This section focuses on guidance for foundational learning programs to prepare for nationwide rollout, as well as examples of the conditions under which smaller programs have effectively been replicated nationwide, or at a large scale. Preparing for a reform or program to be implemented nationwide necessarily requires alignment with and integration into national systems, considerations for the sustainability of associated expenditures, and sustained political commitment. Technical capacity across the system must replicate conditions under which pilots or smaller scale programs were carried out in the process of building the evidence for scale (see the program quality and adaptation section in the Development Partner Resource Guide), and procurement and management systems need to ensure that any inputs, such as training and teaching and learning materials (TLMs), are timely and meet the required quality standards. Focus areas on evidence related to scaling up, procurement, and coordination are presented below.
Evidence on nationwide implementation includes evidence on the technical components to focus on, cost-effectiveness, case studies on how pilots grow and become embedded into systems, and larger efforts development partners are making to study and document experiences of foundational learning programs being implemented at national scale.
Overview: A website with evidence, including estimated programmatic costs, for different intervention types.
Host: FLN Hub
Description: A website landing page with a series of drop-down lists, e.g., “Cost Effectiveness.” Other information includes barriers, stakeholders, and country-specific data. The website also features research with quantitative data and expert reflection on context, scale, and equity.
Read MoreOverview: A website with working papers and blogs that focus on policy, implementation, and evidence.
Host: The What Works Hub for Global Education
Description: This website focuses on synthesizing, curating, and translating evidence on improving literacy, numeracy, and other key skills for children. The site offers working papers and blogs that focus on sharing evidence-based ideas, government policy, and the large-scale and day-to-day implementation of reforms.
Read MoreOverview: Professional development series on design and scale up of foundational reading programs.
Host: Developed under USAID, Hosted by Science of Teaching
Description: This is a robust set of resources, originally presented as a webinar by the USAID-funded Reading within Reach (REACH) initiative, including resources from the Global Reading Network. It includes presentations, and over 61 handouts on targeted aspects of reading program design, development and scale. Topics include: 1) Conception to Scale, 2) Resources and Materials, 3) Skills and Instruction, 4) Language, and 5) Continuous Professional Development. In particular, see Webinar 1 which guides participants through key steps and considerations for early grade reading program design and implementation, with a focus on planning for expansion and sustainability.
Read MoreOverview: A final report on the programs that have a demonstrated impact on foundational learning outcomes at scale.
Host: RTI International
Description: This report includes primary research and reviews secondary data from six of the most influential numeracy programs.
Read MoreOverview: A final report on the programs that have a demonstrated impact on foundational learning outcomes at scale.
Host: RTI International
Description: This report includes primary research and reviews secondary data from eight of the most influential literacy programs.
Read MoreOverview: A blog article with embedded videos on the Real-Time Scaling Labs program.
Host: Brookings Foundation
Description: A resource focused on technical solutions for scaling, development diplomacy, and influential skills and approaches. The blog provides case studies from multiple countries and discusses how to adopt a human-centric approach to scaling.
Read MoreOverview: A report summarizing recommendations on the most cost-effective interventions for improving learning.
Host: World Bank Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel
Description: This updated report summarizes the latest evidence on the most cost-effective interventions for improving the learning of all children in low- and middle-income countries. The report is based on a systematic search and review of evaluation studies, as well as literature on interventions that have been shown to affect educational outcomes.
Read MoreOverview: A website and resources about how the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) provides technical support to adapt and scale up evidence-based programming.
Host: FCDO
Description: This website and the integrated resources describe the SCALE effort to support foundational learning. The information includes participating organizations, funding amounts, expenditure areas (or sectors) within foundational learning, links to the logical framework, business cases and summaries, and monitoring and evaluation documentation.
Read MoreTwo of the largest cost drivers of foundational learning programs are teacher training and the procurement of teaching and learning materials. Ensuring timely, high-quality materials is essential for learning outcomes and has many potential points of failure, raising the importance of the careful management of this aspect of FLN programming. Teacher training is another area of necessary investment, often at high cost. Fortunately, new solutions combining traditional face-to-face training with school-based support, decentralized or “middle-tier” support, and technology-enabled learning can make pre-service and in-service professional development for teachers and other education staff more cost effective. Significant improvements to teacher pre-service training in FLN may be another route to decrease the investment needed for in-service teacher professional development.
Overview: Professional development series on design and scale up of foundational reading programs.
Host: Science of Teaching (USAID-sponsored)
Description: This is a robust set of resources, originally presented as a webinar by the USAID-funded Reading within Reach (REACH) initiative, including resources from the Global Reading Network. It includes presentations, and over 61 handouts on targeted aspects of reading program design, development and scale. Topics include: 1) Conception to Scale, 2) Resources and Materials, 3) Skills and Instruction, 4) Language, and 5) Continuous Professional Development. Examples of practical information include Guidance for printing and storage, teachers guide design guidance, benefits of learning in a familiar language, coaching strategies and many more.
