Understanding contextual needs with regard to foundational learning is a complex task. Correct information is critical to making decisions on the scope of activities and accurately anticipating their feasibility. A lasting and dynamic reform also requires recognizing and leveraging the strengths of the national education system and key actors, ensuring that development partners’ work is complementary, managing risk, and envisioning the future conditions necessary for sustainability with key stakeholders.
Resources facilitating a deep understanding of where to focus (e.g., sub-populations and geographies), and diagnosing education system strengths and weaknesses, in an effort to better target foundational learning needs and opportunities.
Overview: A guide to foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) programs with a focus on stakeholder engagement (decision-makers and practitioners)
Host: Delivery Associates, with support from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) FLN Partnership
Description: Tools that guide public sector actors to implement foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) reforms through strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, data-driven decision-making, and the establishment of systems for evaluation and iteration. The guide also includes case studies that utilize the tools.
Read MoreOverview: A framework — users navigate the foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) context assessment to access tips. *Registration required
Host: FLN Hub
Description: This framework features 15 generalizable criteria to support planning for FLN program
implementation. It includes steps that development partners use to identify a key focus area, assess
capacity, explore
resources, and develop and implement an FLN program, as well as gauge the degree to which it may be
contextually and politically feasible to deliver such a program.
*Users must first register and be granted
access.
Overview: Tools and guidance to support national actors to select strategic priorities for education reform to improve student learning
Host: RISE Programme
Description: A set of tools to support national actors in selecting high-level strategic reform priorities to improve learning based on the latest education systems research. The user may choose to specifically focus on FLN. The tools can be used to identify misalignments in the system, strengthen policies, design programs, and conduct retrospective analysis to understand success or failure. The tools are designed with the goal of improving learning (ensuring a clear path from systems change to improved learning).
Read MoreOverview: A document summarizing the “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+ website.
Read MoreTools to identify products and other resources from a given country that could be leveraged, assuming that a detailed review confirms their quality.
Overview: A website landing page with summaries of development partners’ investments in foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN); however, the latest data are from 2021.
Host: SEEK Development
Description: AA webpage that maps donor investment in FLN as a percentage of official development assistance (ODA), as well as trends in FLN investments over time. It is also available as a 2023 summary report: “Understanding Funding for Foundational Literacy and Numeracy.”
Read MoreOverview: Open-licensed print material database for foundational literacy and numeracy
Host: Early Learning Resource Network
Description: This website hosts open-license foundational literacy and numeracy resources, making them available for ministries and educational partners to use. Resources are in digital and print-ready formats, and include textbooks, teacher’s guides, reading books, procurement documents and parent & caregiver resources.
Read MoreOverview: Guidance created for development partners to define the scope of a structured pedagogy program
Host: UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa website
Description: This practical resource includes a model/framework to “inform discussions between governments, teachers, civil society, and international partners” on teacher professional development, TLMs, formative assessments, information and communication technology (ICT), and caregiver engagement. It features studies from different contexts in Eastern and Southern Africa. Potential uses include contextual analysis, audits of education interventions, stakeholder mapping, financing, and determining preconditions for success, with guidance structured as reflection questions.
Read MoreOverview: A two-hour and 20-minute webinar outlining policy and financing trends in the foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) sector.
Host: Donor Tracker by SEEK Development
Description: This 2023 webinar provides an overview of the latest Donor Tracker research on FLN and outlines current policy and financing trends. The webinar also provides recommendations for donor support and advocacy efforts, based on inputs from panels of international donors, partners, and advocates.
Read MoreTools and resources on the following:
1) Assessments to establish a robust and detailed picture of the current political and social contexts and
2) Global databases with country-specific evidence related to social and political issues.
Overview: A website featuring data on children’s educational progress, organized into an interactive dashboard.
Host: UNICEF Data
Description: An interactive Education Pathway Analysis dashboard shows the educational progression of upper secondary school-aged youth in 103 countries and territories, based on data from Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys and Demographic and Health Surveys.
Read MoreOverview: A guide to foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) programs with a focus on stakeholder engagement (decision-makers and practitioners).
Host: Delivery Associates, with support from the UNICEF FLN Partnership
Description: Tools that guide public sector actors to implement FLN reforms through strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, data-driven decision-making, and the establishment of systems for evaluation and iteration. The guide also includes case studies that utilize the tools.
Read MoreOverview: A norm-setting guidance document for UNICEF staff.
Host: UNICEF
Description: This guidance note is a living document for UNICEF staff that seeks to provide a systematic way to identify and address priority bottlenecks that prevent the achievement of equitable results for children.
Read MoreOverview: A norm-setting guidance document for UNICEF staff.
Host: U.K. Government
Description: This website summarizes key points, including an introduction to political economy analysis (PEA), its purpose and main elements, how to use PEA to think and work politically, and guidance on planning a PEA, with an annex of key concepts.
Overview: A paper on different applications of PEA and how U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) can plan for and use PEA in its work.
Host: Science of Teaching
Description: This report outlines various uses of PEA from USAID’s perspective, how working politically differs from more traditional approaches, the types of engagements involved, the time and steps required to conduct baseline analysis, the relationship between political economy analysis and program adaptive management, and additional related resources.
Overview: A website that provides information on what social and behavior change (SBC) is and how it is applied.
Host: UNICEF
Description: A website that provides information about SBC fundamentals, SBC approaches, SBC diagnostics, and the design of an SBC program according to identified contextual factors. It also includes practical guidance on implementation, including strategies for implementation, partnering, systems strengthening, and SBC in emergency settings.
Read MoreTools and information on how development partners can work with and support the capacity strengthening of governmental systems and local nongovernmental organizations.
