Report - Dr. Stirling McDowell Foundation for Research Into Teaching

The Future
Our school division has launched a three- to six-year Literacy For Life initiative that
has proven to be not only successful, but also groundbreaking. We have been able
to access professional development in our own city and have the support of
superintendents, coordinators, consultants and administrators at every level. It is
our hope that every collegiate is able to maintain a viable literacy component and
that all schools, elementary and secondary alike, continue on their auspicious
journey towards increased literacy levels for all students in the Saskatoon Public
School Division.
One of the drawbacks to this study was its inability to fully measure the students’
long-term growth and perceptions about school. For many students who have
struggled with reading for most of their academic lives, a year, or even two
years, of being immersed in a literacy rich environment may not be enough to
overcome a deeply rooted belief system. It would be interesting to talk with these
students again in three or four years to see if their perceptions about reading and
learning were affected in any way by their experiences in the Literacy classroom.
6 RESEARCH REPORT: A School-Based Study on the Relationship Between Increased Literacy Levels and School Attachment