Please join Education Development Center for a discussion on building effective early grade reading programs, focusing on Mali’s Programme Harmonisé d'Appui au Renforcement de l'Education (USAID PHARE, or Road to Reading in English). Light refreshments will be served. 

What:

A panel featuring Malian Ministry officials and USAID PHARE program staff, including EDC’s Norma Evans, will explore three topics:

1)   Malian students’ reading performance as measured by a nationally representative assessment
2)   Research exploring the factors contributing to students’ low performance in reading
3)   Initiatives undertaken by the Ministry to improve reading skills, including the impact of those efforts over the program’s first two and a half years

Discussion will focus on successes, challenges, and sustainable solutions identified to date.

Why:

Children who learn to read well are ready for a lifetime of learning. Recognizing this, Mali’s Ministry of Education, with support from the United States Agency for International Development and technical assistance from Education Development Center and its partners (RTI, Aide et Action and IEP), is implementing this ambitious, large-scale program to improve early grade reading results. The event will enrich the current discourse about USAID investment in reading with practical experiences and examples from the field.

Who:

·     Mr. Bakary SAMAKÉ, Director of the Division of Teacher Education, Malian Ministry of Education
·     Mr. Youssouf KONANDJI, National Director of Pedagogy
·     Mr. Abdoulaye SARRÉ, Teacher Training Coordinator, USAID PHARE (Road to Reading) Program
·     Mr. Almougaitra MAIGA, Assistant Coordinator, M & E, USAID PHARE (Road to Reading) Program
·     Ms. Norma EVANS, Senior Technical Advisor, EDC Washington