The Unlocking Literacy: Navigating Challenges in Early Reading event marked the 2023 International Literacy Day with a panel discussion on the global state of literacy and its importance as a basic human right.
Chemonics, in partnership with co-hosts Room to Read and Reading Partners DC, were proud to host Unlocking Literacy: Navigating Challenges in Early Reading on September 7, 2023, at their corporate headquarters in Washington, DC’s Navy Yard neighborhood. The event saw engagement from a diverse array of attendees from literacy advocates to graduate students.
By discussing tangible challenges and solutions with diverse literacy advocates, powerbrokers, and champions, the event built discourse and reflected on literacy as the human rights issue of our time. The literacy issue is seen clearly in statistics; according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, over 50% of Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native fourth graders read “below basic” compared to 37% of all fourth graders in the United States. Key to the discussion were selected clips from The Right to Read, a new film from Roco Films and executive-produced by LaVar Burton.
Opening remarks by Chemonics' Education Global Practice Lead Audrey Spencer highlighted literacy as a basic human right, calling for focus on education interventions that aim to provide inclusive, equitable, accessible, and quality education to all. Local middle-school teacher and author of A-Train Allen and Nearer My Freedom, Lesley Younge, delivered the keynote address underlining the impetus for effective literacy instruction and grounded the themes of the event in her personal and professional experiences as a mother and a teacher.
In her keynote address Ms. Younge said, "While there is much work and even struggle ahead, the reward is to collectively offer every child within our reach this precious gift, one that sows seeds of opportunity and self-determination in every area of life. One that builds bridges to people, information, and the larger world. This gift requires unique and special delivery, one mind at a time, one connection at a time. And as they say, many hands make light work. There are children making gains today who will backslide tomorrow if we are not vigilant, if we do not all hold ourselves accountable for growing the gift. For most of our kids it will take years to become proficient at reading and writing and they deserve a knowledgeable and committed educator at every step of their journey. Imparting the gift of literacy takes teamwork and a collaborative mindset, the kind demonstrated today by our hosts: Chemonics, Room to Read, and Reading Partners. I stand ready to grab the baton and run my leg. Are you?”
The esteemed panel included Dr. Joanie Cohen-Mitchell (Policy and Technical Leadership Lead, Center for Education, USAID), Dr. Katherine Norris (Chair, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Howard University), Dr. Kenya Dugger (Sr. Advisor/Director of DE&I, Chemonics International), Heather Simpson (Chief Program Officer, Room To Read), and Audu Liman (Head of Atiku Institute for Development, American University of Nigeria; USAID Global Reading Network). The panelists discussed key issues surrounding literacy including the advent of technology and its role in teaching literacy, access to quality reading materials, evidence-based literacy instruction, and emerging needs for equitable learning from their personal, professional, and organizational perspectives. The post-event social produced new connections and collaborations that will continue championing and advocating for literacy as a basic human right.
Chemonics’ global education work is driven by the belief that tomorrow’s world must be better than today’s, which is why our approach to working with children, youth, and adults centers on continuous learning and instructional excellence. Chemonics has been sponsoring Reading Partners DC since 2019 and are frequent collaborators with Room To Read on international literacy projects.