a landscape analysis of the global literacy sector · 3 § donors are heavily prioritizing...
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ALandscapeAnalysisoftheGlobalLiteracySectorByResultsforDevelopmentInstituteCommissionedbyPearsonforProjectLiteracy
May2016
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ResultsforDevelopmentInstitute(R4D)isanonprofitorganizationwhosemissionistounlocksolutionstotoughdevelopmentchallengesthatpreventpeopleinlow-andmiddle-incomecountriesfromrealizingtheirfullpotential.Usingvariedapproachesinmultiplesectors,includingglobaleducation,globalhealth,governance, andmarket dynamics, R4D supports the discovery and implementation of new ideas forreducingpovertyandimprovinglivesaroundtheworld.ThisreportwasauthoredbyateamatR4DledbyTaraHillandincludingMollyJamiesonEberhardt,YoojinKim, andMaxwell Gollin. For more information, please contact Tara Hill at [email protected] or MollyJamiesonEberhardtatmeberhardt@r4d.org.WhilethereportwaspublishedinMay2016,researchforthisanalysiswasconductedinJune2015.
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Copyright©2016ResultsforDevelopmentInstitute111119thStreet,N.W.,Suite700,Washington,DC20036www.projectliteracy.com
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TableofContentsIntroduction.........................................................................................................................................1ExecutiveSummary..............................................................................................................................2I.Background.......................................................................................................................................4II.Keystakeholdersandinitiativesintheliteracyfield.........................................................................5
Globallevel.......................................................................................................................................5
Overviewofexistinggloballiteracyinitiatives.........................................................................5Themesemergingfromlandscapeofglobalinitiatives..........................................................11
Regionallevel.................................................................................................................................17
Overviewofexistingliteracy-focusedinitiatives....................................................................17Themesemergingfromlandscapeofregionalinitiatives.......................................................20
Nationallevel(inPearsonprioritymarkets:US,UK,SouthAfrica,Brazil,China,India)..............21
Overviewofexistingliteracy-focusedinitiatives:...................................................................21Gapsintheliteracylandscape.......................................................................................................30
III.Keyissuesandbestpracticesintheliteracyfield...........................................................................33
Relativelystrongevidence.............................................................................................................33
Mother-tongueinstruction.....................................................................................................33Targetedinstruction...............................................................................................................34
Emergingevidence.........................................................................................................................34
Parental/familyengagement..................................................................................................34Mobiletechnology..................................................................................................................35Technologyandliteracy..........................................................................................................36Structuredmaterials...............................................................................................................37
BestPracticesinadultliteracy.......................................................................................................37
IV.Recommendationsforthegloballiteracysector............................................................................39AnnexI:Listofstakeholderinterviews...............................................................................................41References.........................................................................................................................................41
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IntroductionWhile the international communityhasmadegreat strides inpromotingglobal literacy in thepast15years,significantprogressisstilltobemade.AccordingtotheUNESCOInstituteforStatistics,781millionadults(age15andover)globallylackbasicreadingandwritingskills.Whileliteracyrateshaveimprovedinalmosteveryregionoftheworldsince2000,theseimprovementshavenotbeenconsistent.Womenaccountfornearlytwo-thirdsofadultilliterates,andthisratiohasnotchangedbetween1990and2015(UNESCO2014).Youthliteracystatisticsarenotmuchmoreinspiring:approximately126million15to24yearoldsarestillunabletoreadworldwide,accountingfor10.6%oftheglobalyouthpopulation(UNESCOInstituteforStatistics2014).ProjectLiteracyisanewcoalitionofglobalandlocalorganizationsdedicatedtotacklingtheliteracygapbyadvancingbestpractice,innovatingfornewsolutions,andenergizingdebateaboutliteracy.ConvenedbyPearsonin2015,ProjectLiteracypartnersasofSeptemberof2016includePearson,28TooMany,826National,AchievementforAll,ActiononAddiction,AsiaFoundation,BookAidInternational,BookTrust,BooksBeyondWords,CENPEC,DoctorsoftheWorldUK,FCBINFERNO,FeedtheMinds,FightforPeace,FirstBook,GOODWorldwide,Jumpstart,LessonsforLifeFoundation,Microsoft,NationalLiteracyTrust,NOW,Nutrition&EducationInternational(NEI),PencilsofPromise,Pledgeling,RaisingaReader,ReachOutandRead,ReadOn.GetOn.,ReadingisFundamental(RIF),ReadingPartners,ResultsforDevelopmentInstitute,RoomtoRead,TheBigIssue,TheHungerProject,TheInstituteforStrategicDialogue,TooSmallTo Fail, UNESCO, Unreasonable Group, Veerni Project,War Child UK,Weber Shandwick,WomankindWorldwide,WorldLiteracyFoundation,Worldreader,LitWorld,AFRIpads,Angaza,Edom,Edovo,Eduze,Guru-G, Guten, Insane Logic, Karadi Path, Kingo, LightSail, Livox, Robbie AI, SunCulture, ThinkCERCA,Ubongo,BreakthroughCollaborative,BulverdeSpringBranchLibraryFoundation(BSBL),IGAUPM,LankaJathika,LiteracyInc.,MaryWardCenter,MinnesotaLiteracyCouncil,NationalBraillePress,Parent-ChildHomeProgram,Tablab,TheDreamCenter,TheIndigenousLiteracyFoundation(ILF),TheLiteracyLab,UnMillóndeNiñosLectores,WeNeedDiverseBooks(WNDB),WesternCapePrimaryScienceProgramme,LibraryForAll,READAlliance,EYElliance, ImpactNetwork, ILA,Tales2go, IndyReads,TheBeatWithin,CradlestoCrayons,TheReadingAgency,andReadingRescue.AsPearsonanditspartnersseektolaythegroundworkforProjectLiteracy,understandingthecurrentlandscape of the global literacy sector is critical to maximizing the likelihood of success. PearsoncommissionedthislandscapeasinitialeffortofProjectLiteracytounderstandandcontributetothegloballiteracysector.It iswith thisgoal inmind thatResults forDevelopment Institute (R4D)undertooka landscapeof thegloballiteracysector.Thereportisorganizedintofoursections:SectionI: Background
Highlightskeystatisticsrelatedtogloballiteracy.SectionII: Keystakeholdersandinitiativesintheliteracyfield
Provides anoverviewof stakeholders and initiatives focusedon literacy at the global,regional,andnationallevels(forPearson’sprioritycountries);identifiescommonthemesamong these initiatives and analyzes current patterns of engagement to identify gapswheremoreattentioncouldbegiven.
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SectionIII: Keyissuesandbestpracticesintheliteracyfield Providesahigh-leveloverviewofkey issuesandbestpractices inthe literacyfieldand
highlightsthosewheretheevidencebaseisparticularlystrong.SectionIV: Recommendationsforthegloballiteracysector
Synthesizesandanalyzesthe informationobtainedthroughthe landscapetodrawoutrecommendationsforhowtobestsupportthegloballiteracysectormovingforward.
MethodologyThemethodologyusedforthislandscapeanalysisincludedthefollowingkeycomponents:
Ø Systematiconlinesearchesusingkeywordstoidentifystakeholdersandinitiativesintheliteracyfieldattheglobal,regional,andnationallevels.
Ø Detailed desk reviewof key global literacy initiatives using theirwebsites and other availableresources.
Ø Rapid desk review of regional and country literacy initiatives in priority countries, as well ascorporateliteracyinitiatives.
Ø Reviewandsynthesisofpublishedandgreyliteraturerelatedtoevidence-basedpracticesintheliteracyfield.
Ø Keyinformantinterviewswithstakeholdersengagedwithgloballiteracyinitiatives.Atotaloftenstakeholders were interviewed representing eight different initiatives. The list of stakeholderinterviewscanbefoundinAnnexI.
ExecutiveSummaryA summary of key findings from the landscape analysis and recommendations for global literacystakeholdersisprovidedbelow.Summaryofkeyfindings:
§ Themostcommonthemesamonggloballiteracyinitaitivesinorderofprevalenceare:educationtechnology;early-gradereading;teachertrainingandprofessionaldevelopment;mother-tonguereadingmaterials;familyandcommunityengagement;literacyassessment;adultliteracy;literacyforchildrenwithdisabilities;andsocialmobilizationandbehaviorchangestrategies.
§ Donor interest in funding literacy internationally is more heavily skewed towards the earlygrades than towards adolescent or adult literacy. Not only is global programming for adultliteracylimited,fundingtoconductadvocacyforadultliteracygloballyisevenmorelimited.
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§ Donorsareheavilyprioritizing technology in thecurrent literacy landscape.However, severalinterviewed stakeholders noted that while education technology is attracting considerableinterestand funding, there is still a significant lackofevidenceonwhat typesof technologyinterventionsactuallyworktoimproveliteracy.
§ Literacy for children with disabilities remains an area where global literacy initiatives arecurrentlynotveryactive.
§ A handful of organizations are leading the way on parental and community engagement inchildren’sliteracy,butthisisanareawheremorecouldbedone,particularlygiventhegrowingevidencebasesupportingthisapproach.
§ SincetheterminationofpreviousglobalcampaignsforliteracysuchastheGlobalCampaignforEducation’sLiteracyforAllCampaignandtheUnitedNationsLiteracyDecade’sLiteracyInitiativeforEmpowerment (LIFE), thereareno large-scaleglobaladvocacycampaignson literacy thathavetakentheirplace.
§ Therearenocorporate-drivencampaignsorinitiativesforliteracyatthegloballevel.Allliteracyinitiatives at the global level were driven by the non-profit sectors (NGOs or bilateral andmultilateralagencies).
§ Mostofthegloballiteracyinitiativesdonothaveaparticulargeographicfocus,butratherworkacrossawidenumberofcountries.Inmanyinstances,thishasbeendoneintentionally.
§ Thelandscapeuncoveredafewregionalliteracyinitiatives,butingeneral,thereislessactivityattheregionallevelthanattheglobalandcountrylevels.Thismaybeduetolackofdonorinterestinfundingregionalactivitiesorbarrierstocoordination(distance,costs,etc.).
§ Relativelystrongevidenceexistssupportingthepositiveimpactofmother-tongueinstructionandtargeted instruction on literacy and learning outcomes. Emerging evidence exists forparental/family engagement, mobile technology, technology and literacy, and the use ofstructuredmaterials.
Recommendations:
Theserecommendationsarederivedfromananalysisofkeygapsinthegloballiteracylandscape.Theyareintendedforthegloballiteracycommunitybroadly,butareparticularlyrelevanttofundersandotherstakeholderscommittedtosupportingliteracy.CompleterecommendationsareprovidedinSectionIV.
§ Provideincreasedsupportforidentifiedgapsintheliteracysector,inparticularforadultliteracyOneof the key takeaways from this landscape analysis is the gulf betweenprogramming andfundingforchildliteracyandadultliteracy.Themajorityofexistinginitiativesarefocusedonchildliteracy. Adult literacy, in particularmaternal andwomen’s adult literacy, is extremely under-fundedandinsignificantneedofadditionalresourcesandattention.
§ If a new global literacy campaign is launched, it should be inclusive and have a clear and
targetedfocus.
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Themajorityofinterviewedstakeholderssawvalueinanewgloballiteracycampaign,providedithasaclear,narrowfocusandobjective.
§ Avoidduplicationofeffort,buildonexistinginitiatives,andenhanceinformation-sharingAsexisting initiatives inthe literacysectorseektoexpandtheiractivities,orasnew initiativesseektoenterthespace,itiscriticallyimportanttounderstandthescopeofwhathasalreadybeendoneincertainareas,andtobuildontheseeffortswherepossible.
