Learning

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.

USAID’s new evidence review, Reigniting Learning: Strategies for Accelerating Learning Post-Crisis, identifies evidence-based strategies to adapt the curriculum, modify instructional time, and refine pedagogy to accelerate learning.

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.

More than 263 million children are out of school around the world, oftentimes due to poverty and conflict. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as in many other countries, Accelerated Education Programs are becoming a more common approach.

USAID and its partners have used different methods to set performance benchmarks for primary school students over the years, with the vast majority of benchmarking exercises relying on student reading assessment data to identify proficiency levels.

Accelerated Education Programs (AEPs) need to be designed in alignment with local education authorities, including relevant ministries of education, ministries of youth or other ministries overseeing non-formal education.    

The first three principles of the Accelerated Education: 10 Principles for Effective Practice focus on creating a flexible, inclusive environment for every student to help achieve the program’s goals.

In every country, education has the power to change lives and drive development. Accelerated Education Programs create inclusive education opportunities for those who have fallen through the cracks, regardless of the reasons behind the fall.