Overview

Learning to read and write for meaning and pleasure are arguably the two most important competences that children acquire in primary school. Yet, in 2019 more than one half of children worldwide do not reach this first rung on the literacy ladder. Improving Early Literacy Outcomes aims to address this head-on, by foregrounding the work of more than 40 researchers, most of them living in, and working on, developing countries. Their contributions illuminate, magnify, and discover anew the importance of improving early reading, through precise alignment of curriculum, teaching, and assessment, and with a special focus on some of the most under-studied countries in the world (e.g., Burkina Faso, Niger, and Senegal). Through probing analyses of research, policy, and practice, the book highlights the common experiences of high aspirations repeatedly confronting harsh realities. Sixteen interconnected chapters cast an ever-vigilant and deflationary eye on the temptation to take an unrealistic approach to early literacy, and also caution against lumping all languages, contexts, and policy-challenges into a single heap. This book provides an indispensable guide to policymakers, practitioners, educators, and academics working towards the realisation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Improving the teaching, learning, and assessment of early grade literacy is key not only to expanding the quality, access, and equity of education, but also to unlocking all the other SDGs, and ultimately to driving development.

Full Product Details

9789004402355

Table of Contents

Reviews

""The book tackles the vital question of how to improve early literacy, which is of particular importance to children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. I strongly recommend it to policy actors, non-government organisations, researchers, and students seeking to understand, and identify solutions to, the learning crisis facing many countries around the world."" – Pauline Rose, Professor and Director, Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre, Cambridge University

The book tackles the vital question of how to improve early literacy, which is of particular importance to children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. I strongly recommend it to policy actors, non-government organisations, researchers, and students seeking to understand, and identify solutions to, the learning crisis facing many countries around the world. - Pauline Rose, Professor and Director, Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre, Cambridge University

Author Information

Nic Spaull (South Africa) is a senior researcher in the Economics Department at Stellenbosch University, and Director of Funda Wande – Reading For Meaning, a world-class multimedia course to teach Foundation Phase (grades R-3) teachers how to teach reading. John P. Comings (United States) is a senior technical consultant at World Education, an international NGO based in Boston, and a faculty member at the Center for International Education, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

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