§ Enhance collaboration between “non-traditional” literacy stakeholders and “traditional”developmentandgloballiteracystakeholdersThis landscapeanalysisunderscoredtherelativelyfragmentednatureofthe literacy landscapeand the divide between for-profit/corporate (“non-traditional”) and non-profit/public(“traditional”)initiatives.Withanincreasingnumberofnon-traditionalstakeholdersinterestedinplayingameaningfulroleinsupportingliteracy,thefieldasawholecouldstandtobenefitfromgreatercollaborationandengagementacrosssectors.
§ Continuetoinvestinrobustmonitoring,evaluation,andlearning
Thegloballiteracysectorshouldcontinuetoinvestheavilyinrigorousmonitoring,evaluation,andlearningefforts,toincreaseourcollectiveunderstandingofbestpracticeforimprovingliteracyoutcomes in different contexts for different target groups. This is particularly true of newerliteracyinterventionscurrentlygainingsignificanttraction,suchaseducationtechnology.
I.BackgroundTheinternationalcommunityhasmadegreatstridesinpromotinggloballiteracyinthelast15years,butthereisstillsignificantprogresstobemade.TheEducationforAllGlobalMonitoringReportestimatesthattherearecurrentlyabout781millionilliterateadults—consideringpossiblemeasurementerrorsthisnumbercouldwellbeupwardsof1billion(UNESCO2015).Inshort,theEducationforAllGoaltoreduceadult illiteracy (especially amongwomen) by 50% between 2000 and 2015was notmet:while adultilliteracyhasfallenby23%inthistimeframe,thisisfarshyofthe50%goal(UNESCO2015).Worsestill,womenaccountfornearlytwo-thirdsofadult illiterates,andthisratiohasnotchangedbetween1990and2015(UNESCO2014).Femaleliteracyrepresentsamissedopportunityforenormousgainsinoverallwelfare and growth in the developing world. A large body of evidence suggests that female literacyimproves“women’sempowerment; familywelfare, includingchildhealthandnutrition; fertility rates;agriculturalproductivity”alongwith“equity…andpovertyreduction”(R4D2011).Whileilliteracyisaglobalissue,thechallengeisparticularlyacuteinlow-andmiddle-incomecountries.In fact, in someregions illiteracy rateshaveactuallygoneup. InSouthandWestAsia, thenumberofilliterateadultshasincreasedby2%since1990,andinSub-SaharanAfricaithasrisen37%(UNESCO2014).India’s287millionilliterateadultsaccountsforoverone-thirdoftheglobaltotal,whileNigeriahasgained17millionilliterateadultssince1990foratotalincreaseof71%.Additionally,ifonelooksatgroupsofadultsborninagivenyearratherthantheadultpopulationaswhole(toeliminatetheeffectofpopulationgrowthonliteracyrates),therehavebeenvirtuallynorealgainsinadultliteracysince2000,asperceivedimprovementshavemostlybeenduetoolderilliteratepopulationsdyingoutwhileyounger,moreliteratepopulations grow to dominate national demographics (UNESCO 2015). Further, youth literacy is alsoseverely wanting, with approximately 126 million 15- to 24-year-olds worldwide unable to read,accountingfor10.6%oftheglobalyouthpopulation(UIS2014).Citizen-ledassessmentsacrosstheworld
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fromIndiatoEastAfricahavereflectedthedirenatureofthelearningcrisisattheschool-agelevel(ASER,Uwezo).Manygovernmentsinthedevelopingworldhavelaunchedadultliteracycampaignssince2000,buttheyhaverarelyputanymonitoringandevaluationmechanismsinplace,makingitverydifficulttoestimateimpactorlearningoutcomes(UNESCO2015).Mobiletechnologyshowspromiseforimprovingliteracyoutcomes,butdefinitiveevidenceofitsimpactisstilllacking.Tohelpthehugenumberofpeoplearoundtheworldwho lack basic reading skills, the international community needs tomake a better funded,betterorganized,andmoreconcertedeffort.Asthe2015GlobalMonitoringReportstates,intheyearssince2000“callsforactiontofocusonamoreholisticviewofliteracyatthegloballevelwerenotmatchedbyawillingnesstoadequatelyfundprogramsatthenationallevel.”Thereisthereforeenormousdemandworldwideforstakeholderstoprovidefundingandsupportforliteracyprograms,particularlythosethatworktowarderadicatingadultandfemaleilliteracy.
II.KeystakeholdersandinitiativesintheliteracyfieldGiventhefundamental importanceof literacytohumanandeconomicdevelopment, it isunsurprisingthatthislandscapeanalysishasidentifiedalargenumberofdiverseinitiativesandorganizationsactivelyengaged in the literacy field. These include those working at the global level as well as a numbercommitted toworking regionally and/or nationally. Focus areas and activities varywidely, fromearlygradereadingtoadult literacyand fromadvocacycampaigns togrant-makingcompetitions.Themosthigh-profile initiativesaredrivenpredominantlyby thenon-profit sector (NGOsorbilateral agencies);however,anumberofcorporatesocialresponsibility(CSR)initiativesalsofocusonliteracy.Thissectionprovidesanoverviewandanalysisofkeystakeholdersandinitiativesintheliteracyfieldattheglobal,regional,andselectnationallevel,bothfromthenon-profitandcorporatesectors.1Itshouldbe noted that organizations whose work is limited to implementing literacy interventions were notcomprehensivelylandscapedinthisanalysis.
Globallevel
OverviewofexistinggloballiteracyinitiativesThislandscapeidentifiedtwelveinitiativesand/ororganizationsexplicitlyfocusedontacklingliteracyatagloballevelwithafocusonlow-andmiddle-incomecountries.2Theseincludethefollowing:
1InitiativeslandscapedincludethosemostrelevanttoProjectLiteracy(advocacycampaigns,researchnetworks,communitiesofpractice,grant-makingcompetitions,etc.).2SomeoftheseinitiativesalsoconductextensiveworkintheUnitedStates,andarere-visitedinthesectiononnationalinitiatives.
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TableIbelowprovidesanoverviewoftheseinitiativesandtheirfocusactivities.Itissignificanttonotethat only two initiatives focus on adult literacy, one ofwhich is no longer active (theUnitedNationsLiteracyDecade).Theremaininginititaivesallfocusprimarilyonchildliteracy.
AllChildrenReadingGlobalCampaignforEducation:LiteracyforAll
GlobalLearningXPRIZEGlobalLiteracyCollaborativeGlobalReadingNetwork
InternationalLiteracyAssociation(ILA)InternationalLiteracyInstitute
LibraryofCongressLiteracyAwardsMobilesforEducationAlliance
ProLiteracyUNESCOInternationalLiteracyPrizes
UnitedNationsLiteracyDecade
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TableI:OverviewofgloballiteracyinitiativesNameof
organization/initiative
Typeofinitiative
Typeoforganization
Overview Literacypriorityareas Prioritycountries
AllChildrenReading(U.S.AID)
Competition Aidagencies
(USAID,World
Vision,DFAT)
AllChildrenReadingwasestablishedbyUSAID
in2011toidentifysolutionstoimprove
children’sreadingskillsintheearlygrades.Itis
a$25millioninitiativethatrunscompetitions
toidentifyinnovationsleveragingthepowerof
technologytopromoteliteracy.Keypartners
alsoincludeWorldVisionandDFAT(formerly
AustralianAid).
- Earlygradereading- Educationtechnology- Teachingandlearning
materials
- Dataaccessibility- Childrenwithdisabilities- Mother-tongue
instruction
- Parentalandcommunityengagement
Acceptapplications
globally.CurrentRound
2granteesarefrom
Zambia(x2),Cambodia,
Jordan,Mali(x2),
Afghanistan,Mexico,
India(x2)Lesotho,
Morocco,Philippines,
Georgia.
GlobalCampaignforEducation:LiteracyforAll
Advocacy
Campaign
Coalitionof
NGOs
TheGlobalCampaignforEducation(GCE)aims
tostrengthenthevoiceofcivilsocietyinthe
developmentofnationaleducation.GCEandits
membersrunnational,regional,andglobal
campaignsrelatedtotheEducationForAll
goals,includingitsLiteracyforAllCampaign.
- Mother-tongueearlygradematerials
- Teachertraining
Global
GlobalLearningXPRIZE
Competition NGO/Foundati
on(XPRIZE
Foundation)
TheGlobalLearningXPRIZEaimstoimprove
literacyoutcomesamongchildrenin
developingcountriesbyawardingprizemoney
todevelopersthatcreateoutstandingliteracy
software.Itawards$15millionintotalprize
moneytoteamsofsoftwaredevelopersthat
createanopensourcescalableprogramtohelp
childrenindevelopingcountrieslearnliteracy
andnumeracyskillswithinan18monthperiod.
- Earlygradereading- Educationtechnology
Applicationssourced
globally,field-testing
willoccurinTanzania.
GlobalLiteracyCollaborative*
Research
networkand
Community
ofpractice
Consortiumof
academic
institutions
and
foundations
TheGlobalLiteracyCollaborativeaimsto
initiateagloballiteracymovementbasedon
educationtechnologyandfosteracommunity
ofresearchers,funders,andimplementers
aroundthisgoal.
- Earlygradereading- Educationtechnology
(tablets)
- Independentreading
Ethiopia
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GlobalReadingNetwork
Research
networkand
Community
ofpractice
Aidagency
(USAID)
TheGlobalReadingNetworkisanetwork
comprisedofgovernments,practitioners,civil
societyorganizations,teachersassociations,
academics,funders,UNagencies,andother
stakeholderscommittedtoimprovingreading
outcomesforprimarygradechildrenacrossthe
globe.
- Earlygradereading- Socialmobilization/
behaviorchange
strategies
Global,notyetspecified
InternationalLiteracyAssociation(ILA)*
Advocacy
organization;
Research
network;
Community
ofPractice
NGO ILAhasthreecoreareasoffocus:(1)global
operations(focusedondevelopingcountries
andworkstoimprovetheprofessional
developmentandinstitutionalcapacityof
literacyeducatorswhiledevelopingand
implementingpartnershipsglobally),(2)
trainingandinformingliteracyeducators
throughpracticalresearchjournals,
publications,professionaldevelopment,
conferences,andadvocacyefforts,and(3)
advocacyeffortswithlegislativeandregulatory
bodies.Ithasanetworkofaffiliate
organizations(localreadingassociations)in
over70countries.
- Teachertraining/professional
development
ILAaffiliateshavebeen
establishedin76
countries
InternationalLiteracyInstitute(ILI)*
Research
organization
Intergovernm
ental
organization,
academic
institution
(UNESCO,
Universityof
Pennsylvania)
ILIconductsresearchongloballiteracyand
educationaldevelopment,especiallyinthe
developingworldandprovidesonlinetoolsto
helpadultsandchildrendevelopliteracyand
professionalskills.
- Educationtechnology- Teacher
training/professional
development
- Literacyassessment
Global.ILI’sflagship
BridgestotheFuture
projectisinIndiaand
SouthAfrica
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LibraryofCongressLiteracyAwards*
Competition Government
organization
(Libraryof
Congress)
TheLibraryofCongressLiteracyAwards
Programaimstoencouragenewmethodsof
increasingliteracyandthespreadofbest
practicesbyrewardingorganizationsthathave
hadamajorimpactonreducingilliteracyinthe
U.S.andtheworld.Oneifitsthreeprizes,the
InternationalPrize,awards$50,000toan
exceptionalliteracyprogramabroad.The
programalsopublishesanannual“Best
Practices”report.
