Literacy Impact Educational Services

I’ve been reflecting on learnings from an outstanding keynote- Tara Thiagarajan at the DSF Literacy Services (The Dyslexia Speld Foundation of conference that focused on the concept of Mind Health and a Mind Health Quotient (MHQ).

Sapien Labs has developed an online assessment tool (free quiz) that measures mind health across 47 different dimensions. The MHQ dataset is based on responses from more than 3 million people across 130+ countries. The ‘managing to succeeding’ score is 100. Findings:

• MHQ scores remained stable until 2002–2007.
• Since then, there has been a significant decline in mind health globally.
Some of the poorest countries have the highest MHQ ratings.
• The decline has been particularly severe in the 13–17-year-old age group.
• Australian data has especially concerning trends, with average MHQ score of 5 in 13-17year olds as opposed to MHQ of 83 in over 55yo’s.
• The data suggests strong correlations between declining mind health and:
• the time a person first has own access to smartphones and tablets.
• Reduced time spent outdoors and in nature.
• Exposure to environmental toxins and plastics.
• Reduced family connectedness and sense of belonging.

Although the data was confronting, the encouraging message was that simple changes lead to significant improvements.

Two case studies were highlighted:

1. International American School in India
2. Summer Camp in Maine (USA)
Both settings implemented:
• Reduced technology exposure
• Increased outdoor activity.
• Greater engagement with nature.
• Increased exercise.
• Whole-food nutrition approaches.

Across both case studies, there were measurable improvements in MHQ scores over relatively short periods.

The most important takeaway was that many of the strategies associated with improved mind health are relatively simple and little to no cost:
• More time outdoors.
• Reduced screen exposure.
• Greater connection with nature.
• Stronger family and community connections; and sense of belonging
• Increased physical activity.
• Better nutrition.

My reflection- as a preventative MTSS/RTI universal screener for mind health, the MHQ could be a preventative measure for schools as a school-wide wellbeing screening tool.

A simple approach we had in place at one of my schools was that early-comers before school walked laps around the oval with myself or other Deputy Principal rather than sitting on a bench or just chatting. On reflection and knowing the benefit of outdoors, movement and nature on MHQ, it’s a simple strategy all schools could consider to get a few daily minutes of nature, outdoors, walking, connection time with the kiddos (and a preventative way to check in with students between the home-school transition).

Highly recommend the Sapiens Lab Report, website and Tara’s work.

Let’s start the conversation about turning this MHQ score around and share simple ways that we can put these recommendations into practice.
https://sapienlabs.org/global-mind-health-report/
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There’s a big gap between the effort schools are putting in and the impact they are seeing in their students’ literacy results.

This was the central idea I shared last week at the DSF Conference on Leading Change: A Roadmap for Sustainable Literacy Improvement.

Over many years of working in literacy improvement across multiple school contexts, I frequently see the same pattern..

Schools are putting in so much work and time into school improvement through professional learning, coaching models, implementation of new programs or intervention but still there is frustration in the student data; or in cases where there is a positive change, the positive changes are short lived.

We have care, effort and commitment in spades across Australia but unfortunately we tend not to view school improvement with a system based lens.

Before any new changes or improvement foci, schools need clarity on two things:

1. what strong literacy systems actually look like (the conditions and architectural framework for school excellence) and
2. how sustainable implementation occurs over time (the how of evidence informed implementation science within short sharp cycles of improvement).

That thinking led to the development of:
The Architectural Framework for School Excellence™,
The Implementation Pathway for School Excellence™,
The School Improvement Blueprint™,
and The Literacy Impact™ Formula.

At the centre of this work is a simple idea:

Literacy success becomes far more predictable when schools build strong enabling conditions built on strong foundations and preconditions for school improvement, implement the changes with a clear direction of where they are heading in an implementation/action plan; strengthen and codify practice and curriculum documents through ongoing cycles over time, and reduce instructional variance across classrooms.

Despite what is often the reality, literacy improvement is rarely about adding or improving one more thing. More often, it is about aligning the things that already exist into a coherent, sustainable system.

Literacy Success = (C × P × Cy) × S ÷ LV
C = Conditions
P = Pathway
Cy = Precision Cycles
S = Sustainability
LV = Low Variance

The formula is designed to simplify in a visual what is an incredibly complex challenge for school leaders and educators; and to show where if one part is absent, improvement is unlikely.

When we embed the essential elements of literacy improvement with alignment, purpose and measurable goals, in clear cycles of improvement with low variance across classrooms, schools begin to experience clarity. With clarity and the right system structures in place, schoolwide literacy improvement for all students becomes possible 📚💥

Are there any parts of the formula that may be a weak link in your context? What is the strongest aspect?

I’ll be running an online one day short course on this shortly, so keep an eye out if you’d like to build sustainable literacy improvement in your context! 🏆

📚Please note: these visuals and formula are all underpinned by multiple change models, researchers, education science; and proven experience in literacy transformations across multiple states of 20+ schools.

You can care deeply about teaching and learning…

…and still feel like you’re drowning trying to lead it.

Because the reality for many school leaders right now is this:

You’re trying to improve literacy outcomes while simultaneously managing:
• behaviour crises
• staff shortages
• wellbeing concerns
• intervention overload
• parent requests
• compliance demands
• trauma
• disengagement
• exhausted teachers
• and students with increasingly complex needs.

And somehow…

you’re still expected to lead sustainable school improvement on top of all of that.

Not because anyone doesn’t care.

But because the system itself feels relentless.

I know that reality deeply.

