India – Nanhi Kali and Ganitha Kalika Andolana

4 October 2023

This 90 minute webinar included presentations from Nanhi Kali, Akshara Foundation, and RTI and was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Anustup Nayak from Central Square Foundation. A total of 275 participants attended this event.

View the presentation slides here

El Salvador– ESMATE

20 – 22 September 2023

The El Salvador dissemination event spanned three days and included a meeting for high-level ministry staff (18 attendees), an online webinar for teachers (175 attendees), and a breakfast presentation for university professors and other stakeholders of interest (60 attendees).

Concrete messages that attendees took away from these events included:

• Participants reflected on the importance of insisting on the use of the didactic sequence with teachers and pedagogical managers, and noted that there are still some challenges to overcome in terms of how teachers use the concrete material and their pedagogical skills.
• Participants noted that teacher training needs to be improved by being made more practical and that teachers can benefit from observing the teaching practices of other teachers.
• Participants inquired about the future of ESMATE and teacher training and the potential to expand into other subject areas.
• Participants emphasized the need to look beyond traditional training methods for teachers and to explore innovative ways to build their capabilities. 

Participants at the high-level meeting with ministry staff (top) and the stakeholders breakfast (bottom).

Jordan – RAMP

13-14 September 2023

The Jordan dissemination event lasted two days. The first day was a workshop involving the Ministry of Education and National Curriculum Development Center (37 attendees). The second event was a roundtable targeting international donors and partners (15 attendees).

The workshop included the following presentations:

1. “Numeracy at Scale Findings” by RTI’s Dr. Jonathan Stern and Suzan Al Salihi. This presentation provided an overview of the Numeracy at Scale study, methodology, and key findings.
2. “Methods for Teaching Mathematics Concepts” by Dr. Omar Abughaloun (National Curriculum Development Center). This presentation summarized eight methods for teaching math concepts as covered in the newly developed mathematics textbook. It focused on the importance of teaching math as a life skill, providing practical examples for students’ day-to-day lives.
3. “Teacher’s Professional Development and Electronic Supervision System” by Juma Soud (Ministry of Education). This presentation summarized the Supervision Department and RAMP partnership in automating a supervision system at the Ministry of Education and how the role of supervisors has changed from supervision to guidance.
4. “Mathematics Package Study Findings” by Dr. Yaser Al-Omari (Ministry of Education). This presentation provided an overview of research conducted by the Research and Planning Department at the Ministry of Education, and highlighted the initiative of a teacher who is a recipient of the Queen Rania Award after creating a math package that was adopted by other teachers.

Concrete takeaways included: recognition of the pivotal role played by teacher training in elevating student outcomes; the need for needs-based professional development standards; the imperative to sustain the RAMP program interventions; and the importance of disseminating study results and involving teachers in decision-making processes, echoing the collaborative spirit that drives educational progress in Jordan.

Workshop presentations from RTI International (top) and the Ministry of Education (bottom).

South Africa – Grade R Maths

17 August 2023

The Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Hub, led by Africa Practice, hosted a webinar on Scaline Foundational Learning Programs – the minimum package required. Representatives from the Grade R Maths Program and the Western Cape Education Department, Almaret DuToit (Chief Education Specialist, WCED) and Dawn Cozett (Senior Curriculum Planner, WCED) presented on the roll out of R-Maths at scale alongside RTI researchers Dr. Jonathan Stern and Dr, Wendi Ralaingita, who presented findings from the Numeracy at Scale Study.

View the presentation slides here

Workshop presentations from RTI International (top) and the Ministry of Education (bottom).

Madagascar – TAFITA

18-19 July 2023

Dissemination efforts in Madagascar included a half-day seminar for key stakeholders from the Ministry of Education, funding partners, and technical partners with a presentation of the study and findings by RTI, followed by a discussion panel that brought together JICA (funder of TAFITA), the secretary general (representing the ministry), and Dr. Wendi Ralaingita from RTI (41 attendees). The following day, meetings were held between Dr. Ralaingita and key teams from the ministry to discuss the findings of the report in more detail.

Watch a FUN VIDEO on the Key Takeaways from TAFITA!

India – SERI

2-3 March 2023

In early March, RTI co-hosted a national summit with Room to Read to disseminate and discuss findings from the SERI program. This event, entitled “Foundational Literacy at Scale: Learnings from SERI,” was held at the Hotel Ambassador in New Delhi and included approximately 80 stakeholders, including 20 State government representatives from across India.

The aim of the event was to look closely at the SERI project and its various interventions, in order to distill learnings (both what worked and what didn’t) for states as they embark upon implementation the National Initiative for Proficiency in reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN). Stakeholders implementing the project in different states presented, as did both Room to Read and RTI researchers. Matthew Jukes, Learning at Scale’s research director for literacy, presented findings at the event, and participated in a discussion panel.

Ghana – Ghana: Learning

8 February 2023

This half-day event presented the findings of the Learning at Scale study with a particular focus on the essential components of instructional practice and support, as well as system support, that were core to the success of Ghana Learning.  This was a targeted event for a small, select group of stakeholders. Participants included policymakers from the various agencies of the Ministry of Education, some academics, practitioners, and some program staff from Ghana Learning (35 attendees). Study findings were presented by the Principal Investigator of the study, Dr. Jonathan Stern.

Participants comment on findings from the study.

Senegal – Lecture Pour Tous

15 November 2022

A two-part full-day dissemination event took place in Dakar, Senegal, to present the findings of the Learning at Scale study, with a focus on the learning from the Lecture Pour Tous program.

To begin the first component of the event, the secretary general from the Ministry of Education gave an opening address contextualizing the event as a celebration of what has been achieved and as a learning event. The focus was to build on successes and discuss pathways to achieve sustainability at scale. The key findings of the study were then presented by RTI’s Dr. Margaret Dubeck, who highlighted the specific example of Lecture Pour. Following this, a panel discussed findings on the common elements of successful programs (as identified by the Learning at Scale study), with a particular focus on capacity building and sustainability efforts in Senegal. The second component of the event was an interactive workshop to explore the priorities for improving the teaching of foundational literacy and language in Senegal. Given that the ministry’s strategy had been set, the purpose of the discussions was to explore:

• How do study findings complement or reinforce this strategy?
• What capacity and resources will be needed to implement and sustain this strategy (at a decentralized level)?
• What other elements could be integrated as part of this strategy?

Attendees participate in the interactive workshop (top) and presentation of findings (bottom).

Tanzania – EQUIP-T

14 September 2022

This dissemination workshop, which highlighted lessons learned from the EQUIP-T program and it’s follow-on, Shule Bora, was held in Dodoma and 68 participants, representing the following groups:

• President’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG)
• Ministry of Education
• International Donors
• Non-governmental organizations
• University Lecturers (University of Dar es Salaam, University of Dodoma)
• Regional, District and Ward education representatives
• Teachers

Following a presentation of findings by RTI, a panel discussion was facilitated with representatives from FCDO, Ministry of Education, Shule Bora, and Jifunze Uelewa. Discussions focused on sustainability and institutionalization of best practices.

Panelists provide insights on study findings (top) and participants discuss findings and Science of Teaching briefs (bottom).

Kenya – Tusome

31 May 2022

This event, which aimed to communicate Learning at Scale study findings with an emphasis on the Tusome program, included representatives from the Ministry of Education, Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE), and County Education Offices, in addition to NGO’s, research organizations and donors. Concrete messages participants said they took away from the event revolved around teaching and instructional support, sustainability and the role of government. Overall, participants left with a sense of optimism- 84% of survey respondents said that they felt very optimistic that improving learning at scale in their context was attainable.