ABSTRACT
This section, indeed the whole book, reflects a commitment from all concerned to ensure the highest possible literacy standards for all children. A key factor in any move to raise literacy standards must be the teacher. How teachers are prepared for their work in the classroom and how they are helped in the development of their practice over the time of their career must be central concerns. The research described in the first section provides clear indications of what we know about how children learn to read and write. However, the shift from research monograph to teacher manual is a tricky one. Classrooms are messy places full of individuals with different beliefs, experiences, worries and enthusiasms. The task of the policy maker, whether at national, local or school level, is to ensure the best of our understandings from research are used effectively in the classroom.
