An early intervention program targeted at children struggling to read may not be delivering the results its advocates promise. Reading Recovery has been around since the 1970s, but its effectiveness is increasingly being called into doubt.

If you have a child who develops reading difficulties within their first year of school, the chances are pretty good they have been involved in an intervention program called Reading Recovery.

And they wouldn't be alone: a 2015 government report found over half of NSW government schools offer Reading Recovery, a 10-12 week program focusing on daily 30 minute lessons for struggling readers in their first year of education.

The website of the US arm of Reading Recovery tells of 'more than 25 years of documented success' teaching reading outcomes to more than 2 million children.

There's just one problem: Reading Recovery doesn’t deliver on its promises, says James Chapman, a professor of educational psychology at New Zealand's Massey University.