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CIES-Miami LEI Roundtable, March 11, 2024

The Learning Equity Initiative (UPenn and UNESCO-IIEP) co-hosted a Roundtable on Learning Equity at CIES 2024, in Miami. The roundtable brought over 40 global experts (see below) on education to discuss key issues in learning equity and encourage dialogue. The discussions at the roundtable were centered around 5 main themes: Learning and Instruction for Marginalized Learners, Teacher Professional Development, Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) and Assessment, EdTech for Bottom of the Pyramid, and Implementation Science and Policy Adaptation for Marginalized Students.

The roundtable included opening remarks by Dan Wagner and Martin Benavides, followed by Sylvia Schmelkes, Kwame Akyeampong, Luis Crouch, Nathan Castillo, and Rachel Hinton giving opening statements specifically about each of the five themes. Each roundtable had independent discussion around their assigned theme, followed by discussant presentations by Moses Oketch, Asyia Kazmi, Suguru Mizunoya, Gouri Gupta, and Noam Angrist.

Key insights from the discussions of the Roundtable themes are summarized below.

Learning and Instruction for Marginalized Learners: Participants emphasized the necessity of identifying who marginalized students are, recognizing a "multiplicity of marginalization" that affects both out-of-school students and those enrolled but not learning. Key challenges include access, teacher deficits, violence, structural inequities, discrimination, and the quality of learning materials. Culturally responsive interventions, systemic strengthening, and micro planning were discussed as strategies to address these issues. Comparison with national and international averages was deemed important for understanding and addressing the system's failings toward marginalized learners. The session concluded with a focus on sustaining efforts towards equity, exploring historical data for lessons, and engaging with country partners to address educational challenges holistically.

Teacher Professional Development: Discussion centered on supporting educators in under-resourced areas, while addressing systemic educational challenges. Advocacy for practical, contextual teacher training programs was strong, highlighting the need for collaboration with administrators and policy makers. Discussions focused on human-centered design in teacher professional development (TPD), fostering teacher engagement, and prioritizing continuous growth and adaptation to diverse student needs. An LEI approach should aim to build an educational ecosystem that meets teachers' specific needs, empowering them to overcome the unique challenges of marginalized students.

Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) and Assessment: Participants stressed the importance of defining FLN clearly and contextually, suitable for local application while aligning with global standards. They highlighted the need for assessments that recognize diverse learning trajectories and advocated for interventions that address both equity and foundational issues in education. The discussions underscored the importance of contextualizing interventions to the cultural and operational realities of different countries, aiming for sustainable, systemic changes that ensure effective educational frameworks.

EdTech for Bottom of the Pyramid: The discussion on EdTech focused on using technology to support diverse learning needs, emphasizing the importance of cost-effective and sustainable solutions like repurposed devices. The group explored gender disparities in device ownership and called for research on the costs and effectiveness of technological interventions. There was a consensus on the potential of AI in improving the effectiveness of learning assessments and the role of behavior change methodologies and private-public partnerships in enhancing and regulating EdTech initiatives, aiming for accessibility and responsiveness to learners' needs.

Implementation Science and Policy Adaptation for Marginalized Students: Participants highlighted the need for educational policies designed with implementation in mind, focusing on the needs of marginalized students. The complexity of marginalization calls for multidimensional policies and early inclusion of stakeholders in the design process. There was a push for flexible policy design to address education barriers and a dynamic policy-practice relationship that fosters bottom-up reforms. The discussion pointed to the importance of integrating lessons from successful community-specific initiatives into broader policy frameworks to effectively support disadvantaged students.