I’ve worked in schools with high EALD populations, significant trauma, low SES communities and enormous complexity.

I also worked in South East London as a SENCO leading inclusive education in an area where staff were warned not to walk to the tube station talking on their phones because of threats of stabbing; and I actually saw a man being shot in the neck.. from my classroom window, no less.

So when I say I understand complex schools, I genuinely do.

And despite all of the professional learning, postgraduate study, leadership development and after-hours work…

I often still felt like I was muddling my way through implementation change.

That was one of the hardest parts.

Because I had strong literacy knowledge, pedagogical knowledge.

Strong intent.

Strong work ethic.

But nobody had ever explicitly shown me the implementation pathway for leading sustainable literacy improvement schoolwide.

Nobody had shown me how to coherently align:
• instructional practice
• systems
• curriculum
• implementation
• leadership
• and change management.

So much of the time I second guessed myself while carrying enormous responsibility for students, staff and outcomes.

And after partnering with schools across multiple states through Literacy Impact™ over the last four years, I now know how many leaders quietly feel exactly the same way.

Because schools do not improve through isolated initiatives or simply purchasing another program.

School improvement is a systems issue.

Schools improve when strong instructional architecture and strong implementation finally align.

That is one of the biggest reasons I created the Leading Literacy Impact™ Masterclass.

Not simply as literacy professional learning…

…but as the implementation curriculum for leaders that I wish I’d had access to over 15 years ago.

Because leaders should not have to navigate this through years of trial, error and exhaustion while teachers burn out and our kids wait for systems that finally work coherently.

If you’re wanting clearer direction, stronger systems and a more coherent pathway for literacy improvement across your school, I’ll place the module information and school case studies in the comments below.

“No matter how hard I’m working… my students’ reading data is not shifting.”

This is what so many dedicated teachers are quietly feeling.

Planning your literacy block.
Differentiating.
Supporting behaviour.
Managing intervention groups.
Attending PL.
IEPs
In survival mode as one teacher told me last week 😔

And yet…

The reading data still isn’t improving like you expect.

Can I suggest something?

The maths may simply not be adding up.

Quick question:
How many words and minutes per day is every student reading YEAR LEVEL text content with immediate corrective feedback?

Not only listening. Not waiting for turns. Not completing activities around reading.

Actually READING connected text that is modeled to them first. At their year level.
(If you thought to yourself, “zero minutes!”.. that’s ok as that is the response I get most of the time.. because we have been so focused on personalizing content for kiddos that we have inadvertently removed any opportunity of students reaching end of year standard).

Another question now:
How many words per minute with accuracy, pace and comprehension of YEAR LEVEL text is the end of year expectation for your students?

Is there a gap between the current daily practice and what is the expected standard for the end of year?

Because reading growth requires daily ‘eyes on text’ opportunities in multiple forms.. and plenty of reading practice with feedback.

This is why daily choral reading can be such a game changer.

In just 5 minutes per day:

✔students are modeled high quality reading
✔ every student reads the full text
✔ every student keeps eyes on text of year level
✔ every student practises fluency
✔ teacher provides immediate corrective feedback
✔ students hear fluent reading modelled
✔ comprehension can be checked in real time
✔ repeated reading builds automaticity and confidence

And when combined with:
• interspersed queries (from QtA approach)
• building students’ mental model of the text
• Think time and turn and talk
• repeated reading across several lessons
• immediate corrective feedback

…the impact compounds quickly.

This is not just an early years strategy either.

Schools are now implementing this successfully right up to Year 12 across content areas… and students are engaged.

Because students cannot access knowledge if they cannot successfully read the text in front of them.

And overwhelmed teachers?

This is not about working harder or yet another structured literacy routine.

It is about ensuring students get substantially more successful reading practice every single day.

Sometimes the biggest shift is not adding more.

It is tightening the quality and consistency of the highest-impact routines.

The schools seeing literacy growth are often doing exactly this. Choral reading as I’ve shared is truly underrated and so many schools are seeing the benefits for students.

The maths finally starts to add up. And we are talking 5 minutes per day!

If you’ve been implementing this routine for a while, I’d love you to share your journey and the impact for teachers that may be new to this approach.

Incredible conference yet again for DSF Literacy Services (The Dyslexia Speld Foundation of WA) Brain and cup are full with so much learning and connecting. It was also fantastic to be able to present both yesterday and today- sharing the partnership journey of the incredible literacy transformations at Monterey Secondary College in Frankston and today on Leading Change- A roadmap for literacy excellence.

I’m so looking forward to all the learning from this world class DSF Literacy Services (The Dyslexia Speld Foundation of WA) conference next week; aswell as facilitating two sessions. I hope to see you there!

DSF Conference – Language, Literacy and Learning 2026 DSF Language, Literacy and Learning Conference 7 – 9 May 2026 Three days, six keynote speakers, and an incredible selection of concurrent sessions! Join us on 7 to 9 May 2026 as we welcome delegates to the fifth DSF Language, Literacy and Learning Conference – a milestone event that continu...

Look what’s coming to Perth?! For anyone that would like to know more about Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), diagnostic assessments, CUBED, DYMOND Dyslexia screener, Story Champs oral narrative intervention- this might be up your alley! Link to info here https://www.letsgrowtogether.com.au/event/story-champs-and-identifying-dld-perth/

This quite literally made my week- email from a WA Principal after a year partnership in literacy improvement. These numbers mean more to me that digits- they are little people behind each of them.
Look at the growth! Well done to this wonderful school for the team effort in making this happen 🙌🏽