Foundational Literacy & Numeracy

mEducation Alliance Signature Activity

Our 2023 Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Communities of Practice Landscape Report is out! See a PDF copy of it here or on the by clicking on the button below. 

We believe that foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) needs to be the basic starting points of a child’s education upon which all other learning is built. 

Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, an estimated 617 million children and adolescents around the world were unable to reach minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics – even though two thirds of them were in school.  Nine in ten children in Low Income Countries (LICs) cannot read with comprehension by their tenth birthday. 

The ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 crisis has only worsened this situation, particularly for young women.

We also believe that the evidence-driven, culturally appropriate, and scalable uses of EdTech can positively impact global and national FLN programming.

2023 FLN CoP Landscape Report

To support EdTech for Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, we: 

Are a Powerful Convening Platform

The mEducation Alliance membership includes most of the major leading donor and development agency investors for EdTech in low-resource contexts. Many of whom are directly investing in FLN activities. Contact us if you would like information about joining the Alliance. 

Feature Presentations on FLN at Our Annual Symposia

All of our prior Symposia, have some focus on FLN.

Our 2021 Symposium focused on EdTech for Accelerating Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in Low-Resource Settings.  This virtual event brought together global, national, and local policymakers and other leading stakeholders to network and share good practices of EdTech use for FLN. Please see the event page to learn more and visit the FLN Video Show Case page for session recordings. 

Our 2022 Symposium was themed Wondrous Learning is…!  and showcased a variety of initiatives around the world that were awe-inspiring. Among other tracks, A-B-C and 1-2-3 was designated for FLN presentations. 

Our 2023 Symposium themed Inspiring the Next Generation of STEM Leaders – Everywhere! included several math-themed tracks and sessions, including  on S.T.E.M. story creation, Making S.T.E.M. Accessible, and S.T.E.M. Empowered Teachers. See the event web  page for the call for presentation proposals and more information.

FLN Presentations Featured at the 2023 Symposium 

onebillion; Developing effective EdTech for marginalized children to acquire foundational numeracy: insights from Malawi’s nationwide BEFIT programme; Nat Dinham, Partnerships Lead

Learning Equality; Achieving FLN Competencies through Tech-Enabled, Project Based Learning in Low-Internet Contexts; Laura Danforth, Head of Global Community Engagement

Imagine Worldwide; STEMpowering Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in Malawi and Beyond; Joe Wolfe, Co-founder and CEO

Youth Impact; ConnectEd: Evidence on the Effectiveness of Phone-Based Tutoring Programming to Support Basic Learning Competencies; Colin Crossley, Program Manager (ConnectEd)

University of Nottingham; Using mobile technologies to support the acquisition of basic mathematics with children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities; Nicola Pitchford, Professor

Are Catalyzing New Networks– Our Math Power! and Literacy League networks and initiatives are designed to strengthen the FLN ecosystem by:

  • Matchmaking – local FLN literacy and numeracy-centric organizations and initiatives with each other and EdTech experts and app developers;
  • Advancing – innovative FLN tech and non-tech game-based models and approaches;
  • Accelerating – the use of innovative messaging platforms, including social behavior change campaigns (SBCC), to highlight promising FLN initiatives/interventions. We also feature video-based interviews and other materials on Pulse, our EdTech media channel;
  • Strengthening – the use of sustainable ICTs to support government and local FLN organizations; and,
  • Personalizing Learning – by engaging youth as peer educators and digital ambassadors, including through our Youth Digital Champions initiative, to support FLN community level interventions.

Are Supporting Non-Profit Organizations through the Math Power! Prize

The Math Power! Prize is designed to draw attention to the importance of mathematics and numeracy skills and to publicly recognize the amazing work of exceptional organizations working in their communities and globally to promote the joy of math. Prior to our first award in 2022, there did not exist a dedicated prize for this type of global recognition. Please let us know if you’d like to be an annual sponsor of this award!

If you would like to find out more about our EdTech for FLN activities, please email us at [email protected].

Signature Activities

Math Power!

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Literacy League

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Youth Digital Champions

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Afghan Kids Support Hub

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The Mobiles for Education (mEducation) Alliance is a 501(c)3 non-profit focused on the evidence-driven and sustainable role of technology in education to advance quality educational outcomes. Initially formed in 2010, the mEducation Alliance is a unique, multi-stakeholder convening platform for government and donor policymakers, other investors, researchers, and practitioners to work together, particularly in lower-resource, developing country contexts. For more information about the Alliance, including about our signature activities, visit the organization web page. Read Full Disclosure and Policy Statement Here

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Jax Chaudhry

Jax Chaudhry leads Project Invent, a national nonprofit that empowers youth with future ready mindsets for individual success and global impact, through invention. Originally from the Southside of Chicago, Jax loves working with students, families and partners to ensure every student can attain success as they define it. For more than 10 years, she has worked with elementary schools, high schools, education nonprofits and led regional teams and operations to ensure student success.

Michael Leventhal

Kenneth Y T Lim operates at the intersection of neuroergonomics, the learning scienceMichael Leventhal is co-founder of RobotsMali, a pedagogical and AI4D laboratory and STEM education center in Bamako, Mali. RobotsMali has trained thousands of students from elementary school to high school in computer science, robotics, and artificial intelligence, coached national robotics teams that have won 32 medals in international competitions, and developed technologies using AI and robotics for the social and economic development of Mali. Before becoming an educator in Mali, Michael worked as a technologist in Silicon Valley.s, and cognitive psychology. In 2023, he and his team were identified by UNESCO to share their work on the affordances of Generative AI for meaningful teaching and learning, during UNESCO’s first annual flagship event Digital Learning Week, international forum on the implications of Generative AI for education, in the session on ‘Preparing students and teachers for responsible use of AI’.

Enouce Ndeche

Enouce Ndeche is the founder and Director of Vijana Amani Pamoja ,VAP a community scheme based in Nairobi Kenya that uses the power and the popularity of the game of soccer/football as a catalyst for social, educational and economic empowerment.Enouce holds a degree in sociology from Egerton university and he is also the 2020 individual award recipient “Diversity and Inclusion Eminent Leader Award Enouce is also a certified Sports Philanthropy and Executive, George Washington University and is a 2023 Gratitude Network fellow.

Kenneth Y T Lim

Kenneth Y T Lim operates at the intersection of neuroergonomics, the learning sciences, and cognitive psychology. In 2023, he and his team were identified by UNESCO to share their work on the affordances of Generative AI for meaningful teaching and learning, during UNESCO’s first annual flagship event Digital Learning Week, international forum on the implications of Generative AI for education, in the session on ‘Preparing students and teachers for responsible use of AI’.