learning and development
  - aligns with and supports their class and school programmes
  - emphasises enjoyment of reading and gaining meaning from texts
  - is underpinned by research evidence that there are significant benefits for children's learning when teachers and parents work together in informed ways.
• Establishing more effective partnerships with parents that:
  - are collaborative, mutually respectful, non-threatening and supportive
  - value and build on the strengths of all participants
  - develop to a depth that has not previously been evident, even in schools where school-community links are already strong and positive.
• Teachers and parents are able to 'talk the same language' and work together to help children succeed, rather than parents continuing to view reading as a 'performance' and emphasising word accuracy and decoding, thereby inadvertently undermining what teachers are doing.
• Observing positive changes in children's reading comprehension, attitudes and behaviour at school.
• Observing improved relationships and more positive interactions between (a) parents/whānau and children and (b) parents and teachers.
• Gaining deeper awareness of the cultural protocols and practices of the families, and the language/literacy competencies that children from diverse backgrounds bring to school.
• Feeling humbled by the honesty and gratitude of the parents, who realise and openly acknowledge that they have often created a negative climate for reading at home.
• Enjoying participating in a programme which:
  - respects and values their professionalism and expertise
  - has a sound research base and has been implemented successfully throughout New Zealand since 1982
  - is effective, manageable and user friendly for busy teachers, librarians and parents/whānau.
• Being able to implement the programme independently of an 'outsider', taking ownership of the implementation, seeing it grow and become established within the school.
• Gaining experience and confidence as adult educators.
• Opportunities to work collaboratively with the wider community, especially community librarians.