Thank you to all who have provided such great feedback on our new website. Your thoughts, particularly about how you are using the website and the curated range of resources will continue to be very welcome. Write to learningandliteracy2020@gmail.com

Several people have specifically commented on the Foundation’s 12 Touchstones, our guiding principles. They are now much more prominent on the new website.

Featured Touchstones

We are featuring three of our touchstones this month as August and September have several special dates related to reading for pleasure (see Partner Activity).

Touchstone 3- Storytelling, reading, viewing and writing are pleasure and power.

Touchstone 7- Learners need multiple opportunities to engage in reading; the more time spent on independent, self-selected reading, the more their reading improves.

Touchstone 12- When parents and carers enjoy talking with and reading to and with their children, everyone benefits.

What's New on our Website

The following resources in the Research and Practice collection, exemplify our three featured Touchstones:

• In the Curriculum and Reading tab, a recent ALEA article by Robyn English calls for the use of quality children’s literature in the primary classroom. 
• Also shared by ALEA is the article by Christine Topfer in the Reading and Writing tabs, reminding us that spelling needs to be taught in a context which includes both reading and writing. 
• In the Policy tab a keynote by Larissa Behrendt on why galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAM) help to include everyone in a national story that helps to build social cohesion. 
• One of our Research into Practice conversations outlines one school’s success through working with researcher consultant Dr Misty Adoniou and using high expectation, high support strategies and quality literature. 

Advocacy Work

This year FFLL wrote to all state and territory education ministers and shadow ministers along with the federal minister and shadow minister. Our letter outlined the work of the Foundation, our resources, along with our partnership with 18 like-minded organisations to pull together our 5th symposium. We have had online meetings with some of the ministers/shadow ministers, or their advisors, or department representatives. Our focus for these meetings has been on the 5 priorities our Foundation believes are essential in furthering goals for an equitable education and aspirational future for all Australian children and young people: 

1. Include Australian school leaders and experienced classroom educators in policymaking and decision-making about learning and literacy education for schools and early learning centres.
2. Ensure literacy policy and professional practice is guided by peer-reviewed, extensive classroom-tested research.
3. Ensure experienced educators are represented in policy making and curriculum planning.
4. Ensure every school has a library and a Teacher Librarian and is funded equitably whether regional, remote or metropolitan.
5. Provide high quality and inclusive literature and resources for every Australian preschool and classroom.

Please share this newsletter widely amongst your networks and suggest they become a Friend.

Read the latest news on Learning and Literacy, compiled by the Foundation team in our      LATEST NEWS area. This recent article will be of interest to all stakeholders.

Past featured articles and resources can be accessed in the newsletter archive.

Yours in literacy,

The Executive and General Committees
Foundation for Learning and Literacy