LEI Roundtable recommendations

The overall discussions at the roundtable placed an emphasis on sustaining efforts towards educational quality and learning equity, highlighting the critical role of government collaboration, historical data analysis, and engaging diverse partners to address foundational challenges. The dialogue underscored a number of key recommendations: the continuing importance of foundational literacy and numeracy, the acquisition of skills relevant to children’s particular environments; the dissemination of effective methodologies to educators and ensuring the sustainability of practices amidst fluctuating governmental support. In addition, there was consensus on the necessity of tailored, data-driven teacher professional development along with creating a supportive ecosystem for continuous learning and improvement. One collective insight pointed towards a unified approach to tackle long-standing educational problems that address issues of marginalized communities worldwide, while at the same time leveraging technology, policy support, and cross-sector collaboration. Finally, there was a call for better networking of those interested in improving learning equity via research, policy and practice.

LEI Roundtable Invited Participants

1. Ali, Armando (PalNetwork)
2. Akyeampong, Kwame (Open University, UK)
3. Alban-Conto, Carolina (IIEP-Dakar)
4. Andrabi, Tahir (Pamona College)
5. Angrist, Noam (Youth-Impact/Oxford)
6. Antonides, Manos (UNESCO HQ)
7. Azevedo, Joao Pedro (UNICEF)
8. Benavides, Martin (IIEP-UNESCO Paris)
9. Boukary, Hamidou (IDRC-Canada)
10. Brindlmayer, Maria (BE2)
11. Castillo, Nathan (University of Illinois)
12. Chudgar, Amita (Michigan State University)
13. Crouch, Luis (RTI)
14. Cruz, Mariana (EDC)
15. Davidson, Marcia (USAID)
16. Dhir, Jhingran (Language and Learning Foundation)
17. Dintilhac, Clio (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)
18. Dowd, Amy Jo (University of Pennsylvania)
19. Fancy, Khadijah (MottMacdonald)
20. Gidra, Aanchal (Michigan State University)
21. Gove, Amber (RTI)
22. Green, Crystal (HundrED/RTI)
23. Gupta, Gouri (Central Square Foundation)
24. Hinton, Rachel (FCDO)
25. Jamil, Baela Raza (ASER-Pakistan)
26. Karnati, Romilla (Save the Children)
27. Kazmi, Asyia (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)
28. Ly, Mamadou (ARED)
29. Malik, Sakil (Global Center for Innovation and Learning)
30. Mizunoya, Suguru (IIEP-UNESCO Paris)
31. Oketch, Moses (UCL - IOE)
32. Pershad, Devyani (Pratham)
33. Piper, Benjamin (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)
34. Poisson, Muriel (IIEP-UNESCO Paris)
35. Razquin, Paula (UNESCO HQ)
36. Reddick, Celia (Boston College)
37. Schmelkes, Sylvia (Univ. Iberia Americana)
38. Shariff, Khadija (ALIVE)
39. Tammi, Anna-Maria (Global Partnership for Education)
40. Thapa, Amrit (University of Pennsylvania)
41. Wagner, Dan (University of Pennsylvania)
42. Zahra, Fatima (UTK/Penn PDRI)

University of Pennsylvania Student Aides and Themes/Roles Assigned

1. Chung, Angel (Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) and Assessment)
2. Mejia, Jessica (Learning and Instruction for Marginalized Learners)
3. Odhiambo, Jimmie (EdTech for Bottom of the Pyramid)
4. Vetkhova, Svetlana (Teacher Professional Development)
5. Zuniga, Louie (Implementation Science and Policy Adaptation for Marginalized Students)
6. Nair, Tanya (Event Coordinator)
7. Zemp, Will (Event Coordinator)

LEI - IIEP Partnership

On November 9, 2023, in Paris, the University of Pennsylvania (represented by Dr. Dan Wagner) and the International Institute for Education Planning (represented by Dr. Martin Benevides) signed a new partnership agreement in support of the Learning Equity Initiative.

IIEP-UNESCO (2022):

"IIEP Strategic Debate on Learning at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Moving from policy to implementation.”. In the wake of the release of the book Learning, Marginalization, and Improving Education in Low-income Countries, IIEP-UNESCO hosted a Strategic Debate (24 May 2022). Experts Karen Mundy, Dan Wagner, Sylvia Schmelkes, R. Govinda, and John Mugo discuss the practical aspects of addressing the challenges of learning at the bottom of the pyramid (LBOP).

