Learning

USAID continues to prioritize foundational reading skills and currently funds 19 early grade reading projects across sub-Saharan Africa.

USAID has made significant progress in establishing an approach to linking country-level learning assessments to global proficiency expectations so countries can set appropriate targets for achieving outcomes in early grade literacy and math.

The USAID Center for Education has developed six guidelines in the Good Practice Brief on Engaging Non-State Schools to inform agency stakeholders on incorporating non-state schools.

USAID and its partners recently experimented with cash benchmarking to better understand the cost-effectiveness of its investments. There are currently five cash benchmarking studies underway, each with a different research design.

Teachers must teach in the same language that their students use and understand. These language skills, coupled with pedagogical content knowledge and instructional approaches, are essential for providing effective reading instruction.

Reading, the bedrock of literacy, is the foundational skill necessary for all academic progress. Designing high-quality primary grade reading programs is essential to ensuring a pipeline of students who remain in school, achieve educational success, and contribute to economic growth.

Kenya implemented the Tusome Early Grade Reading Activity in 2014. It introduced interventions at the grade 1 level beginning in 2015. Taking its name from the Kiswahili word for “let’s read,” the Tusome program was a five-year, nationwide effort.

In 2010, less than ten percent of Kenya’s primary school-aged children were reading at the national level benchmarks. Ten years later, largely due to the success of the Tusome program, nearly 66 percent of grade two students now read at grade level.