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Early math learning and spatial-thinking skills lay the foundation for school success. In a new blog post, EDC’s Ashley Lewis Presser shares tips and free resources to help build young children’s spatial orientation skills. https://lnkd.in/eckxHqNG #Education #EdChat #EarlyChildhoodEducation Spatial thinking—the ability to visualize, manipulate, and reason about objects in space—equips young children with vital cognitive skills and supports their later academic success. In the blog post, originally published by Math for All, Ashley describes work that she led in collaboration with GBH Education to develop resources to foster young children’s spatial orientation skills. The resources include activities for both school and home learning and are now available online.

How can we build students’ #DataLiteracy and reasoning skills? Our new Science Scope article (https://lnkd.in/erxkPmhh) shares an innovative approach, “Building Insights through Observation,” that helps teachers prepare students to make meaning of any data visualization that crosses their path. #Education   The article shares findings from a project led by Nurture Nature Center in partnership with Education Development Center, CIRES at the University of Colorado-Boulder, and J. Sickler Consulting. View key findings in this carousel, read the article, and visit https://lnkd.in/ekjQcTRV to explore the project’s free Teacher's Toolkit.   The co-authors of the article include instructional designers, teachers, and researchers: Kathryn Semmens, Jessica Sickler, Keri Maxfield, Mark Goldner, Dave Curry, Hilary Peddicord, Amy Busey, Randy Kochevar, Erin Bardar, Rachel Hogan Carr

#WeTransformedTogether: Mali DTA For more than a decade, USAID programs have shaped how early grade learning is delivered in Mali—through reforms that reach from national policy to classrooms. USAID Doniya Taabolo, which ran from 2023 until its abrupt termination in 2025, successfully carried that legacy forward—deepening early grade reading efforts, expanding to math, and embedding system-level change at every level. In less than two years, the project saw notable gains, including: 📚 300,000 teaching and learning materials for early grade reading and math developed and distributed to educators 👩🏽🏫 3,341 teachers and 993 school leaders trained in inclusive, evidence-based professional development 🧑⚕️ 1,881 students screened for disabilities, including vision, hearing, physical, and cognitive needs 🌍 2,000+ community volunteers across 857 communities engaged in school governance, outreach, and home learning support The results are too numerous to name here. To everyone who supported or partnered with the USAID Doniya Taabolo Activity—thank you for your dedication to a program that will continue to shape learning for students and educators across Mali. #FoundationalLearning #EducationInMali #InclusiveEducation

Can videos and digital games help families boost children’s #science learning? A new article (https://go.edc.org/ls) shares results from a rigorous study that found episodes and games from a PBS KIDS series had a clear positive impact on children’s understanding of physical science. In the article, EDC’s Megan Silander, Todd Grindal and Sarah Nixon Gerard from SRI, and Tiffany S. from Fluent Research describe the study and discuss the results, which indicate that providing young children and their families with access to science-based media resources can support their science- and engineering-related learning. The article is in Educational Researcher, published by American Educational Research Association and Sage. #Education #EdChat #EdTech

#WeTransformedTogether: Djibouti YEA Youth unemployment in Djibouti is among the highest in the world. In 2023, over 75 percent of the country’s young people were out of work. Most jobs that were available only existed in the informal sector and, with scant opportunities in the formal economy, quality gainful employment often felt out of reach. The USAID Djibouti Youth Employment Activity set out to shift that reality. Supporting United States Government priorities and Government of Djibouti efforts, the program aimed to increase youth employment through strengthened workforce programs and expanded links to quality jobs by strengthening workforce readiness, improving job-matching systems, and activating private sector partnerships to expand employment pathways. By the time of its early closeout in 2025, the Activity had: 🏗️ Identified 600+ potential jobs across construction and tourism 🤝Identified 150+ private sector partnerships and established six sector working groups to link youth with real job opportunities 📈 Achieved a 77% employment rate among youth completing workforce development programs—far surpassing the 35% target 📊 Built institutional capacity for labor market data collection, analysis, and communication—laying a foundation for smarter job planning going forward Though the program was cut short, the employment systems we strengthened will remain essential for young people. In a job market shaped by informality and inequity, linking their potential to real opportunity is more than youth development—it’s investment in Djibouti’s future. #YouthEmployment #WorkforceDevelopment #Djibouti

On April 22 (12 p.m. ET), join EDC in celebrating the GLOBE Program’s 30th anniversary by viewing a special broadcast: https://lnkd.in/dXkWcDc2. GLOBE is a citizen-science and science #education program sponsored by NASA that advances knowledge of the Earth through shared data collection and analysis and helps build a skilled #STEM workforce. Earth observations are key to informing agricultural practices, managing forests, forecasting insect-borne diseases, and more. To date, the GLOBE Program’s open-source database includes over a quarter billion data points. Learn more about GLOBE during the 4/22 broadcast: https://lnkd.in/dANYN4yR The GLOBE Implementation Office is co-led by EDC, under the direction of Rebecca Lewis, and City University of New York.

