This session provides an overview of structured literacy, outlining its core principles and the rationale behind the New Zealand Minister of Education’s decision to mandate its use in primary schools. It examines the policy context in which structured literacy was introduced, alongside key criticisms that have emerged during its implementation. The presentation reviews initial findings released by the Ministry of Education on the impact of structured literacy, followed by a synthesis of evidence from four New Zealand research projects conducted between 2014 and 2025 that have investigated the effectiveness of structured literacy approaches. To situate the New Zealand experience internationally, the session also summarises research and system-level evidence from the adoption of structured literacy in parts of the United States, England, Canada, and Australia.