- Themesfromprevious“bestpractices”reports
include:facilitating
accesstoprint;
cultivatingdiverse
partnerships;leveraging
communityresources;
assessingcultural
relevance;using
technology;developing
writingskills;reading
aloudandstorytelling’
fosteringearly
interventionandfamily
engagement;addressing
socialbarriersto
literacy;increasing
motivationtoreadand
write;ensuringqualityof
instruction;increasing
awarenessofthe
problemofilliteracy;
promotinggenderequity
andmaternalliteracy.
Global,notspecified
MobilesforEducationAlliance
Community
ofpractice
Allianceofaid
agencies,
foundations,
NGOs,and
intergovernm
ental
organizations;
ledbyUSAID
TheMobilesforEducationAlliance
(MEducationAlliance)aimstoidentifymobile
technologiesthatcanimproveglobaleducation
issuessuchas“literacy,appropriate
educationalcontentdevelopmentand
dissemination,systemstrengthening(suchas
educationdatafordecisionmaking),
accessibilityforlearnerswithdisabilities,
professionaldevelopmentforeducators,and
workforcedevelopment.”
- Educationtechnology
Global,notspecified
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ProLiteracy* Advocacyorganization;
Supporterof
literacy
organizations
NGO
(ProLiteracy)
ProLiteracyisanon-profitorganizationthat
developsandsupportsadultliteracylearning,
content,andprogramsandadvocatesfor
improvedadultliteracyworldwide.Throughits
internationalwork,ProLiteracysupports
grassrootsorganizationstoestablishor
strengthenanexistingadultliteracyprogram.
- Adultliteracy- Social
mobilization/behavior
changestrategies
- Familyandcommunityengagement
Global
UNESCOInternationalLiteracyPrizes
Competition Intergovernm
ental
organization
(UNESCO)
TheUNESCOInternationalLiteracyPrizes
rewardinnovativeliteracyprogramsaroundthe
worldwithoneoftwomonetaryprizes
annually.
- Mother-tongueliteracy- Out-of-schoolchildren- Femaleliteracy- Ruralpopulations
Global
UnitedNationsLiteracyDecade
Advocacy
campaign
Intergovernm
ental
organization
(UN)
TheUnitedNationsLiteracyDecade(UNLD)
wasaUNinitiativethatranfrom2003-2012
aimedatworkingtowardachievingthesix
EducationforAll(EFA)goalsandadvancing
globalliteracy.Encompassedbothchildand
adultliteracy.
- Earlygradereading- Adultliteracy
Global,notspecified
*Indicatesinitiatives/organizationsalsoengagedinU.Sdomesticwork
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Themesemergingfromlandscapeofglobalinitiatives
Thefollowingsectionidentifiescommonthemesamongtheglobalinitiativesdescribedaboveintermsoftheirfocusareas,themainapproachesorstrategiesused,thesectordrivingtheseinitiativesforward(non-profitvs.corporate),andtheirgeographicfocus.TopicfocusofglobalinitiativesThetwelveinitiativeslandscapedabovefocusonawiderangeofsub-topicareasintheliteracyfield.Thethemesthatweremostcommoninclude:educationtechnology;early-gradereading;teachertrainingandprofessionaldevelopment;mother-tonguereadingmaterials;familyandcommunityengagement;literacyassessment;adultliteracy;literacyforchildrenwithdisabilities;andsocialmobilizationandbehaviorchangestrategies.Theseareorderedbyprevalence.a)Educationtechnology
Themostcommonlyrecurringtopicoffocusiseducationtechnology,afocusoffiveofthetwelveinitiatives(AllChildren Reading, Global Learning XPRIZE, Global Literacy Collaborative, International Literacy Institute,mEducationAlliance).Thistopicistackledthroughcompetitions,researchprojects,andcommunitiesofpractice.Forexample,theAllChildrenReadingGrandChallengecompetitionisexplicitlyfocusedonidentifyinglow-costandscalabletechnology-drivensolutionstoaddressliteracybarriers.TheGlobalLearningXPRIZEisacompetitionthatseekstochallengeteamsofdevelopersworldwidetodevelopanopensourcescalablesoftwaresolutiontoenablechildreninlowandmiddle-incomecountriestoteachthemselvesbasicreading,writing,andarithmeticwithinan18-monthfield-testingperiod.Thescaleofbothcompetitions(AllChildrenReadingisa$25millioninitiative and Global Learning XPRIZE is a $15 million competition) reflects the heavy prioritization of
technologyinthecurrentliteracylandscapeandtheextentofdonorinterestinthetopic.Someinitiativesareagnosticintermsofthetypeoftechnologytheyfocuson.Forexample,AllChildrenReadingandGlobalLearningXPRIZEarenon-prescriptiveinthetechnologysolutionstheyseektoidentify,withthegoalofbeingopentothemosteffectivetoolasopposedtobeingfocusedononespecifictypeofsolution.Otherinitiatives,however,havedevelopedmoreofanichearoundaparticulartypeoftechnology.ThemEducationAlliance,as itsnamesuggests, focuses itseffortsonresearchingmobiletechnologies foreducation, includingliteracy. The Global Literacy Collaborative is even narrower in its focus – a research project dedicated todeveloping a tablet-based application to improve literacy and comprehension outcomes. The InternationalLiteracyInstitute’sflagshipproject,TheBridgestotheFutureInitiative,similarlyhasnarroweditsfocustotheuseoftabletsandPCstosupportmother-tongueandsecondlanguageliteracyinIndiaandSouthAfrica.
Similarly,someinitiativesfocusontheuseoftechnologytoaddressliteracybroadly,whileothersnarrowtheirfocusmoreexplicitly.AllChildrenReadinghasselectedchildrenwithdisabilities,mother-tongueinstruction,andparentalandcommunityengagementasthreespecificthemesoffocusinitssecondround.Thesewereselectedasfocusareasbecausetheywereidentifiedasgapsintheliteracysectorandareareaswheretechnologywasthoughttobeabletomakethemostimpact(stakeholderinterview).
b)Early-gradereading
Severalofthegloballiteracyinitiativesfocusexclusivelyonearly-gradereading,namelyAllChildrenReading,TheGlobalReadingNetwork,TheGlobalLiteracyCollaborative,andGlobalLearningXPRIZE.Severalmorefocusonearlygradereadinginadditiontootherlevels.Donorinterestinfundingliteracyinternationallyismoreheavilyskewedtowardstheearlygradesthantowardsadolescentoradultliteracy.USAID’scommitmenttoearlygradereadingisdemonstratednotonlythroughitsAllChildrenReadingcompetition,butsimilarlythroughitsextensivework to develop assessment materials at those levels (the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA)). The
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InternationalLiteracyAssociation,eventhoughitdoesnothaveanexplicitfocusonearlygradereading,notesthatthemajorityofitsglobalaffiliates(localreadingassociations)tendtofocustheiractivitiesontheselevels(stakeholderinterview).c)Teachertrainingandprofessionaldevelopment
Threeoftheglobalinitiativeshavedoneworkexplicitlycenteredontheissueofteachertrainingandprofessionaldevelopment for literacy professionals (International Literacy Association, Global Campaign for Education:Literacy forAll,andthe InternationalLiteracy Institute),however,onlyone initiativewas identifiedashavingteachertrainingatthecoreofitsglobalwork(InternationalLiteracyAssociation).TheGlobalCampaignforEducation’s(GCE)LiteracyforAllCampaignfocusedonteachertrainingasoneofitstwocoreissues.Itreleasedareportentitled“ClosingtheTrainedTeacherGap”in2012andledGCE’s2013GlobalActionWeek toadvocate for improved teacher training. The International Literacy Institute ran theSummerLiteracyTrainingPrograminPhiladelphiaforadecadeuntil2000,andwasforprofessionalsworkingtoimproveliteracyindevelopingcountriestolearnaboutliteracypolicy,familyliteracydevelopment,literacyinnovationsandtechnology,andotherrelatedtopics.TheInternationalLiteracyAssociation(ILA),however,focusesthecoreofitsinternationalworkonimplementingdonor-fundedteachertrainingprogramsinadditiontocuratingitsnetworkoflocalaffiliateliteracyorganizations.OneofitsflagshipteachertrainingprogramswastheGlobalLiteracyProfessionalDevelopmentNetworkwhichwaspilotedinIndonesiaandBangladesh.d)Mother-tonguereadingmaterialsAswillbediscussedinSectionIII,thereisstrongevidencethatmother-tongueinstructionhasapositiveeffectonliteracyoutcomes.Enhancingmother-tongueinstruction,boththroughincreasingaccesstomother-tonguereadingmaterials and increasing teachers’ capacity to teach inmother-tongue is a key focus of two globalinitiatives(onecurrentandonenolongeractive).ItisoneofthethreethemesforAllChildrenReading’ssecondround competition, and is one of USAID’s literacy priorities (stakeholder interview). Grantees include thefollowing:
Mother-tongue early grade readingmaterials were also one of the focus areas of the Global Campaign forEducation’sLiteracyforAllCampaign.Thecampaignreleasedapolicybriefingonmother-tongueeducationin2013andworkedwithitsmembercoalitionstoproduceresourcesandtoolstoadvocateformoremother-tongue
AllChildrenReading:Round2Granteesformother-tongueinstruction(USAID2015)
v AgoraCenter,theUniversityofJyväskylä-ZambiaIntroducesGraphoGame,ascience-basedeLearningenvironmentforliteracyandteachertraining.
v CreativeAssociatesInternational-ZambiaDevelopsacommunity-based,scalablemodelforusingmobiletechnologytocreateanddisseminatemothertonguereadingmaterialstofamilieswithearlygradechildren.
v KampucheanActionforPrimaryEducation-CambodiaDevelopsmothertongueinstructionandreadingmaterials,withelectronicreadershavinginteractivefeaturesforGrades2and3readers.
v LittleThinkingMinds-JordanBuildsachild-centeredICT-basedArabicliteracyprogramconsistingofe-booksandassociatedmobileapplicationsthatcansupplementtraditionalschool-basedlearningathomeorintheclassroom.
v Réseaud’ActeurspourleRenouveaudel’Education-MaliUsesmobiletechnologytoimprovetheteachingandlearningofreadingandwritinginbilingualcurriculumschools.