Read MoreOverview: Short summary of research regarding effectiveness, cost, and systems including technology use to support teacher professional development.
Host: World Bank Group
Description: This summary of research includes sections (pages 45–50) on evidence regarding the following conceptually linked topics: Increased Effectiveness of Teachers and Teaching Methods, Cost-efficiency and Cost-effectiveness of Investments, Quality and Relevance of Education at Scale, and System Strengthening and Resilience.
Read MoreOverview: Occasional paper describing experience-based practices and lessons learned in the book chain process, particularly production but also printing and distribution.
Host: RTI International
Description: This paper presents experienced-based practices for produced and delivering teaching and learning materials, particularly books, in large-scale FLN programs. Particularly considering contexts with high linguistic diversity and low operational capacity for producing and distributing instructional materials. Topics covered include consideration in selection and quantity, quality assurance, copyright issues, cost-efficiency, and ensuring timely delivery to schools.
Read MoreOverview: Short presentation of book supply chain steps, challenges and ongoing solutions.
Host: World Bank Group
Description: This presentation provides an overview of key steps and challenges in ensuring the effective procurement, production, and distribution of learning materials. It outlines best practices for managing the book supply chain—from planning and budgeting to printing and last-mile delivery—emphasizing timely access, cost-efficiency, and alignment with educational goals.
Read MoreOverview: Good examples of book supply chain projects.
Host: Global Book Alliance
Description: This site showcases national initiatives aimed at strengthening the book supply chain to improve children's access to quality reading materials. It features country-specific projects that address gaps in book development, procurement, distribution, and use, offering insights, tools, and lessons learned from diverse contexts.
Read MoreCoordination involves working together toward more effective and efficient programming, including leveraging assets and avoiding duplication and service gaps. Coordinated decision-making requires identifying key stakeholders, establishing common goals, determining resource allocation (individually and collectively), gathering and sharing data, and ensuring clear communication about changes in strategy or resources.
Overview: A document providing practical guidance and examples of the CLA process.
Host: ACDI/VOCA
Description: This CLA Playbook created by ACDI/VOCA, incorporates CLA processes from USAID and provides and describes different parts of the CLA process in detail. These include integrating collaboration, learning and adapting into the program cycle, and creating the enabling conditions for CLA, including culture, processes and resources. Each of these elements is described in detail, with tips and use cases provided.
Read MoreOverview: A guidance document on effective adaptive management systems.
Host: PACT
Description: This document provides practical guidance for development practitioners on the mindsets, behaviors, resources, and processes that underpin an effective adaptive management system. The approach is rooted in complexity analysis and program theory.
Read MoreOverview: A document for planning “whole system in the room,” or WSR, approach that brings together a large group of stakeholders to strengthen relationships, learn, solve problems, and commit to collective action.
Host: FHI 360
Description: This document describes how to organize a WSR workshop, including framing the idea, forming a steering committee, selecting stakeholders and finding funders. Additional information about how this methodology has evolved and where it has been used can be found at the SCALE webiste.
Read MoreActive participation in donor coordination meetings can facilitate ministry support and the integration of program components as part of the ministry rollout of new initiatives. In some cases, development partners fund different ministry departments to conduct activities aligned with their respective roles; for instance, one donor may fund the teacher training department to deliver FLN training, while another funds the curriculum department to develop and distribute TLMs. For these efforts to succeed, both departments need to coordinate closely to ensure that TLMs are distributed in sync with teacher training on how to use them. However, this alignment often falls short, making it essential for development partners or program teams to actively support and reinforce this coordination.
In addition to scaling up an intervention, it is useful to consider the intensity of resources that may be required to achieve the same results in different parts of a country with different populations. For instance, where resources are insufficient for schools to have classrooms with locked doors and bookshelves to store TLMs, these additional investments can be made by coordinating with development partners, ensuring that the investment in the use of and training on a package of TLMs is not lost due to rain, pests, or theft.
Effectively scaling an FLN program relies on the capacity of the education system’s “middle tier”—the regional and district-level staff responsible for ensuring the program rollout is executed according to plan and maintains quality. Larger in number than national staff, they are a critical link to effectively implement program elements and avoid “information loss” that often occurs in face-to-face cascade training models and to ensure ongoing school accountability. These staff (not only school staff) require regular support, such as refresher training and “learning while doing,” using on-site coaching with job aids, detailed guides, and checklists to strengthen the level of support they provide to school principals and teachers. For example, in a literacy program, regional staff could receive specific job aids on supporting phonics instruction and comprehension strategies. Regular check-ins or remote support can help ensure that both content and delivery methods align with program goals while scaling up.
Examples of FLN programs working on decentralized system strengthening are included in the Leading from the Middle-Tier: Building Systems of Effective Instructional Leadership webinar.