“The official results are not in but every indication from reforms in three Cape York communities suggests a breakthrough is finally occurring in remote indigenous schooling,” writes Alan Tudge, federal member for Aston and former deputy director of the Cape York Institute.

Mr. Tudge recently visited schools in Cape York, Australia undergoing school reform, including the introduction of Direct Instruction. Tudge notes the overall atmosphere as “revolutionary” compared to just one year ago. He says the schools’ progress is particularly remarkable in that children at Year 9 are often up to six and seven years behind, but following the implementation of reform strategies, attendance is improving and students are attentive and participating in instruction. Mr. Tudge comments that he expects performance on the National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy tests to increase, as well.

To read the full article by Alan Tudge, visit The Australian.

Research on the effectiveness of Direct Instruction (DI) has spanned over 40 years, consistently providing support for the assertion that all children can learn if provided with appropriate instruction. Studies involving Direct Instruction curricula and its implementation have been conducted with a wide variety of populations, in different settings, and within all subject areas related to the programs. This report from the National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI) provides citations to many of these studies.

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Co-authors Siegfried Engelmann and Douglas Carnine are foundational 20th and 21st century thinkers on the subject of instructional best practices. Engelmann shaped and codified Direct Instruction, the most effective method of teaching reading, math, and other subjects, as validated by more than 100 experimental studies. The authors' contention is that if the details of instruction are in place well designed sets of examples and adequate practice student learning can be accelerated far beyond what is currently being achieved in schools.

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RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS
Oct. 14, 2011

IDEA Public Schools congratulates the Engelmann Family and the National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI) for their commitment to excellence in training and execution of IDEA’s new core curriculum, Better IDEA, powered by Direct Instruction (DI).

The “Award for Leadership in Education” is IDEA’s most prestigious award for sustained commitment to academic excellence. In granting the award, IDEA recognized the Engelmann Family and NIDFI for its support in providing high-level and ongoing support in implementing the DI model.

“The Engelmann family and NIFDI have helped create an ecosystem at IDEA that ensures all students succeed and achieve," says Tom Torkelson, Founder and CEO of IDEA Public Schools.

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