Structured Teaching Boosts Student Progress, Confirms New ERO Research

Education Minister Erica Stanford said the results are proof that the Government’s evidence-led reforms are transforming classroom learning outcomes.

A new report from the Education Review Office (ERO) has confirmed that the Government’s introduction of structured literacy and structured mathematics has already led to significant improvements in student engagement, confidence, and achievement across New Zealand primary schools.

The findings provide early evidence that the shift toward more explicit, science-based teaching methods is working — and that after decades of declining achievement, student progress is finally trending upward.

Education Minister Erica Stanford said the results are proof that the Government’s evidence-led reforms are transforming classroom learning outcomes.

“For decades we’ve seen a decline in achievement and an equity gap that has continued to grow. This report confirms we are turning that around,” Ms Stanford said. “More young people are on track to reaching their potential at school, and it’s because we’ve followed the science and backed teachers with the right support.”

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Evidence of Rapid Improvement Across the Country

The ERO’s research — based on feedback from teachers, parents, and students in schools implementing structured literacy and maths — shows dramatic gains in learning progress and enthusiasm for core subjects.

Key findings include:

• 50% of primary teachers reported their students’ English and maths performance had improved compared with last year.

• Over 75% of parents said their children were making better progress in both subjects.

• Three out of four students (around 75%) said they were improving in English and maths.

• 95% of students now find English “interesting” and 86% say the same for maths.

• Teachers also reported that structured literacy approaches have led to noticeable improvements in attention, focus, and behaviour in the classroom.

The report highlights a sharp reversal of trends seen in international assessments like PISA and TIMSS, where New Zealand’s literacy and numeracy results had steadily declined for nearly 20 years.

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The Science Behind Structured Teaching

The “structured” approach represents a significant shift from traditional discovery or inquiry-based learning models. It emphasises explicit, sequential, and cumulative instruction — teaching skills step-by-step and reinforcing them through guided practice.

Structured Literacy

Structured literacy draws on cognitive science and decades of reading research, often referred to as the “science of reading.” It focuses on teaching phonics, decoding, vocabulary, and comprehension in a systematic way.

“We have 33,000 teachers trained or in training in structured literacy — that’s around 80% of all Year 0–8 teachers,” said Minister Stanford. “Teachers now have a clear framework for how reading is taught, which ensures no child is left behind because of inconsistent methods.”

Structured Mathematics

The introduction of structured mathematics applies similar principles — moving away from unanchored problem-solving to a more scaffolded approach. Lessons follow a sequence where foundational skills are mastered before progressing to complex reasoning.

To support this rollout, the Government reprioritised $30 million to provide over 1.1 million maths textbooks, workbooks, and teacher guides to schools nationwide.

The ERO found that teachers who used these new materials were four times more likely to change their teaching practice, demonstrating the strong influence of resourcing and professional development.

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Teachers Leading the Transformation

The ERO report shows that the reforms have already driven widespread change in classroom practice:

• 80% of teachers have altered how they teach English and maths.

• 100% of schools now use some form of explicit instruction in their literacy and numeracy programmes.

• One-third of teachers have increased the amount of time devoted to reading, writing, and mathematics.

This shift is particularly pronounced in lower socio-economic communities, where nearly half of teachers report increasing their focus on maths.

ERO’s analysis suggests that structured approaches are helping close long-standing equity gaps by ensuring students from disadvantaged backgrounds receive consistent, high-quality instruction.

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Closing the Equity Gap in Education

For many years, educational inequity has been one of New Zealand’s most persistent challenges. Students from low-income families or non-English-speaking backgrounds have often fallen behind in early literacy and numeracy — gaps that widen over time.

Minister Stanford says the reforms are explicitly designed to address this.

“Every student deserves the chance to succeed and live the life they want,” she said. “We’re making sure that every student, regardless of background, has that chance. The goal is both excellence and equity — because we can’t settle for one without the other.”

International research supports this direction. Nations such as Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States have seen measurable improvements in reading achievement after adopting structured teaching models.

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The Road Ahead: Support and Scaling Up

The Ministry of Education and ERO are now focusing on supporting the remaining teachers to complete structured literacy training and on ensuring consistent implementation across all schools.

Future initiatives will include:

• Continuous professional development for teachers and principals;

• Monitoring student progress through national benchmarks;

• Expanding structured teaching into secondary schooling in years to come; and

• Refining teaching resources based on ongoing classroom feedback.

ERO has also recommended that the Government continue funding resource development and training to maintain the momentum that has driven early success.

“We’ve made an incredible boost in less than a year,” said Ms Stanford. “That success belongs to our teachers, who have embraced the change and made it work for their students. The evidence is clear — structured teaching works, and it’s transforming education.”

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A Turning Point for New Zealand Education

After two decades of concern over declining academic performance, the new ERO data offers a rare note of optimism. Teachers are teaching differently, students are more confident, and parents are seeing the difference.

Education experts say this marks a crucial moment for restoring faith in the public school system — one grounded in evidence, equity, and effectiveness.

As New Zealand continues to refine and expand structured approaches, the focus will remain on one unifying goal: ensuring every child leaves primary school with the literacy and numeracy foundations they need for life.