They had been following the stunning improvements in academic achievements of children in the Mornington Peninsula and Western Port regions of Victoria.
Those regions had adopted the approach of La Trobe academics Pamela Snow and Tanya Serry, who had created the Science of Language and Reading (SOLAR) Lab in 2020 to address a fundamental, but flawed, element of Australia’s school education system: teaching is treated like an art, not a science, and graduates leave their courses without basic knowledge of explicit teaching methods, and only the barest of skills in classroom management.
“We saw the incredible difference that a strong evidence-based reading and language program can make – and the ripple effect that building kids’ confidence has throughout families and communities,” Mr Bertalli said.
“Not only did the children enjoy school more, their NAPLAN results improved.”
The Bertalli Foundation has for 40 years made philanthropic donations to enhance education, medical, science, arts and cultural sectors, and for rural and regional programs.
“We’ve seen very low achievement levels among school-aged children. Having made some good amounts of money, we are putting it back into education where kids can get a start and try to avoid unemployment and low-skill type jobs,” Mr Bertalli said.
Mr Bertalli made his first fortune in the road transport business and second and third fortunes by investing in a software company and owning the motor sales company Patterson Cheney.
“I was a businessman and I always did my research before buying a company. I apply the same skills to philanthropy,” he said.
Having put three Melbourne-based universities through the Bertalli wringer, he landed on La Trobe as by far the best option to give his money to.
He was not only impressed by Professor Barbousas’ adoption of evidence-based teaching and the science of learning, he was also attracted to its scale, graduating 700 new teachers a year, most of whom go on to teach in rural and regional schools.
“La Trobe has good impact. That’s what we loved about it. We could put our money in and then multiply the outcomes,” he said.
The $2.5 million donation will fund the creation of reading and writing clinics at La Trobe’s Bendigo and Bundoora campuses, offering assessment and intervention services to school-aged students who are struggling with their reading and writing.
It will also go towards the creation of Science of Learning Schools (SoLS), where exemplary schools will become regional hubs, other teachers can gain professional development and pre-service teachers can experience best practice in the science of learning.
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