The curriculum reform in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, focuses on implementing high-quality, evidence-based instruction, particularly explicit teaching and the gradual release of responsibility. This paper examines the 'quality' of writing instruction in the new curriculum materials for Kindergarten to Year 6 teachers. Our document analysis of…

In this article, researchers in the field of early writing identify underlying beliefs and values about writing and learning to write for the beginning years of formal schooling in four jurisdictions: the American state of Connecticut, New Zealand, the Canadian province of Ontario, and Sweden, as reflected in the respective curricula and standards…