Blog (2021):

"Learning at the bottom of the pyramid (LBOP): Gateway to sustainable development”. This insightful blog post, authored by Daniel A. Wagner from the University of Pennsylvania, Moses Oketch from UCL Institute of Education, and Rachel Hinton from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, highlights the significance of learning at the bottom of the pyramid (LBOP) as a catalyst for sustainable development. The authors led a symposium titled "Learning at the bottom of the pyramid: What's new and what isn't?" at the UKFIET Conference on 13 September 2021. https://www.ukfiet.org/2021/learning-at-the-bottom-of-the-pyramid-lbop-gateway-to-sustainable-development/

CIES Webinar ( 2020):

“Learning for/in a Risky Planet: Consequences for Children in Highly Unfavorable Educational Contexts.” Dan Wagner (University of Pennsylvania), Luis Crouch (RTI International), Kwame Akyeampong (University of Sussex), Nathan Castillo (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Benjamin Piper (RTI International) and Suzanne Grant-Lewis (IIEP-UNESCO).

Fresh Ed Interview (2019):

Learning as Development: Rethinking International Education in a Changing World.Interview of Dan Wagner by Will Brehm. In this interview, Dan Wagner explores the connection between learning, education and development in cultural context. The interview provides insights into the transformative power of education in today's dynamic global landscape. https://freshedpodcast.com/danwagner/

Penn Wharton Podcast (2018):

“How Education and Development Policies Can Impact the World” In this engaging podcast episode, host Dan Loney interviews Suzanne Grant Lewis, Director of the International Institute for Educational Planning at UNESCO, and Dan Wagner, UNESCO Chair in Literacy and Learning at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. They discuss the challenges faced by marginalized communities in low and middle-income countries, who often experience exclusion from educational programs. https://shows.acast.com/wbr-highlights/episodes/s-grant-lewis-d-wagner

Learning at The Bottom of The Pyramid (2017, part 1):

"My Path to International Development" Interviews were conducted with the following experts: Benjamin Piper, Sarah Howie, Jorge Sequeira, Silvia Montoya, Brian Maddox and Shahur Banu Vagh during the March 2017 First "Learning at the Bottom of the Pyramid" Conference held at the University of Pennsylvania. The focus is on the personal journeys of each expert.

Learning at The Bottom Of the Pyramid (2017, part 2):

"Insights from the Field" Interviews were conducted with the following experts: Benjamin Piper, Sarah Howie, Jorge Sequeira, Silvia Montoya, Brian Maddox and Shahur Banu Vagh during the March 2017 First "Learning at the Bottom of the Pyramid" Conference held at the University of Pennsylvania. The focus is on the special insights derived from the career of each expert.

Dr. Dan Wagner speaking at the Pontifical Academies, Vatican City (2015):

“Children and Sustainable Development: A Challenge for Education” During the Workshop held in Vatican City from November 13-15, 2015, Dr. Dan Wagner addressed the topic of Children and Sustainable Development. The Workshop aimed to explore the role of education in fostering an inclusive society that empowers individuals to pursue life projects in harmony with their culture, beliefs, universal values, and environmental sustainability.

Bridges to the Future Initiative (2010):

“Multimedia for Literacy, BFI in South Africa” An introduction to the work of the Bridges to the Future Initiative, using technology to promote literacy in multiple languages in South Africa. The Bridges to the Future Initiative (BFI-SA) aims to address the country's literacy challenges through a multimedia education program. Launched on July 23, 2009, in partnership with the Molteno Institute for Language and Literacy and sponsored by the South African Department of Education, BFI-SA focuses on promoting literacy and other essential learning skills.

Bridges to the Future Initiative in India (2008):

“A Look into the Bridges to the Future Initiative in India”. An introduction to the work of the Bridges to the Future Initiative, using innovative and culturally relevant technology to promote literacy in multiple languages in India.