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materials.OneofUNESCO’sInternationalLiteracyPrizesisalsodedicatedtorewardingexceptionalprogramsinmother-tongueliteracyeducationandtraining.e)Familyandcommunityengagement
Another theme common to two global initiatives is that of family and community engagement. All ChildrenReadinghasincludedthisasoneofitsthreefocusareasinthesecondroundofitscompetition.Selectedgranteesinthiscategoryinclude:
AswillbediscussedinSectionIII,thereisgrowingevidencethatparentalengagementintheirchildren’sreadinghasapositiveeffectonliteracyoutcomes.AsidefromAllChildrenReading,theonlyotherglobalorganization
currentlyexploringthistopicisProLiteracy.ProLiteracyapproachesthisissuefromauniqueanglegivenitsfocusonadultliteracy.Itsmodelinvolvesdevelopingreadingandlearningcontentforadultlearnersaroundparticularthematicorissueareasidentifiedasbeinghighprioritywithinthecommunity.Inotherwords,itseekstoteachliteracyasasolutiontootherproblemsorchallengesfacingthecommunity.Thespecific issueareathereforevariesdependingonthecontext.ProLiteracy’ssixactionareasinclude:health,humanrights,conflictresolution,environment,parentsasleadersineducation,andeconomicempowerment(stakeholderinterview).ProLiteracydevelops“literacysolutionsmanuals”aroundvarioustopicswithintheseactionareas.Aspartofits“parentsasleadersineducation”actionarea,ProLiteracyhasledalotofworkaroundfamilyliteracy.Oneofitssolutionsmanualsisonthetopicof“parentsasteachers,”supportingparentstoapplywhattheyarelearning in their literacy classes in thehomeby readingwith their children. ProLiteracyhas also run severalprojectswhichhavesupportedtrainings formothers to incorporateeducation in thehome,andcollaborateswiththeOprahAngelNetworktoprovidebookstomotherstoreadwiththeirchildren.Mostrecently,ProLiteracyissettopilotaprogramwithWorldreaderinKenya.Theprogramwilldeploye-readerspre-loadedwithe-booksforparentstoreadwiththeirchildren.f)Literacyassessments
Onlyoneofthegloballiteracyinitiativeslandscapedhasdoneworkfocusedonliteracyassessmentsindevelopingcountrycontexts(theInternationalLiteracyInstitute).TheInstituteandinparticularitsfounder,haveconductedextensive research on the topic of literacy assessments, promoting methods of “smaller, quicker, cheaper”assessments.3 Outside of the landscaped global literacy initiatives, a significant amount of research and
3SeeDanielA.Wagner,“Smaller,Quicker,Cheaper:ImprovingLearningAssessmentsforDevelopingCountries,”2011,Paris,UNESCO:InternationalInstituteofEducationPlanning.
AllChildrenReading:Round2Granteesforparentalandcommunityengagement
v ChildFundInternational-AfghanistanTransmitsradiomessagesandstoriestofamiliesofstrugglingreaders,usingsolar-chargedmobilephones.
v OeuvreMalienned'Aideàl'EnfanceduSahel-MaliUsesSteppingStone,alow-costmobilelessoncreationtool,todeterminehowaccesstointeractivedigitalaudioandtextsmightenhancepre-readingandreadingskills.
v QuéFuncionaparaelDesarrolloA.C.-MexicoIntroducesMATCH,atechnology-basedplatformthatprovideschildrenandtheirparentswithaselectionofSpanish-writtenbooksthataretailoredtothechild'sreadinglevelandcoincidewithhis/hertopicsofinterest.
v SesameWorkshopIndiaTrust-IndiaStrengthensfamilyandcommunityengagementinpromotingmothertonguereadingskillsamongearlyprimarygradechildren.
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implementationhasbeenconductedonissuesrelatedtoassessingliteracyskills,inparticularforearlygrades.USAID is a key stakeholder in this sector, having developed the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA)frameworkwhichhasbeenappliedinoversixtyfivecountries(stakeholderinterview).4Anotherapproachthathasgainedvisibilityandtractionoverthepastdecadeisthecitizen-ledassessmentmovement,whichleveragesvolunteerstoconductnational-levelhouseholdsurveysofchildren’slearningoutcomes(literacyandnumeracy).5The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) in India andUwezo in Kenya, Tanzania, andUganda are twoprominentexamples.6
g)Adultliteracy
OnlyProLiteracyfocusesexplicitlyandexclusivelyonadultliteracy.Asdescribedabove,ProLiteracy’smodelinvolvesdevelopingadultliteracycontentdesignedtoteachlearnersaboutaparticularproblemorchallengeintheircommunities(stakeholderinterview).ProLiteracy‘smodelsupportsgrassrootsNGOsinlow-andmiddle-incomecountriesthatareworkingintheadultliteracyfieldorinothercommunitywork.ProLiteracysupportsthemtostartadultliteracyprogramsortostrengthenexistingprogramming.h)Literacyforchildrenwithdisabilities
Onlyoneglobal initiative reviewedhadanexplicit focuson literacy for childrenwithdisabilities:AllChildrenReading’ssecondroundcompetitionincludesthisasoneofitskeyfocusareas.Accordingtoakeystakeholderinterview,thistopicisofparticularinteresttotheAustralianaidagency,TheDepartmentofForeignAffairsandTrade (DFAT), one of the three partners engaged in All Children Reading. Round 2 grantees selected in thiscategoryinclude:
i)Socialmobilizationandbehaviorchangestrategies
Oneofthegloballiteracyinitiatives,theGlobalReadingNetworkhasidentifiedthisasakeytopicofinterest.Whilespecificactivitiesarecurrentlyundefined,theGlobalReadingNetworkanticipatesthatpartofitsworkwillbetoidentifysocialmobilizationandbehaviorchangestrategiestohelpparents/caregivers,households,
communities,andgovernmentstosupportyoungreadersathomeandinschool.
4USAID:https://www.eddataglobal.org/5SeeResultsforDevelopmentInstitute(2015),“BringingLearningtoLight:TheRoleofCitizen-ledAssessmentsinShiftingtheEducationAgenda”foranoverviewandevaluationofthecitizen-ledassessmentmodel.6Seehttp://www.asercentre.org/andhttp://www.uwezo.net/formoreinformation.
AllChildrenReading:Round2Granteesforchildrenwithdisabilities
v Benetech-IndiaCreatestextsinlocallanguagesbydevelopingaccessibleaudiobookspairedwiththemostcurrentbraille-focusedreadingmethods.
v CatholicReliefServices-LesothoImprovesthereadingoutcomesofvisuallyimpairedchildrenthroughtheuseoftheMountbattenProBrailler(MBPro)andtheJot-a-DotportableBrailler.
v InstituteforDisabilitiesResearchandTraining,Inc.-MoroccoDevelopscomputersoftwarethatenableseducatorstoefficientlycreateinstructionalmaterialswithMoroccanSignLanguagegraphics.
v ResourcesfortheBlind,Inc.-PhilippinesDevelopstechnologytocreateanduploadaccessibleversionsofsupplementaryreadingmaterials,andprovidesequipmentneededbyvisuallyimpairedstudentstoaccessthematerials.
v StudioADC-GeorgiaDevelopsandtestselectronicversionsofbooksandlearningmaterialsforhearingimpairedchildren.
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ActivitiesofglobalinitiativesThegloballiteracyinitiativesandorganizationsidentifiedthroughthislandscapeundertakeanumberofdifferentactivities to promote literacy. Initiative types include competitions, research networks, campaigns, andcommunitiesofpractice,andtheiractivitiesincludegrant-making,publicizingresources,conductingadvocacy,organizingworkinggroups,andmore.Thissectionprovidesanoverviewoftheseactivityareas.a)Grant-making
AllChildrenReadingandGlobalLearningXPRIZEprovidegrantfundingtoliteracyimplementersandteamsofdevelopers for developing literacy software respectively. Other organizations such as International LiteracyAssociationandProLiteracyimplementliteracyprogramminginternationally,butdosoonaproject-by-projectdonor-fundedbasis.TheannualLibraryofCongressLiteracyAwardsprovidesa$50,000financialrewardtooneexceptionalliteracyprogramabroadthroughitsInternationalPrize(itsothertwoprizesareawardedtoU.S.-based literacyprograms).Whilenotanexclusively literacy-focused initiative, theWISEAwardsfundedbytheQatarFoundationalsorecognizesandfundssixinnovativeeducationprogramseachyearthatareaddressingkeyeducationchallenges.7
b)Conductingand/orsynthesizingresearch
Several initiatives are focused on either producing original research or synthesizing existing research andcontributing to the evidence base on global literacy. The Global Literacy Collaborative is a consortium ofacademicsseekingtotestanddevelopnewtablet-basedtechnologytoimproveliteracyoutcomes.TheLibraryof Congress Literacy Awards publishes an annual “Best Practices” report to spread information on effectivemodels forpromoting literacy. Ithighlightsevidence-basedpracticesandprovidesexamplesoforganizationsconcretelyimplementingsuchpractices(basedonbothU.S.andglobalprogramsandresearch).8ThemEducationAlliancefundslandscapeanalysesandreviewsofthemobileeducationsector,includingalandscapereviewthatwasconductedonMobilesforReading,fundedbyUSAID.9TheGlobalReadingNetwork’sevidencegrouphopestoidentifyevidencegapsintheliteracysectorandtosetanagendaaroundthose(stakeholderinterview).Asdescribed in the national section below, conducting research is a key activity ofmany of the initiatives alsoengagedinliteracyworkatthecountrylevel.
c)Disseminatingandtranslatingresearch
Disseminatingexistingresearchbothonlineandinpersonisanothercommonactivityamongthegloballiteracyinitiatives.TheGlobalReadingNetworkplansforthistobeoneofitscoreactivities,anditcurrentlyhasplanstobuildanevidencelibraryofexistingresearchonbestpracticesinearlygradereading.Similarly,boththeGlobalReadingNetworkandtheLibraryofCongressLiteracyAwardsseektodisseminateresearchandinformationonliteracy throughwebinars. ThemEducation Alliance conducts a number of in-person research disseminationactivities, including seminar series, research roundtables, workshops, and conferences. The Global ReadingNetworkhopestogoonestepfurtherthandisseminatingexistingresearchinitscurrentform:itsbestpracticesworkinggroupseekstoconsolidateexistingevidenceandturnitintoactionabletoolsandprocessesthatareeasyforpractitionerstounderstand(stakeholderinterview).d)Workinggroups
Both theGlobalReadingNetworkand themEducationAllianceuseworkinggroups,wherebyacoresteeringcounciloverseesworkbyanumberof sub-workinggroupsaroundaparticular thematicarea.For theGlobalReadingNetwork,theseincludethreeworkinggroupsonevidence,advocacy,andpractice.Eachworkinggroup
7Seehttp://www.wise-qatar.org/wise-awardsformoreinformation.8Seehttp://www.read.gov/literacyawards/forthe2013and2014BestPracticesreport.9USAIDandmEducationAlliance,“MobilesforReading:ALandscapeResearchReview,”2014.