#WeTransformedTogether: USAID Let’s Learn Together! From 2021 to 2025, USAID Let’s Learn Together (LLT) worked with national development partners in the Democratic Republic of Congo to address the long-term effects of war on the country’s education system—challenges that have persisted for more than three decades. Implemented by EDC in partnership with Alfalit and the International Rescue Committee, LLT supported vulnerable children—particularly Batwa (indigenous) learners, girls, and children with disabilities—through the creation of safe and supportive learning environments in regions affected by poverty, displacement, and deep-rooted social exclusion. One of the project’s most recognizable and lasting contributions is the Interactive Audio Instruction (IAI) program—a tool that ensured continuity of learning even for children in migratory or hard-to-reach settings. By the time of its abrupt closeout in early 2025, LLT had: 📚 Reached over 20,000 learners, evenly split between girls and boys 📖 Improved teacher quality dramatically, from 3% delivering quality instruction to 75% 📈 More than doubled reading proficiency, with notable gains among Batwa, Bantu, and children with disabilities 👓 Delivered assistive support to children with visual and mobility impairments 📢 Engaged 900+ parents in adult literacy programming—95% of whom were women For U.S. interests and foreign policy, LLT reinforced bilateral ties between the Congolese and American governments and people—providing branded learning materials, training teachers, and strengthening trust in key regions. Thank you to our partners across countries, government, communities, and implementation teams for building something so meaningful. While LLT’s closure leaves important work unfinished, the tools it leaves behind—Interactive Audio Instruction, community libraries, effective teaching models—are a foundation worth building on.

EDC evaluators and researchers will share effective strategies to propel students’ learning and prepare them to succeed in the workforce https://go.edc.org/aera25l at the American Educational Research Association (#AERA) Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado. We will be represented by Hai Lun Tan, Naomi Hupert, Meg Caven, Jessica Brett, Joy Lorenzo Kennedy, Ph.D., Wendy Martin, Ariana Riccio Arista, and Meagan Henry. Follow us on social to stay up to date on our presence at #AERA2025. #Education #EdChat #EdTech

#WeTransformedTogether: Egypt Teach for Tomorrow Egypt is home to the largest public education system in the Middle East and North Africa, with 23 million students and nearly a million education staff. That scale brings extraordinary opportunity—but also recognition that reform is necessary to seize it. Teach for Tomorrow (T4T) launched in 2020 to help realize that opportunity. In close partnership with the Ministry of Education and Technical Education (MOETE) and the Professional Academy for Teachers (PAT), T4T supported the creation of a national system for continuous professional development and performance-based licensure—centered on clear teacher standards, digital access, and school-based collaboration. The theory was simple: if teachers are supported through standards-based training and clear incentives, they will transform instruction—and student learning will follow. By the time of its early suspension in 2025, the project had: 📚 Trained over 40,000 educators in face-to-face sessions across three pilot governorates—with tens of thousands more completing MOETE digital modules 🎥 Produced high-quality e-learning courses and classroom modeling videos, making student-centered practices visible and accessible to more than 450,000 educators 🧑🏽🏫 Co-developed Egypt’s CPD policy package, including teacher standards, licensing guidelines, and classroom observation tools 📈 Supported the transformation of PAT, including its first strategic plan to lead standards-based professional learning nationwide 🔧 Developed a new performance-based teacher certification, tied to competency standards To all who helped bring this system to life—MOETE, PAT, school leaders, and educators across Egypt—thank you. Your commitment since 2020 laid the groundwork for teacher development at scale. #EducationInEgypt #TeacherDevelopment #CPD #SystemsReform

#WeTransformedTogether: Jamaica Youth Empower Activity  Young people have immense potential, but around the world too many face barriers to education, employment, and civic participation. Strengthening youth-responsive systems that provide skills, opportunities, and support is key to ensuring they can build brighter futures for themselves and their communities. Launched in 2024, the USAID Youth Empower Activity (EMPOWER) was a project implemented by EDC and designed as a five-year initiative to address these challenges in Jamaica. The goal? Support 5,000 young Jamaicans in building resilience, developing leadership skills, and connecting them to meaningful economic opportunities. Despite the program’s early termination in 2025, its vision remains critical: ➡️ Building a youth-responsive ecosystem that strengthens pathways to education, training, and employment for Jamaica’s most underserved youth. ➡️ Expanding civic engagement and leadership opportunities to help young people participate more fully in local development and decision-making. ➡️ Strengthening peer support networks to promote youth-led, community-based engagement and social connection. ➡️ Improving job readiness by providing access to soft skills, work-based learning, and livelihood opportunities. ➡️ Coordinating with community-based support structures to enhance youth well-being and resilience. Though EMPOWER ended before it could fully take root, its mission continues. The need for locally led youth development in Jamaica is greater than ever, and the partnerships sparked by EMPOWER will remain a core piece of that effort. #YouthEmpowerment #WorkforceDevelopment #CivicEngagement #WeTransformedTogether