Opinion – Pablo Acosta: The science of reading behind the literacy process

Learning to read is not an easy task, and the Covid-19 pandemic has impressed many parents the importance of having a well-prepared teacher supporting children to discover the magical world of letters and words.

In 2019, 48 per 100 ten-year-old Brazilian children were unable to read and understand a simple text, a number slightly below the global average (53 per 100 children) for low- and middle-income countries. It is estimated that the period of school closures and remote teaching has raised this number to 70 children per 100.

Faced with a global challenge, it is necessary to place literacy among the most urgent agendas in education and to have tools that support the design and implementation of effective policies. Research in the fields of psychology and education reveals a robust body of international evidence (called the science of reading) on ​​how the reading process takes place within the brain and the effectiveness of different literacy practices. However, these studies are dispersed, making their access and use in educational policy difficult.

To bridge this gap, the World Bank has published a set of resources to strengthen literacy programs. Some of them are Arco-Íris de Leitura, which summarizes seven key skills to be developed in literacy, studies gathering evidence on how children learn to read and how to incorporate them into pedagogical practices, and even a compendium of lesson plans. and pedagogical resources in more than 40 languages ​​and with Brazilian contributions.

Another resource in which Brazil was highlighted refers to an analysis of the literacy policies of public networks with the best performance in the country, seeking to understand to what extent Brazilian practice is aligned with the science of reading. The strengthening of policies for literacy at the right age in Brazil has attracted international attention, as in the cases of Ceará and the municipality of Sobral. Part of the interest is due to the fact that Brazil offers accessible examples to other developing countries, given the proximity of the educational challenges of these countries to guarantee the quality of education.

Entitled “The Science of Reading in Practice: An Analysis of Teaching Materials for Literacy in Selected States and Municipalities in Brazil”, the study examines the municipal networks of Sobral, Teresina, Apucarana, Paranavaí, Coruripe, Teotônio Vilela and Itatiba and the states of Ceará and São Paulo.

The report presents five conclusions:

1. The analyzed networks are aligned with the Science of Reading with regard to the existence of a guiding document with a clear set of skills to be taught and progression between these skills. At the very least, the networks highlight the skills that should be taught in the bimester, but some offer monthly, weekly and daily guidance.

2. Like the evidence from the science of reading, the networks show a high degree of alignment between curriculum, textbooks, teacher materials, and monitoring tools. This alignment is provided by a teaching plan that connects all resources and provides guidance on what to teach.

3. In networks with daily guidelines on what to teach, students receive more instructional time. Studies link the amount of instruction and reading practice to learning outcomes.

4. Regarding the seven key competencies of the Arco-Íris da Leitura, there is a correspondence between them and the abilities listed in the Brazilian sample (based on the analysis carried out for the 1st and 2nd year of elementary school). However, Brazil presents itself further ahead, as there is a prevalence of more complex skills, such as writing progressively longer sequences of words and reading comprehension.

5. The use of diagnostic assessments as tools for planning and monitoring learning is present in all networks. They do not require the same level of technical sophistication as standardized tests, but they provide a quick analysis of learning levels, allowing teachers to intervene quickly to ensure that all students develop essential skills.

The conclusions are positive for Brazil. They indicate that the best performing public schools incorporate practices that are in line with the global evidence on how to effectively teach literacy. This does not mean that everything is going well, after all, the study deals with a sample of networks with good performance and even among these networks there is room for improvement. However, when analyzed together, the practices identified serve as a reference for municipalities, states and countries that wish to strengthen their literacy policies.

The study “The Science of Reading in Practice” is an excellent starting point for identifying areas for improvement in literacy programs and establishing strategies to implement them. In the midst of a challenging scenario of learning losses with the pandemic, identifying good practices aligned with science helps to trace a path of recomposition of learning.

This column was written in collaboration with Louisee Cruz Boari, a World Bank consultant specializing in education.