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ismadeupofkeystakeholdersinthosefields,andtheagendaandwork-streamsaredefinedandownedbythemembersof thegroup.ThemEducationAlliancehasaworkinggrouponmobiles for readingwhichseeks tofacilitateongoingknowledgeexchangeandserveasavehicletoconnectrelevantprogramswitheachotherandwiththebroadermEducationcommunity(stakeholderinterview).e)Advocacy
Afewglobalinitiativesconductadvocacyactivitiesonliteracyworldwide,howeverasdiscussedabove,manyofthetwelveglobalinitiativesthatdoadvocacyworkfocustheireffortsmoreheavilyontheU.S.domesticsector.However,theUnitedNationsLiteracyDecadedidfocusonadvocacyforgloballiteracyasoneofitscoreactivities.It created the Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE), a global strategic framework for literacyadvocacy.Similarly,theGlobalCampaignforEducation’sLiteracyforAllCampaignhadthesamefocus.Bothinitiativesarenolongeractive,andtheredoesnotseemtobealarge-scaleglobaladvocacycampaignonliteracythathastakentheirplace.TheGlobalReadingNetworkmayfillthisgap;oneofitsthreeworkinggroupsfocuseson
advocacyandseekstodisseminateinformationontheimportanceofliteracyandidentifymethodsforholding
governmentsaccountableforimprovingliteracyoutcomes.However,itsspecificactivitiesarenotyetdefinedanditisstillattheearlystageofidentifyinghowitwillgoaboutthisobjective(stakeholderinterview).Thefocusofanyadvocacy campaignpromotedby theGlobalReadingNetworkwill beonearlygrade reading, at leastinitially(stakeholderinterview).
f)Annualconferences
Twoglobalinitiativesholdconferencesasawayofbringingtogetherkeystakeholderstodiscussresearchandpossibilitiesforcollaborationandcoordination.ThemEducationAlliancehostsanannualsymposiumonmobilesforeducation,bringingtogetherkeystakeholdersfromdiversebackgrounds(NGOs,policymakers,researchers,donors, etc.) with the goal of identifying opportunities for collaboration in the mEducation sector. TheInternationalLiteracyInstitutealsohostsvariousconferencesrelatedtogloballiteracy.AnnualconferencesareevenmorecommonwithintheU.Sdomesticliteracysector.g)Monitoringgloballiteracyprogress
TheUnitedNationsLiteracyDecade(UNLD)wasaUNinitiativethatranfrom2003-2012aimedatworkingtowardachieving the six Education for All (EFA) goals and advancing global literacy. One of its activities involvedmonitoringgloballiteracyprogress.WhileUNESCOattemptedtodriveforwardafollow-uptotheUNLDknownastheGlobalCoalitionforLiteracy,themovementneverreallygotofftheground(stakeholderinterview).TheannualEducationforAllGlobalMonitoringReport(EFA-GMR)publishedbyUNESCOprovidesannualmonitoringonthestateofglobaleducation,includingliteracyrates,thoughitisnotfocusedexclusivelyonliteracy.10h)Bookdistribution
WhilebookdistributionismoreoftenthefocusoflargeimplementingNGOsorofnationalcorporatecampaignsthanofglobalcampaigns(seethecasestudyonScholastic’sOpenaWorldofPossibleCampaign,forexample,USAIDinpartnershipwithseveralothermajorbilaterals,multilaterals,andNGOs(UNICEF,Norad(Norwegianaidagency),DFID,SavetheChildren,andtheGlobalPartnershipforEducation)planstolaunchaGlobalBookFundtoputmorereadingmaterialsinthehandsofchildrenwhereitisneededmost.
10Seehttp://en.unesco.org/gem-report/formoreinformation.
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i)Globalliteracyvolunteering
Thelandscapedidnotidentifyanyglobal initiativefocusedexplicitlyonpromotingvolunteerismrelatedto
literacyatthegloballevel.Literacyvolunteeropportunitiesexistthroughbroaderglobalvolunteeringnetworks(forexampleGoAbroad).Sectorofglobalinitiatives:Non-profitvs.corporateinitiativesInterestingly,allofthelandscapedgloballiteracyinitiativesaredrivenbythenon-profitsector.Thelandscapeanalysisidentifiedanumberofcorporate-ledliteracyinitiativesandonemajorcampaign,howeverallofthesewerefocuseddomestically(primarilyU.S.)orregionally(forexampleUNIQLO’sliteracyinitiativeinAsia).Withinthenon-profitsector,someglobalinitiativesareownedandfundedbybilateralandmultilateralagencies(keystakeholders in thiscategory includeUSAID,DFATAustralia,UNESCO)andothersarerunthroughNGOsprimarilyfundedthroughindividualphilanthropyorprivatefoundations(e.g.ProLiteracy,XPRIZE,etc.).GeographicfocusofglobalinitiativesMostof the landscapedglobal literacy initiativesdonothaveaparticular geographic focus,but ratherworkacrossawidenumberofcountries. Inmany instances, thishasbeendone intentionally.AllChildrenReadingsoughtgeographicdiversityinitsfinalsetofgrantees,andthiswasbuiltintotheselectionprocess(stakeholderinterview).TheInternationalLiteracyAssociationtakespridethatitworksgloballyacrossallregions.Severalstakeholdersemphasizedthatinadditiontogeographicdiversity,itisimportanttoensurediversitywithregardtothetypesof literacyprogramsororganizationssupportedatthecountry level.AllChildrenReadingreceived applications both from well-known, established organizations, as well as from small grassrootsorganizations that USAID had not heard of before (stakeholder interview). A balance of both types oforganizationswereselectedtosupport.Similarly,ProLiteracyseekstosupportbothnationally-connectedandsmallerprogramsinequalmeasure(stakeholderinterview).Therewereafewacountriesthatwerehighlightedbystakeholdersaseitherprioritycountriesorcountries
where theenablingenvironment for literacyprogrammingand initiatives isparticularly strong.ForUSAID,
prioritycountriesincludeIndia,thePhilippines,andEthiopiaamongothers(stakeholderinterview).AllChildrenReadingsimilarlyreceivedahighnumberofapplicationsfromIndia(stakeholderinterview).
Regionallevel
Overviewofexistingliteracy-focusedinitiatives
Thelandscapeuncoveredafewregionalliteracyinitiatives,butingeneral,thereseemedtobelessactivityat
the regional level than at the global and country levels. Table II provides an overview of regional literacyinitiatives.Allregionalinitiativeslandscapedaredrivenonceagainbythenon-profitsector,withtheexceptionofUNIQLO’sliteracycorporatesocialresponsibilityprogramintheAsiaregion.
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TableII:Overviewofregionalliteracyinitiatives
Region Nameofinitiative Typeofinitiative Targetaudience/focusarea
Donors/partners Focusarea(s)/activities
Asia
LiteracyInitiativeforEmpowerment-AsiaandthePacific
StrategicFramework
Adultliteracy,Out-of-schoolchildren
UNESCO RegionalstrategicframeworkforimplementingEducationforAll(EFA)goalsaspartoftheUNLiteraryDecade.WasledbyUNESCOBangkokoffice.
StoryTimeinAsia Campaign Childliteracy TheAsiaFoundation,Scholastic,Abrams,Penguin,OOCL,Little,BrownandCompany
Distributesover120,000booksto2millionstudentsacross17developingcountriesinAsia.
UNIQLO Corporatesocialresponsibilityinitiative
Childliteracy UNIQLO,ShantiVolunteerAssociation.
ThisCSRinitiativefocusesonbuildinglibraries,distributingbooks,publishingpicturebooks,andpromotingtheimportanceoflibrariesinCambodia(incollaborationwithShantiVolunteerAssociation)toencouragechildliteracy.SpecificactivitiesincludeprovidingfinancialsupportforaprojecttobuildlibrariesinAsia(oneofeight"innovativeideas"companyisfundingforitsClothesforSmilesprogram),wherechildrenofallbackgroundswillhavesafeandwelcomingspacetoread.
RotarySouthAsiaLiteracyMission
Organization Adultliteracy,Childliteracy
RotaryInternational CreatedTEACHprograminIndiatoimproveenrollment,teachertraining,andschoolsupplies.
Europe
EuropeanLiteracyPolicyNetwork(ELINET)
ResearchNetwork/StrategicFramework
Allliteracystakeholders
EuropeanCommission ConductsresearchonliteracyprogramsinEurope,promotesbestpractices.
Latin
Americaand
Spain
Ibero-AmericanPlanforLiteracyandBasicEducationofYouthandAdults(PIA)
StrategicFramework(Regional)
Policymakers,Adultliteracy,Childliteracy,Funders,Implementers
Spanishgovernment,OEI,SEGIB ThePIAhaspursuedfivespecificobjectives:a)developmentofnationalplansinthecountries;b)establishmentofarenewedandexpandedconceptofadultliteracyandbasiceducationintheregion;c)secure,sufficientandstablefundingforthePIA;d)promotionofcooperation;ande)linkingtheplanwithstrategiestopreventschoolfailureanddroppingout.
Latin
Americaand
the
Caribbean
LatinAmericaandCaribbeanReadsCapacityProgram
ResearchNetwork
Implementers,policymakers
USAID(donor),AmericanInstitutesforResearch,Juárez&Associates(partners)
Developsknowledgeresourcesforliteracystakeholders,providestechnicalassistancetopolicymakersinhostcountrygovernments.
YoSíPuedo StrategicFramework/EducationDelivery
Stategovernments Cubangovernment,IPLAC,VenezuelanGovernment
TheLatinAmericanandCaribbeanPedagogicalInstitute(IPLAC)developedasystemofvideo-classestopromoteuniversalliteracyinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean
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Middle
East/North
Africa
LiteracyInitiativeforEmpowerment-Arabcountries
StrategicFramework
Adultliteracy,Out-of-schoolchildren
UNESCO RegionalstrategicframeworkforimplementingEducationforAll(EFA)goalsaspartoftheUNLiteraryDecade.WasledbyUNESCORabatandBeirutofficesandtheInstituteforLifelongLearning.
Sub-Saharan
Africa
AfricaNetworkCampaignonEducationforAll(ANCEFA)
Advocacy/Network
Policymakers,CivilSocietyOrganization
GlobalPartnershipforEducationFund
CreatingasocialmovementtosupporttheEducationforAll(EFA)goals,capacitybuildingforcivilsocietyorganizations,advocacythroughlobbyingandmasscampaigns,advocacyresearch.
LiteracyInitiativeforEmpowerment-Africa(LIFE)
StrategicFramework
Adultliteracy,Out-of-schoolchildren
UNESCO RegionalstrategicframeworkforimplementingEducationforAll(EFA)goalsaspartoftheUNLiteraryDecade.WasledbyUNESCODakarOffice.
AfricanLibraryProject
LiteracyOrganization
ChildLiteracy,AdultLiteracy
BotswanaMinistryofEducation,MichaelLapsleyFoundation,PeaceCorpsLesotho,LesothoMinistryofEducationandTraining,DAPPMalawi,WungweroBookFoundation,AYISE,MalawiInstituteofEducation,RISENetwork,Fundza,BooksforAfrica,MicrosoftCorporation,OneWorldChildren’sFund
PartnerswithbooksdrivesandlocalNGOsandgovernmentsinSub-SaharanAfricatobuildlibrariesanddonatebookstothem.Organizesconferencestosharebestpracticesamongpartners.
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Themesemergingfromlandscapeofregionalinitiatives
Approximately half of the regional initiatives are large-scale service delivery initiatives to promoteliteracyinagivenregion(throughspecificliteracyprograms),whiletheotherhalfareconcernedwithresearch, strategy andpolicy, networking, and/or advocacy.Of those that seek to promote literacy,somedosothroughbookdistribution(forexampleStoryTimeinAsiaandtheAfricaLibraryProject),andothersseektotackleunderlyingchallengesrelatedtopedagogyandteacherreadiness(forexampletheYoSíPuedoprograminLatinAmericaandtheCarribbean(LAC)developedasystemofvideo-classesto
promoteuniversalliteracyintheregionandtheRotarySouthAsiaMissionlaunchedtheTEACHprogram
inIndiatoimproveenrollment,teachertraining,andschoolsupplies).
UNESCOcreatedthreeregionalstrategicframeworkstopromoteliteracyaspartofthe2003-2012UNLiteracydecadethatcontributedtothecreationoftherecentnationalcampaignsinAfrica,theMiddleEast,andAsia.TheseframeworkswerecreatedwiththepurposeofmonitoringregionalprogressontheEducationforAllgoals,andtheLiteracyInitiativeforEmpowermentframeworksfocusedonpromoting
adult literacyand literacy forout-of-schoolchildren inparticular.LAChasanotable,highlyorganizedliteracyframework.TheIbero-AmericanPlanforLiteracyandBasicEducationofYouthandAdults(PIA)isaregionalstrategicframeworkthatpursuesfivespecificobjectives:a)developmentofnationalplansin
thecountries;b)establishmentofarenewedandexpandedconceptofadultliteracyandbasiceducation
intheregion;c)secure,sufficientandstablefundingforthePIA;d)promotionofcooperation;ande)
linkingtheplanwithstrategiestopreventschoolfailureanddroppingout.Sub-SaharanAfricahasastrong
regionaleducationframework,theAfricaNetworkCampaignonEducationforAll(ANCEFA),supported
bytheGlobalPartnershipforEducation(thoughitisnotexclusivelyliteracy-focused).
