Early grade reading achievement in Zambia and Yemen

Report prepared by Associate Professor Penelope Collins for USAID
February 2012

Report Abstract

The ability to read and understand a simple text is one of the most fundamental skills a child can learn. Without basic literacy there is little chance that a child can escape the intergenerational cycle of poverty. Yet in many countries, students enrolled in school for as many as six years are unable to read and understand a simple text. Recent evidence indicates that learning to read both early and at a sufficient rate are essential for learning to read well. Both Zambia and Yemen have made great strides in increasing access to primary school education for both boys and girls.  Local versions of the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) were individually administered to representative samples of second-grade children in Yemen and in Zambia. Although children showed limited mastery of basic literacy skills and reading comprehension, greater literacy achievement was associated with school attendance, access to reading materials at school and at home, and the provision of corrective feedback from teachers.