There is no shortage of innovative educational programs – the challenge is learning how to scale and sustain those with strong evidence of effectiveness. This book focuses on Reading Recovery – one of the few educational innovations that has successfully expanded and established itself in several educational systems in the world. Developed by Marie Clay in New Zealand during the mid-1980s, Reading Recovery is an intensive intervention for young students who are struggling to learn how to read, and has expanded to several countries across the globe over the last 30 years.


Providing evidence of the intervention’s effectiveness both in the short- and long-term, this volume presents in-depth studies to elucidate why the program is effective; discusses the trials and tribulations in scaling and sustaining the program; and approaches scaling and maintaining from theoretical and practical perspectives. The contributors to this book explain how Reading Recovery has established itself because it has maintained a strong focus on evidence; developed a deep sense of community among its practitioners; and was at the forefront in enhancing professional development of the teachers who delivered the intervention. Understanding the implementation experiences of the intervention is beneficial for any innovation developer who wishes to grow and sustain an intervention. The chapters in this book were originally published as articles in the Journal of Education for Students Placed At Risk.