USAIDisalsorunningaregionalliteracyinitiativeinLAC–theLatinAmericaandCaribbean(LAC)ReadsCapacity Program. This program seeks to increase the impact, scale, and sustainability of early grade
readinginterventions intheLACregion. Itprovidestechnicalassistancetohostcountrygovernmentsandotherkeystakeholders.
In addition to the initiatives listed, the International LiteracyAssociation also hosts regular regionalliteracyconferences,bringingtogetherregionalliteracyprofessionalsandpractitionerstodiscussandshare information on leadership, advocacy, and literacy best practices. For example, ILA hostsconferencesacrossall regions.Theorganizationhasbeenrunning regional literacyconferences for20
years,butnotesthattheyhavenotheardofotherorganizationsrunningsimilarinitiativesattheregional
level(stakeholderinterview).
Overall,literacy-relatedactivityattheregionallevelintheformofcampaigns,initiatives,networks,etc.
remains relatively limited. Thismay be due to lack of donor interest in funding regional activities or
barrierstocoordination(distance,costs,etc.).
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Nationallevel(inPearsonprioritymarkets:US,UK,SouthAfrica,Brazil,China,India)
Overviewofexistingliteracy-focusedinitiatives:Thenational initiativeslandscapedtendtofocusonchildliteracy,adult literacy,andwomen’sliteracy.
Many private national campaigns emphasize advocacy, awareness, and community outreach, while
programsrunbythegovernmenttendtoprioritizeprovidingliteracycourses.
Atthecountry-level,thislandscapesoughttoidentifylarge-scaleliteracyinitiatives(ledbythenon-profit
andcorporatesectors)inPearson’sprioritymarkets(UnitedStates,UnitedKingdom,SouthAfrica,Brazil,
China,and India). Italsosearchedfor literacy initiatives in thesevencountries facingthemostcritical
literacychallenges(asmeasuredbyhavingthelowestliteracyratesglobally).11Thesecountriesinclude
Afghanistan,BurkinaFaso,Niger,Guinea,Mali,Benin,andChad.12Thissectiondiscussesinitiativesineach
ofthesegeographies.
UnitedStatesSeveraloftheglobalinitiativesdiscussedabovearealsoactivelyengagedinU.S.domesticliteracyissues
(GlobalLiteracyCollaborative,InternationalLiteracyAssociation,InternationalLiteracyInstitute,Library
ofCongressLiteracyAwards,ProLiteracy).Consideredtogetherwithinitiativesworkingexclusivelyinthe
U.S.,thefollowingcommonactivitiesemerge:
a)AdvocacywithpolicymakersAdvocacy for literacy ismuchmore common amongU.S. domestic initiatives than it is among global
initiatives working internationally in low- and middle-income countries abroad. Several U.S.-based
initiativesadvocateforincreasedattentiontoliteracychallenges.ProLiteracyraisesawarenessofadult
literacyissuesbyadvocatingthroughsocialmediaandalegislativeactioncenterthatsupportscitizensto
writetotheirrepresentativesaboutliteracyissues.ILAalsoconductanumberofadvocacyeffortswith
legislativeandregulatorybodiesintheU.S.
b)DevelopingandsharingresourcesandresearchSeveral U.S.-based literacy initiatives work to provide resources for teachers and other literacy
stakeholders.TheScholasticOpenaWorldofPossibleCampaign,InternationalLiteracyAssociation,and
InternationalLiteracy Institutealldevelopandmakeaccessibleresourcesandsupportingmaterials for
teachersteachingliteracy.ILApublishesaseriesofjournalsrelatedtoresearchonliteracyandevidence-
basedliteracypracticesforteachers.
c)Connectingadultswithlow-literacyrateswithliteracyopportunitiesProLiteracy connects low-literateadults to literacyproviders in theU.S. throughorganizinganational
directoryofU.S.literacyproviders.TheILIcreatedaweb-basedplatformtosupportlow-literateadults
learnabouteducationandcareeroptions,accessibleathttp://www.learning-connections.org/).11LiteracyrateswereidentifiedusingtheCIAWorldFactbookandtheUNESCOInstituteforStatistics.
12 This landscape did not conduct a comprehensive search for implementing organizations, but rather broader
literacyinitiatives(e.g.campaigns,networks,etc.)asintheGlobalandRegionalsection.
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d)AdultliteracyWhileadultliteracyremainsunder-prioritizedrelativetochildliteracyintheU.S.,thereisstillmoreactivity
focusedonadultliteracyintheU.S.thanthereisglobally.ProLiteracy’sworkisoverwhelminglyfocused
intheU.S.,andtheInternationalLiteracyInstitutewasinitiallyfoundedasthefirstAdultLiteracyLabin
the U.S. (stakeholder interview). XPRIZE is running a competition dedicated to adult literacy focused
exclusivelyintheU.S.
e)CorporateinitiativesThe landscape also identified several
corporate social responsibility (CSR)
campaignsfocusedonliteracyintheU.S.
Amongthese,thefollowingthemeswere
identified:
Ø Almostallfocusedonaddressingilliteracywithinthecountry
wherethecompanyisbased.
Ø Themajorityofthecorporateliteracycampaignsfocusedondirectsupporttospecificcommunitiesandschools(usuallythroughdonatingbooksorencouragingemployeestovolunteerandreadtochildreninunderprivilegedareas)asopposedtolarge-scalecampaignsmobilizingsupportandraisingawareness.OnenotableexceptionisScholastic’sOpenaWorldofPossibleCampaign(seecasestudyboxadjacent).
Ø Themajorityarefocusedonincreasingaccesstoliteracy
opportunitiesratherthan
improvingliteracyoutcomesand
readingproficiency.
Casestudyofacorporate-ledU.S.literacycampaign:ScholasticOpenaWorldofPossibleCampaign
ScholasticisaleadingU.S.publisherandeducationandmedia
company. Its Open a World of Possible campaign promotes
socialengagementaroundliteracyandencouragesparticipants
toshare ideasandadviceonhowtoencourage independent
reading among children. The campaign consists of four key
components:
1) Socialmedia:Advocatesforimprovedliteracythroughits#sharepossiblesocialmediacampaign.
2) Book distribution: Provides free book distributionthrough the Scholastic Possible Fund to its partner
organizations,whichhasledtothedonationofover43
millionbookssince2000.
3) Research: publicizes research on issues related tochildren’s literacy development, such as the
importanceofbooksinthehome,readingvolume,and
readingaloudtochildren.Thecampaignalsoseeksto
share information and research on independent
readingamongparentsandteachers.
4) Resources: offers free literature-based lessons thatprimaryschoolteacherscanuse.
The initiativehasgainedthesupportofcelebrities likeTaylor
Swift and Usher to help publicize their campaigns and raise
awareness on the importance of reading. Partners include
ReachOutandRead,SavetheChildren,LitWorld,KIDS,Kidsin
Need Foundation, Toys for Tots, Room to Read, BookTrust,
PajamaProgram,andTooSmalltoFail.
CaseStudy:U.S.AdultLiteracyXPRIZEThe Adult Literacy XPRIZE awards $7 million in total prizes to teams of software developers, educators,
engineers,and innovatorsthatcreatethemosteffectiveadultmobile literacy learningapplicationsoverthe
courseof48months.Finalistsmustshowthattheirprogramscanhelpadultsreadingbelowathirdgradelevel
makemajorimprovementsintheirliteracylevels(measuredbytheComprehensiveAdultStudentAssessment
System)withina12-monthperiod.Thefinalfivefinaliststesttheirsoftwarewith1,000fieldparticipantsfrom
ages18-64,dividedintonativeEnglishspeakersandnon-nativeEnglishspeakers.Thefivetopcompetitorswill
disseminatetheirappsthroughoutU.S.citiesandthecitywiththehighestdownloadrateamonglow-literate
adultswillwinanadditionalprize.
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Ø Asmallnumberofinitiativesfocusonfamilyandparentalengagementinchildren’sreadingandliteracy(SeeToyota’sCSRinitiativeinpartnershipwiththeNationalCenterforFamilyLiteracyand
Macy’sReadingisFundamentalMulticulturalLiteracyCampaignfortwoexamples).
Ø TheCSRinitiativesofotherleadingpublishingcompanies(e.g.HoughtonMifflinU.S.)partnerwitha handful of literacy-focused nonprofits and provide some form of support (often financial);
howeverdonotleadlarge-scalecampaign-typeactivities(theexceptionbeingScholastic).
Nameofinitiative
Typeofinitiative Targetaudience(ifapplicable)
Focusarea(s)/activities
ScholasticOpenaWorldofPossibleLiteracyCampaign
Campaign Childliteracy ScholasticisaleadingU.S.publisherandeducationandmedia
company.ItsOpenaWorldofPossiblecampaignpromotessocialengagementaroundliteracyandencourages
participantstoshareideasandadviceonhowtoencourage
independentreadingamongchildren.
ReadingisFundamentalMulticulturalLiteracyCampaign
Campaign African
American,
Hispanic,and
AmericanIndian
communities
Parentandcaregivertrainingmaterialsandworkshops,
multiculturalbookcollectionsforchildren,community
partnerships,andpubliceducationcampaigns.
TheCampaignforGrade-LevelReading
Campaign ChildLiteracy Communityengagementtopromotechildrentoreachgrade-
levelreadingthroughaGrade-LevelReadingCommunities
Network;advocacyforstateandfederalinitiativestofundand
prioritizegrade-levelreading.
GeneralMills Campaign ChildLiteracy RunsaliteracycampaignrunthroughtheCheeriosfranchisetotargetchildren'slackofaccesstobooks.Thecampaign
providescerealboxoffersthatconsumerscantradein(witha
smallcontribution)forclassicchildren'sbooks;monetary
supportfornationalliteracyinitiatives;"partners"with
celebritieswhoreadaloudtokidsinhopesofinspiring
interestinreading;providesinformationforparentsonhow
toreadaloudtokidsandontheimportanceofchildliteracy.
TheNationalCenterforLiteracyEducation
Coalition Education
organization,
policyanalysts,
researchers,
foundations
WorkstoimproveliteracylearningacrosstheU.S.by
researchingandsharingbestpracticesintheliteracyfieldand
lobbiespolicymakersforimprovements.Alsoprovidesthe
LiteracyinLearningExchangetoprovidelearningresources
andconnectteamsofeducators.
NationalCenterforFamiliesLearning(PolicyandAdvocacyforFamilyLiteracy)
Advocacy Policymakers NCFLprovidessupportandstrategiestoanetworkofentities
involvedinadvancingeducationandfamilieslearning
together,includingeducators,schools,communitybased
organizations,andlibraries.ThegoalofNCFL’sPolicyand
Advocacyeffortsistodesign,assess,advocateandlobbyfor
federalandstatepoliciesthatsustainandexpandfamily
literacyservices.
AmericanLibraryAssociation
Advocacy/Outre
ach
Policymakers Advocatesforandsupportsorganizationsencouragingadult,
youth,non-nativespeaker,anddigitalliteracy.
