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In interviews, teachers did not distinguish between having students copy a text and having students read that text. The majority of teachers believed that copying text was evidence of comprehension. Similarly, teachers did not distinguish between asking a child to copy a text and asking them to produce their own written work; they did not differentiate between dictation (reading something aloud for students to write) and authentic writing activities that promote expression—be it creative, argumentative, persuasive, etc. In short, classroom practice emphasized decoding and encoding text without emphasizing the value of written language or the deep thinking that gives reading purpose.
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Completing the diagnostic surveys and interviews has helped ConTextos stay focused on improving the quality of education using texts as a vehicle to promote critical thinking, problem solving and literacy in all subject areas. Through our pilot phase diagnostics, we’ve improved our questions to better show the reality before our intervention. Throughout the year, ConTextos monitors and documents the evolving student experience to show impact during and after our intervention.
“Literacy unlocks the door to learning throughout life, is essential to development and health, and opens the way for democratic participation and active citizenship.”
– Kofi Annan, former United Nations’ Secretary‐General
Measuring child outcomes—not just in test scores or attendance, but in overall experience— distinguishes ConTextos from most other educational nonprofits that only focus on outputs like number of teachers trained or resources delivered.
UNESCO’s Education for All and the Millennium Development Goals strive to improve education and literacy in the least developed countries. As a result, more kids are going to school, but the quality of education and overall outcomes are worse than ever. According to the most recent UNESCO global statistics, illiteracy rates have increased by 5% for males and 10% for females in the least developed countries since 1990. In El Salvador and neighboring countries, data show that 70%
of primary students read far below level with limited understanding of written text.
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