Years of research by Professor Marie Clay in New Zealand led to the intervention known as Reading Recovery. By 1990, Reading Recovery was also being implemented in Australia, the United States, Canada, and Europe.

New Zealand development of Reading Recovery began in 1976, with national implementation beginning in 1983.

Australia began implementation in 1984 and operates through state and territory departments of education as well as catholic education offices in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia (supported by New South Wales trainers), Tasmania (supported by Victoria trainer) and Western Australia (supported by Victoria trainer).

The United States began implementation in 1984 and is currently in most states. Bermuda is supported by U.S. trainers.

Canada began implementation in 1988 and is currently in 5 provinces and the Yukon Territory.

The implementation in Europe began in 1990 and is currently established across England, Jersey, Republic of Ireland, and Denmark.

All countries operate within the design standards of Reading Recovery for their context, and all collect and report outcome data annually for every child in Reading Recovery. A strong communication network among Reading Recovery trainers ensures the integrity of implementation across countries, cultures, and languages.

Reading Recovery is also available in the United States for children whose language of instruction is Spanish (Descubriendo la Lectura) and in Canada for children whose language of instruction is French (Intervention Préventive en Lecture-Écriture). Development in Danish is currently underway in Denmark with the support of Reading Recovery trainers at the University of London.

The International Reading Recovery Trainers Organization (IRRTO) provides an international leadership structure to ensure the ongoing quality and integrity of Reading Recovery. IRRTO is committed to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of Reading Recovery and to supporting change and growth in Reading Recovery through international collaboration, research, and resource development.

The IRRTO Executive Board, with equal representation from each country, provides a system for international decision-making. Standing committees attend to issues related to research and development, the training of trainers, communication, and design.

An International Reading Recovery Institute is scheduled every 3 years in different regions of the world implementing Reading Recovery. This unique opportunity to share and learn from international colleagues is open to Reading Recovery professionals and their administrators.

Clay, M. M. (1997). International perspectives on the Reading Recovery program. In J. Flood, S. B. Heath, & D. Lapp (Eds.). Handbook of research on teaching literacy through the communicative and visual arts (pp. 655-667). New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillan.

Schmitt, M. C., Askew, B. J., Fountas, I. C., Lyons, C. A., & Pinnell, G. S. (2005). Changing futures: The influence of Reading Recovery in the United States. Worthington, OH: The Reading Recovery Council of North America. (See Chapter 2)

Schmitt, M. C. (2005). Changing the educational landscape: A short history of Reading Recovery in North America. The Journal of Reading Recovery, 4(2), 22-30.