AdultLiteracyXPRIZE
Competition Software
developers,
adultliteracy
TheAdultLiteracyXPRIZEawards$7millionintotalprizesto
teamsofsoftwaredevelopers,educators,engineers,and
innovatorsthatcreatethemosteffectiveadultmobileliteracy
learningapplicationsoverthecourseof48months.Finalists
mustshowthattheirprogramscanhelpadultsreadingbelow
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athirdgradelevelmakemajorimprovementsintheirliteracy
levels(measuredbytheComprehensiveAdultStudent
AssessmentSystem)withina12-monthperiod.
SesameStreetEveryDayisaReadingandWritingDay
Multimedia
program
ChildLiteracy,
families,parents
Offersresourcestosupportearlychildhoodliteracy
development,withaparticularemphasisonparental
involvementandfamilyengagement.
FinancialTimes
CSRinitiative ChildLiteracy TheFinancialTimesworkscloselywithPearsononprojects
thatadvanceliteracyandeducationprojects;withan
emphasisonsustainabilityandtheenvironment.
Hachette CSRinitiative ChildLiteracy Supportsorganizationsdedicatedtopromotingliteracyandloveofreading,withafocusonnationalilliteracy.The
initiativedonatesbooksforfundraisersortostrugglingschool
districtsorlibraries.
HarperCollins CSRinitiative ChildLiteracy Donatesbookstolargecharitableliteracyorganizations;supportsorganizationstopromoteliteracy;collaborateswith
localorganizationstohoststudenteventsthatfoster
education.
HoughtonMifflin
CSRinitiative ChildLiteracy Thisinitiativeseekstospreadstudents'accesstonewideas
throughthedonationoftextbooks,children'sstories,and
adultandreferencetitles.ItpartnerswithChildren
InternationalandFirstBook.HoughtonMifflindonatesbooks
totwononprofits,whichdistributebookstoschools,
nonprofits,andcommunityinitiatives.
JetBlueSoarwithReading
CSRinitiative ChildLiteracy SoarwithReadingprovidesearlychildhoodliteracytools
inflightandonline;itsinteractivewebsitehasgames,an
activitybooklet,andreadinglists;donatesbookstolow-
incomeneighborhoodsthatlackage-appropriatebooks.
Specificactivitiesinclude:establishingvendingmachinesat
communitygatheringplacesinAnacostiaregionofDCthrough
whichchildrencanreceiveage-appropriatebooksforfree;
SMScampaignwithfunreadingtips,informationonguest
appearancesatvendingmachines,etc.
KPMG CSRinitiative ChildLiteracy KPMG'sFamilyforLiteracyinitiativeaimstocombatchildhoodilliteracy.Foritsfive-yearanniversary,itestablisheda
collectionoffiveclassicchildren'sbooksthatweredonatedto
addresslow-incomecommunities'lackofaccesstobooks.
Target CSRinitiative ChildLiteracy Providesgrantstononprofitsandschoolstohelpthemimproveliteracyandstudentachievement;sponsorsa
campaignforgrade-levelreading,whichpromotesliteracy
amongchildreninlow-incomefamilies.Theprogramlaunched
severalpilotliteracyprogramsin12schoolsinDCandLA,
workingwithAIRtomeasureimpact.InDCtheprogram
providedliteracycoachestoschools,inLAitestablished
literacyacademiesthatgroupstudentsbyreadingproficiency
levelsacrossgrades.
Toyota InpartnershipwithNationalCenterforFamilyLiteracy,theinitiativefocusedonHispanicandotherimmigrantfamilies.
Througha20-yearpartnershipwithanorganizationfocused
onfamilyliteracy,thisinitiativehasestablishedmodelliteracy
programsthroughouttheU.S.andprovidedadvertising,
planning,andmanagementexpertise.
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UnitedKingdomSeveral literacy campaigns and research efforts exist in theUK, including ReadOn.GetOn.,National
LiteracyTrust,ReadEveryDay,andtheJustReadCampaign.
Nameofinitiative
Typeofinitiative Targetaudience(ifapplicable)
Focusarea(s)/activities
ReadOn.GetOn.
Network/
Campaign
Childliteracy Networkoforganizationsandbusinessesthataimstohave
everychildintheUKreadingwellbyage11throughlobbying
government,spreadingtipstoparents,encouraging
volunteerstoreadtochildren,andsupportingcommunity
engagement.CampaignwithinlargerSkillsforLife
governmentinitiative.
NationalLiteracyTrust
Research/
Education
Program/
Advocacy
Campaign
Policymakers,
Childliteracy
ConductsresearchonliteracyintheUK,runscommunity
literacyandengagementprojects,campaignsforfamily
literacy,lobbiestheUKgovernmenttosupportliteracy
initiatives,promotesbestpractices,providessupportand
resourcesforschools.
ReadEveryDay
Campaign Youthliteracy,
parents,
teachers
Conductedresearchoneffectsofreadinghabits;Encourages
parentsandteacherstopromotereadingthroughactivities
likebookclubsorbookfairs.
JustReadCampaign
Advocacy Policymakers TheJustReadCampaignaimstomakeeverychildintheUKa
readerbylobbyingthegovernmenttopromoteteacher
educationandschoolpoliciesthatencouragechildrentoread.
SkillsforLife NationalCampaign/
Education
Program
Adultliteracy Providesfreeliteracy,language,andnumeracytrainingtoall
adultswithoutaLevel2qualification.
KumonUK CSRinitiative Childliteracy In2014,KumonUKpartneredwithNationalLiteracyTrustto“sharetheloveofreadingwithdisadvantagedchildrenacross
theUKtobreakthecycleofpovertyandhelpchildrenreach
theirfullpotential.”Theinitiativeisfocusedonencouraging
childrentoreadforpleasure.
RandomHouse
CSRinitiative Adultliteracy Supportscharitiesandinitiativesthatpromoteliteracyand
loveofreading.ItisafoundingmemberoftheQuickReads
initiative,anannualseriesofentertainingbookswrittenin
pared-downstylewiththeaimofreachingouttoadultsinthe
UKwithreadingdifficulties.Theinitiativealsoencourages
employeestovolunteerforliteracyinitiatives.
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SouthAfricaSouthAfricasimilarlyhasavibrantlandscapewhenitcomestonationalliteracyinitiatives,bothrelated
tochildliteracyandadultliteracy.Itscommitmenttoadultliteracyisnotable.ThenationalKhaRhiGude
MassLiteracyCampaignrunthroughtheDepartmentofEducationhadthegoalofenablingmorethan4
million South Africans to read in one of 11 official languages by 2012 (launched in 2008). The
accompanyingAdultBasicEducationandTraining(ABET)Programmeisagovernment-runprogramthat
fundsadultlearningcentersanddistancelearningprogramstoprovidefreeliteracyeducation.
Nameofinitiative
Typeofinitiative
Targetaudience Focusarea(s)/activities
KhaRiGudeMassLiteracyCampaign
Campaign Adultliteracy Goalofenablingmorethan4millionSouthAfricanstoread
inoneof11officiallanguagesby2012(launchedin2008);
coursesinhomes,churches,schoolsavailableatnocostto
adultswithlittleornoeducation.
AdultBasicEducationandTraining(ABET)Programme
Education
Program
Adultliteracy InstitutionalizedcounterpartofKhaRiGude;offersadult
learningcentersanddistancelearningprogramstoprovide
freeliteracyeducation.
Nal'ibaliReading-for-EnjoymentCampaign
Campaign Childliteracy TheNal’ibaliReading-for-EnjoymentCampaigncombinesa
nationalmassmediaandawarenesscampaignwithaface-
to-facementoringandsupportprogramtoestablishreading
clubsandencourageincreasedandimprovedliteracyinsix
provincesacrossSouthAfrica.
StoryPower Campaign Youthliteracy Billboardcampaigntogenerateawarenessanddiscussionabouttheimportanceofstorytellingandreadingfor
children’sreading.
AdultLiteracyandSkillsTrainingProgramme(ALSTP)
Education
Program
Adultliteracy Usinganintegratedapproachtoliteracyskillstrainingand
communitydevelopment,theprogramoffersmother-
tongueliteracy,Englishasasecondlanguage,numeracyand
theme-basedtraininginlivelihooddevelopment:income
generation,foodproduction/securityandpreservation;
healtheducation:HIV/AIDSawarenessandprevention,
childcare,home-basedcareforthesick,reproductive
health,nutritionandsanitation;civic/lifeskillseducation:
humanrights,genderrelations,conflictmanagementand
resolution;andsustainableenvironmentalconservation.
ReadingandWritingforPleasure
Outreach Youthliteracy Thespecificaimoftheprogramistoinspireyoungpeople
toreadandtogrowacultureofreadingandwriting.To
promoteliteracyamongSouthAfricanyouth,FundZa
focusesonthepowerofreadingforpleasure,ratherthan
oncurriculum-basedacademicsupport.
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BrazilOnlyamoderatenumberofliteracycampaignsandinitiativeswereidentifiedinBrazil.
ChinaOnlyonenationalliteracycampaignwasidentifiedinChina(thoughthedearthofresultsmaybeinpart
duetothelanguagebarrierencounteredduringoursearch).
Nameofinitiative
Typeofinitiative
Targetaudience Focusarea(s)/activities
LiterateBrazilProgram(ProgramaBrasilAlfabetizado-PBA)
Project/
Campaign
Illiterateyouth/adults;
teachers;local
governments
TheprimaryaimofLBPistocreateliteracylearning
opportunitiesforallyouthandadultswhohadnoaccessto
orwhofailedtocompletebasicprimaryeducation(i.e.the
first8yearsofschooling).Theprogramobjectivesareto:
combatilliteracybysettingupliteracycoursesforyouth,
adultsandtheelderly;provideinitialandongoingtraining
forliteracyteachers;supportliteracyprogramsthroughthe
provisionofpedagogicalmaterials,literatureandstipends
forliteracyteachers;strengthenliteracyasaprioritypublic
policyatthestateandmunicipallevels;promotethe
continuationoflearningbyestablishinglinksbetweenBrazil
Alfabetizado,youthandadultlearning,andbasiceducation;
advanceeducationasameansofachievingthegoalslaid
downintheFederalGovernment’ssocialpolicies;and
empowersociallydisadvantagedpeopleandpromotetheir
inclusioninmainstreamsocietythroughliteracytraining.
AlfabetizaçãoSolidária
Education
Program
Youthandadult
literacy
AlfaSolconcentratesonthepoorestruralandurban
communitieswiththehighestilliteracyrates.Ithas
mobilizedanefficientnetworkofpartners,consistingof
internationalorganizationsincludingNGOs,universities,
privateenterprises,governmentinstitutionsandprivate
citizens.Thisnetworkofpartnerscontributestothe
sustainabilityoftheprogramthroughgenerousfinancial
andtechnicalcontributionsaswellasacapacitytomobilize
youthandadultlearners.Asaresult,AlfaSolisnowawell-
establishedorganizationandhasmanagedtoreachoutto
overfivemillionyouthandadultlearnersaroundthe
countrysinceitsinception.
TweetforaRead
Education
technology/
SocialMedia
campaign
Adultliteracy Distributeselectricbookmarkerthattweetsreadersa
reminderwhentheyhaven'treadtheirbookinthestyleof
theauthorofthebook.
