Rural Roads to Reading
Participation in a research project on reading instructional approaches in regional schools: A call for expressions of interest:
Expressions of Interested should only be submitted by a school leader, with the express approval of your school Principal.
We are seeking expressions of interest from Victorian schools to participate in a research project focused on exploring classroom practices and tools used to monitor student progress in the first three years (Foundation to Year 2) of formal reading instruction in rural or regional Victoria. Our project, titled Rural Roads to Reading, is being conducted by researchers at the School of Education, La Trobe University, and has received funding through the Bertalli Family Foundation.
Your school is eligible if:
- you are a primary or K-12 school in rural or regional Victoria.
- you have the capacity to commit to completing project related activities across 2025, 2026, and 2027, including surveys, classroom observations, interviews with school staff, student data collection, and providing access to aggregated satisfaction survey data and NAPLAN (literacy) data.
In addition to developing a deeper understanding of practices employed in your school, schools included in this study will receive reports of each participating student's assessment results where parents and carers have provided consent for these to be shared with the school. This information can be used to inform supports for your students.
This is a longitudinal study that aims to document teaching, pedagogical and assessment approaches in the first three years of reading instruction, with the objective of identifying practices that are associated with stronger patterns of student reading achievement and engagement.
If you would like further details or to express interest in being part of this project, please leave your contact details by emailing: reading@latrobe.edu.au
A member of the research team will send you further information about the project and a timeline of activities.
We understand that this project is a three-year commitment, and we welcome any queries you may have as you consider whether or not you may submit an expression of interest.
With regards
Prof. Tanya Serry, PhD
03 9479 1858 | 0418 384085 | T.Serry@latrobe.edu.au
This research is approved by the following authorities:
| Authority | Approval reference |
| La Trobe Univesity, Human Research Ethics Committee | HEC23480 |
| Victorian Department of Education | 23-11-181 |
| Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) approval | 1376 |
| Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst approval | Sandhurst: Rural Roads to Reading |
The research is being carried out by the following researchers:
| Role: | Name: | Organisation: |
| Principal Investigator | Professor Tanya Serry | School of Education, Melbourne Campus, La Trobe University |
| Co-Investigator | Professor Pamela Snow | School of Education, Bendigo Campus, La Trobe University |
| Co-Investigator | Dr. Kate Lafferty | School of Education, Melbourne Campus, La Trobe University |
| Co-Investigator | Dr. Ana Garcia Melgar | School of Education, Melbourne Campus, La Trobe University |
| Co-Investigator | Dr. Scott Alterator | School of Education, Bendigo Campus, La Trobe University |
| Co-Investigator | Mr Eamon Charles | School of Education, Melbourne Campus, La Trobe University |
| Co-Investigator | Professor Bernadette Walker-Gibbs | School of Education, Melbourne Campus, La Trobe University |
| Co-Investigator | Professor Joanna Barbousas | School of Education, Melbourne Campus, La Trobe University |
| Project Coordinator | Mr Dominic Eyre | School of Education, Melbourne Campus, La Trobe University |
| Research Assistant | Ms Simone Cutting | School of Education, Bendigo Campus, La Trobe University |
| Research Funder | This research has received funding through the Bertalli Family Foundation and in-kind support from La Trobe University. |