Harnessing peer tutoring to support learning continuity and improvement in conflict-affected Mali

• In Event: Global Literacy SIG Highlighted Session: Supporting the needs of all students in the classroom: Remediation in a variety of contexts

Proposal

The USDA-funded McGovern-Dole Food for Education 3 (FFE3) initiative in Mali is the third in a series of efforts to improve student outcomes by improving the frequency and quality of child and family feeding as well as nutritional health support through vitamins and de-worming. This tranche of funding is the first to also include specific instructional interventions in schools to supplement feeding and health interventions. The addition of this formal component has resulted in striking gains in student learning outcomes, particularly in early grade reading.

However, the FFE program as a whole has experienced challenges to its security and stability, as the overall security situation in Mali has deteriorated significantly since program inception in 2015. The Mopti region, in particular – one of the two target regions for FFE3 – has experienced severe strikes against schools and disruptions of community daily functions to the point where a significant number of schools have been closed, leaving precious resources unable to reach their intended targets. To address the threat of unexploited resources, additional schools were identified to participate in an intensive daily tutoring program offered by FFE3. The program was designed to engage older learners to work with the youngest and most academically needy children, offering concentrated, consistent remediation to younger learners in crisis and conflict-affected areas. Designed based on the highly successful HYVALL program in Senegal and built upon local efforts originating among school principals, the program was originally planned to operate in tandem with classroom instruction and was intended to provide a temporary solution in unsettled areas. Ultimately, however, the tutoring program ended up serving as the primary practice opportunity for many children for extended periods of time, while schools were closed by violence and teachers’ strikes.

This presentation will present the context for program implementation and outline the approach to remediation through peer tutoring used in FFE3. Outcomes data from two cohorts of students will be presented, illustrating the power of this particular model for providing stability and continuity of learning opportunities in unstable environments.

Authors

• Carrie Louise Lewis, Education Development Center

• Almougairata Hamidou Maiga, Catholic Relief Services