Nameofinitiative
Typeofinitiative
Targetaudience Focusarea(s)/activities
GuidanceOpiniononFurtherEnhancingLiteracy
National
Campaign/
Education
Program
Adult,minority,and
women’sliteracy
Aimstoimproveliteracyamongadultilliterates,minority
populations,andwomenbyprovidingliteracyandbasic
educationclassesthroughlocalgovernment,increasing
fundingforliteracyinitiatives,andconductingresearchand
trainingforliteracyinruralareas.
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IndiaOnlyonenationalliteracycampaignwasidentifiedinIndia(thoughliteracyprogramminginIndiaappears
tobestrong).
Nameofinitiative
Typeofinitiative
Targetaudience Focusarea(s)/activities
SaaksharBharatMission
National
Campaign/
Education
Program
Women'sliteracy,
ruraleducation,youth
literacy
Themissionaimstopromoteandstrengthenadult
learning,reachingouttothosewhomissedthe
opportunitytoaccessorcompleteformal
education.Aswellasbasicliteracy/basiceducation,it
coversvocationaleducationandskilldevelopment,
appliedscience,andsports.SaaksharBharatisdescribed
asa‘people’sprogram’,withthegovernmentactingas
facilitatorandresourceprovider,butworkingclosely
withlocalcommunitiestotailortheprogramtotheir
needs.Therehasbeenanation-widedrivetopublicize
thisprogram,mostnotablyintherecentpromotional
videowhichfeaturesnationalcelebritiesperforminga
songabouttheMissionwithaBollywoodtheme.
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High-needliteracycountriesDespite thesecountries facing themostcritical literacychallenges, therewere few literacycampaigns
and/ornationalinitiativesinthecountrieswiththehighestilliteracyrates(perhapsunsurprisinglyasthese
countrieshavelowergovernmentcapacityand/orcommitmenttoimprovingliteracy).Nonationalliteracy
campaignswereidentifiedinBenin,Mali,orChad,thoughMaliishometoacitizen-ledassessmentknown
asBeekunko.13Whilethesecountriesmaylacknationalliteracyinitiatives,thisdoesnotnecessarilymean
theylackliteracy-relatedprogramming.SeveralINGOsfocusalotoftheirworkinsomeofthesecountries
(Afghanistan,forexample).
13Seehttp://www.omaes.org/formoreinformation.
Nameofinitiative Typeofinitiative
Targetaudience
Country Focusarea(s)/activities
NationalLiteracyActionPlan(NLAP)
National
Campaign/
Education
Program
Adult,rural,
minority,and
women’s
literacy
Afghanistan AimstoaccomplishEducationforAllgoals
throughLIFEframeworkasastrategic
frameworkforgovernment,donors,and
NGOs.Developstrainingandliteracycourses
tobeimplementedonanationalleveland
conductsmonitoring,evaluation,and
coordinationofliteracyinitiativesthroughout
thecountry.
Programmenationaled’accélerationdel’alphabétisation(PRONAA)
National
Campaign/
Education
Program
Adultand
youthliteracy
BurkinaFaso Nationalcampaigntoimproveliteracyratein
BurkinaFaso.
BurkinabéResponsetoImproveGirls'ChancestoSucceed(BRIGHT)I&IIProgram
National
Education
Program
Girl’sliteracy BurkinaFaso Improvedgirl’sliteracybyconstructinggirl’s
schools,promotingcommunityengagement,
adultliteracytraining,andcapacitybuilding
forlocalliteracypartners.
Women'sFunctionalLiteracyProgramme
National
Education
Program
Women's
Literacy
Niger Contributestocurriculumdevelopment,
literacyinitiatives,andlegislationwhich
improvelevelsofyouthandadultliteracy.It
supervisestheimplementationofadult
educationprograms,organizesliteracy
awareness-raisingcampaignsandsupports
thepromotionofnationallanguages.Itis
underthisdirectoratethattheWomen’s
FunctionalLiteracyProgrammehasbeen
developedandimplemented.
Women'sStruggleAgainstPovertyThroughLearningHowToRead
Campaign/
National
Education
Program
Women's
Literacy
Guinea Campaigntopromoteculture,literacy,and
jobtrainingoverthreeyearsforover30,000
womeninGuinea
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Gapsintheliteracylandscape
Having identified literacy initiatives at the global, regional, and national level, this section analyzes
informationgatheredthroughthelandscapeanalysisandinsightssharedduringkeyinformantinterview
tohighlightgapswithintheliteracylandscape.
GloballevelThereareanumberoftopicareasandactivitiesthatcouldbenefitfromincreasedattentionandresources
fromgloballiteracyinitiatives:
Topicareaswithlittleattentionatthegloballevel
Ø Thelandscaperevealedonlyoneinitiativededicatedtopromotingadultliteracyatthegloballevel(ProLiteracy).TheinterviewedstakeholderfromProLiteracynotedthatthisisakeygapinmany countries: “the majority of funding, especially from governments and ministries ofeducation, tends to be focused on child literacy. There is somuch research that shows that amother’slevelofeducationhasadirectimpactonthelevelofeducationforherchildren.I’dliketoseemoreemphasisonthis,andmoreofafocusonwomen’sandmothers’literacyandadultliteracy.Womenandparentswilldeterminewhethertheirchildrengotoschool.Thereisverylittletalk in theMDGsandSDGsonmothers’education,parents’education,andadulteducation ingeneral” (stakeholder interview). Not only is global programming for adult literacy limited,funding to conduct advocacy for adult literacy globally is even more limited (stakeholderinterview).
Ø AllChildrenReadingandProLiteracyare leadingtheway intermsoffocusingonparentalandcommunityengagementinchildren’sliteracy,butthisissimilarlyanareawheremorecouldbedone (it is not the sole focus of either organization, rather one aspect of their activities),
particularlygiventhegrowingevidencebasesupportingthisapproach(seeSectionIII).
Ø While the landscape identified All Children Reading as one initiative focused on literacy forchildrenwithdisabilities,thisremainsanareawheregloballiteracyinitiativesarecurrentlynotveryactive.
Ø Initiativesfocusedonbehaviorchangestrategiesasrelatedtoliteracyarelimitedatthegloballevel(thoughseveralnationalinitiativesexistonthistopic).
Ø Initiatives focused on teacher training relating to literacy are limited at the global level.Additionally,whilesignificantattentionhasbeengivingtodevelopingmother-tongueresources
for students, little attention has been given to providing language-appropriate resources forteachers to allow them to continue their professional development on an ongoing basis(stakeholderinterview).
Ø One key stakeholder heavily engaged in the global literacy sector highlighted a number ofadditionaltopicareaswheremoreresearchandresourcesareneeded:
o Second and third language acquisition, which remains a critically important issue incountries where children are taught in multiple languages (i.e. where the national
languagediffersfrommother-tonguelanguages):“thereisnotalotofknow-howabouthowsecondandthird language learning isbestdone. Itwillprobablytakeaconcerted
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informationalcampaigntohelpgovernmentsgettheirheadsaroundwaysinwhichthiscanbedone”(stakeholderinterview).
o Understandingandsupportingbestpracticesrelatedtoliteracyinnon-romanalphabetlanguages.
o Ensuring comprehension, not just literacy:many researchers and stakeholders in theliteracyfieldremainconcernedthatanover-emphasisisplacedonliteracybutnotenough
oncomprehension,acommonviewpointbeing,"sowhatifchildrencande-codeifthey
donotunderstandwhattheyarereading”(stakeholderinterview).
o Influencingpolicytofosterimprovedliteracy:someresearchersarguethattheevidencebaseisquiterobustintermsofknowingwhatittakestoteachchildrentoread,butwhat
isnotwell-understoodishowtocreatethepoliciestoenablethis.
o Understandinghowto fosterabottom-upapproach to literacy:Global initiativesare“fairlygoodat settinggoalsandoutcomesatnational levels.Butwedon’tknowa lotabouthowtosetgoalsataclassroomandcommunitylevelthatwillgetustothenationalgoalsweset”(stakeholderinterview).
Activitiesthatarelackingatthegloballevel
§ Thelandscaperevealedthatthereiscurrentlyalackofglobaladvocacycampaignsforliteracy.Themajorityofglobalinitiativesarefocusedonmorespecificactivities(e.g.grant-makingthrough
competitions, fostering a communityof practice amongexisting stakeholders, conducting and
disseminatingresearch),andglobaladvocacycampaignsthathavefocusedonliteracyhavesince
ended(e.g.UnitedNationsLiteracyDecadeandGlobalCampaignforEducation’sLiteracyforAll
Campaign).WhileScholasticrunsalarge-scalesocialmediacampaignintheU.S.,theredoesnotappeartobeasimilarglobalsocialmediacampaignforliteracy.Onekeystakeholderwentasfarastosaythatliteracywasa“hottopic”forcampaignsinthe1990s,buthasrecentlyattracted
lesspublicattention(stakeholderinterview).
§ Therearenocorporate-drivencampaignsorinitiativesforliteracyatthegloballevel.Allliteracyinitiatives at the global level were driven by the non-profit sectors (NGOs or bilateral and
multilateralagencies).
§ PriortothedevelopmentofthenewGlobalReadingNetwork,therewasnoinitiativededicatedtoconsolidatinganddisseminatingresearchonliteracyingeneralfromonecentralizedlocation,even though thereweremany initiatives toconduct research. It seems likely that theGlobalReadingNetworkwillfillthisgap.
§ Evidenceisstillseentobegenerallylackingacrossthegloballiteracyfield(seeSectionIIIformore information). Several interviewed stakeholders spoke of the need for more robustmonitoringandevaluation.ThisisthereasonwhyAllChildrenReadingsignificantlyreduceditsnumberofgranteesinthesecondround,tobeabletoprovidethemwithmorecapacitybuilding
supportparticularlyaroundmonitoringandevaluation(stakeholderinterview).
§ Several interviewed stakeholders noted that while education technology is attractingconsiderableinterestandfunding,thereisstillasignificantlackofevidenceonwhattypesoftechnologyinterventionsactuallyworktoimproveliteracy.
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§ Twointerviewedstakeholdersalsomentionedtheneedforfurtherfundingandsupporttoscale-upsuccessfulinnovations.Whilethereareendless“initiations”ofliteracymodels,thepercentageofthosewhichsuccessfullyscaleremainslimited.Thiswasparticularlyemphasizedinthecaseof
mobiletechnologyliteracyinterventions(stakeholderinterview).
§ No landscaped initiative focused on coordinating global volunteer opportunities related toliteracy.
RegionallevelThislandscapeanalysishasfoundregionalliteracyinitiativestobelimitedinnumber.Ageneralgapexistsattheregionallevelwhencomparedtoactivitiesandresourcestargetedattheglobalandcountrylevels.Onereason for thismaybethecost implicationsof regional initiatives,particularly thosethatseekto
convenekeystakeholders.ForexampleILA,whichdoesorganizeregionalliteracyconferencesonaregular
basis,notedthatthecostsofbringingtogetherstakeholdersfromvariouscountriesinoneregion(Africa,
forexample)canbeprohibitivebothtoparticipantsandorganizers,whichmayexplainwhytherearenot
moresuchinitiatives.
NationallevelAfewcriticalgapsatthenationallevelwerealsoidentified:
Ø AmongPearson’sprioritymarkets,theU.S.,UK,andSouthAfricaappeartohaveamoreactiveliteracylandscapeintermsofnationalinitiatives(campaigns,researchnetworks,etc.);IndiaandChinaslightlyless-so(thisdoesnotapplytoliteracyinterventions,whereIndia’slandscape