Signs of a world-class education

The New Zealand Education Review has an article in NZ Teacher (31 January 2013 edition) titled 'Signs of a world-class education', available here. Extracts from the article follow:

Ministry initiative:
Reading Together
[Ministry of Education Project Manager John] Good says it is no surprise the Reading Together programme has been successful, given that it has been extensively researched since 1982, when it was developed by Jeanne Biddulph.
"The research has replicated the evidence of just how high the impact of the programme is if implemented effectively. It engages parents/whānau as hugely significant learning partners with the school, produces accelerated reading and engagement in learning for their children, and often transforms homes from stress to harmony around kids and their learning," says Good.
[Dr] Laurie Thew, Principal of Manurewa Central School, describes Reading Together as "an amazing programme" that is very supportive of parents. "[It is] certainly one of the positive initiatives happening in New Zealand at the moment," says Thew.