Overview: 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 influencing-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 comprehensive and practical document with evidence on education capacity strengthening across the program cycle.
Host: Science of Teaching
Description: This document is focused on strengthening local education systems, and includes a review of evidence, strategic planning and engagement, program design and implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. There are useful guidance sections, including multiple models of capacity strengthening reviewed for pros and cons, and a brief table about limitations of current practices and the promising practices that could replace them. Also see principles for effective local capacity strengthening in the document: Local Capacity Strengthening Policy.
Case studies on foundational learning programs or educational conditions that serve to illustrate intervention approaches and program effectiveness in various contexts or conditions that may influence program design.
Overview: A two-hour webinar video with a brief foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) introduction and impact evaluation results across contexts.
Host: FLN Hub
Description: This video provides an introduction to FLN programs, e.g., the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-Pal)-led impact evaluation results across multiple contexts from June 2021.
Read MoreOverview: A website with evidence on foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) from research by J-PAL, and the Building Evidence in Education (BE2) group.
Host: FLN Hub
Description: This website landing page has a series of drop-down lists, including 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 country-specific data from 103 countries and territories about children’s progress through school.
Host: UNICEF Data
Description: Data are presented by country and topic on children’s progression through school, including repetition, drop-out, transition, and completion. This website also includes reports on data analysis, country profiles, visualizations, and additional related resources.
Read MoreOverview: Country-specific outputs from the RISE Tool and the process for selecting strategic priorities.
Host: RISE Programme
Description: The website lists the countries supported directly by the RISE team to prioritize reform strategies: Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tanzania, and Vietnam. RISE uses a set of tools (Systems Diagnostic) to support national actors select high-level strategic reform priorities to improve learning, based on the latest education systems research. The tools are designed with the goal of improving learning outcomes.
Read MoreOverview: A document highlighting five tips produced from a review of four case studies.
Host: RISE Programme
Description: This document walks readers through five tips for building coherence across their education sub-systems (curriculum design, textbook design, assessment tools, and teacher training). These tips were derived from four case studies.
Read MoreOverview: A report summarizing recommendations on the most cost-effective interventions for improving learning.
Host: 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: An online database of social science research from across sub-Saharan Africa.
Host: Education Sub Saharan Africa
Description: The African Education Research Database is a curated collection of social science research from across sub-Saharan Africa with a particular focus on educational policy and practice in response to global priorities and targets set as part of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals. The database includes a “country” search option, among others.
Read MoreOverview: A working paper by the USAID Global Reading Network.
Host: Science of Teaching
Description: A working paper on how to design sustainable and scalable primary grade literacy and numeracy programs, aimed at presenting an efficient and effective dual approach by applying the MOSAIC framework. The paper includes 10 case studies.
Read MoreOverview: A blog article with embedded videos on the Real-Time Scaling Labs program.
Host: Brookings Foundation
Description: This resource focuses 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 series of training modules and case studies explaining how to administer foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) assessments.
Host: FLN Hub
Description: This landing page contains modules on formative assessments for literacy and numeracy. It includes videos and reading materials. These assessments can be administered to all children in the 5–16 age group and can be conducted both in and out of school. Scroll down to “Additional Resources for Formative Assessments” to find case studies.
Read MoreOverview: A website repository of learning materials from the long-standing Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC) initiative.
Host: U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) — Girls' Education Challenge
Description: This GEC repository includes a range of resources covering issues such as value for money, managing partners, gender equality, and strengthening teaching and learning.
Read MoreLocal language plays a crucial role in education, particularly in literacy and mathematics instruction. Children learn to read and write more effectively in a language they speak and understand, and being literate in one language makes it quicker and easier to learn to read in another language. Using a familiar language fosters deeper thinking, critical analysis, and problem-solving, improving comprehension across subjects. Additionally, incorporating local language helps preserve culture and reinforces students’ self-worth.
▶ However, many factors complicate language decision-making, and here we highlight a few of those. A homogeneous language environment supports local-language literacy, particularly when teachers and students share the same language and there are ample learning materials. Yet, many programs fail to account for other subjects being taught in an international language to the same children, and there is limited research on the consequences of this approach. New language policies, when poorly or incompletely executed, can cause inconsistencies in curriculum, learning materials and assessment methods. Meanwhile, policy and curriculum reforms can require years to complete, and in many cases it may be unwise to delay provision of urgently needed foundational learning support until materials and training based on the updated curriculum are rolled out. Because language policies are often politically sensitive, understanding the broader political economy can help develop realistic and timely solutions while advocating for best practices. For example, in certain contexts where first-language instruction faces overwhelming resistance, pedagogical strategies for teaching literacy and mathematics in a second language may be practical. Balancing language decisions with practical needs is essential for impact and equity of student learning outcomes.
▶ More information on the language of instruction (LOI) can be found here:
Ensuring the accessibility of teaching and learning materials (TLMs) created for high quality foundational learning programs is crucial for preserving education investments. Developing high-quality TLMs requires expertise in grade-appropriate publishing practices (writers, editors, artists, designers, etc.) as well as evidence-based literacy pedagogy (language and literacy specialists). The initial investment can be costly, but these resources become more cost-effective with every re-print and adaptation. Proper documentation and management are essential for long-term use. Unfortunately, many countries and development partners lack systems for archiving these materials. When new programs come in, TLMs are often created from scratch without access to previous resources, and often without awareness of their existence, leading to unnecessary costs.
Assuring accessibility requires a long-term strategy, infrastructure, and a management framework. Key categories of foundational learning materials include student books, teacher guides, mathematics workbooks and games, training resources, assessment tools, curriculum scope and sequence, evidence of TLMs’ effectiveness, and policy documents.
Final notes: