Accelerating foundational learning through data-driven decision making: digital solutions in action

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

The global learning crisis continues to impact millions of children, with 70 per cent of all 10-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries unable to read and understand a simple text. As education systems strive to address this challenge, digital tools have been instrumental in fostering data-driven decision-making as countries move to refine and broadly scale-up proven model for improving FLN outcomes. Digital solutions offer transformative potential by enabling stakeholders—ranging from teachers to communities and policy makers—to effectively monitor progress, identify gaps, and adapt strategies to improve learning outcomes.

In partnership with the Hempel Foundation, UNICEF contributes to global efforts to improve data on foundational learning through initiatives like the Foundational Learning Action Tracker (FLAT). The FLAT Scorecard provides a comprehensive overview of country-level progress by combining policy action scores and system effectiveness measures, supporting evidence-based decision-making and fostering accountability. Additionally, UNICEF’s Foundational Learning Module, launched in 2016, plays a critical role in generating data on early childhood education. Recent enhancements to the module have expanded its content and refined its protocols to better assess and address foundational learning needs. Digital dashboards are also being utilized to empower local stakeholders—teachers, schools, and communities—to make informed decisions and provide real-time feedback, driving continuous improvement in FLN outcomes at the grassroots level.

This panel will explore how digital solutions are driving data-driven decision-making for FLN, presenting three perspectives: the use of the FLAT Scorecard for policy and programme decisions at various levels, the development and application of the Foundational Learning Module to improve education data quality, and the local-level use of digital dashboards to turn data into actionable insights.

Aligned with the CIES 2025 theme, "Envisioning Education in a Digital Society," this panel examines how these digital tools create more inclusive, equitable, and effective education systems. By showcasing the role of data-driven decision-making in accelerating foundational learning, the panel engages with the conference's focus on leveraging digital innovations to build resilient education systems that leave no child behind.

The impact of these digital interventions has been evaluated using both quantitative and qualitative methods, focusing on their ability to enhance policy responsiveness, improve resource allocation, and support data-driven decision-making. Assessments have examined how tools like the FLAT Scorecard, the Foundational Learning Module, and local digital dashboards contribute to better FLN outcomes by empowering educators, policymakers, and communities. The presentations will share key findings on these positive impacts and discuss strategies for scaling these tools effectively in diverse contexts.

Overview of Presentations:
Presentation 1: "The Foundational Learning Action Tracker (FLAT) Scorecard: Monitoring Progress and Informing Decision-Making"
This presentation will introduce the FLAT Scorecard, a key tool developed by UNICEF and the Hempel Foundation to monitor global progress toward achieving foundational learning for all children. The FLAT Scorecard synthesizes data from UNICEF’s 2024 pulse survey and internal monitoring using the RAPID Framework to assess both policy actions and system effectiveness. The presentation will examine how the FLAT Scorecard is used at international, regional, and national levels to foster accountability, promote transparency, and drive evidence-based decision-making.

Key findings from the global report will be highlighted, demonstrating how international bodies and countries use this tool to identify gaps, prioritize interventions, and share knowledge to accelerate foundational learning outcomes. The presentation will also explore the integration of digital tools into national monitoring systems, discuss the importance of data literacy among policymakers, and provide insights on overcoming challenges such as capacity constraints and resistance to data use.

Presentation 2: "Enhancing Foundational Learning Assessments: The Evolution of UNICEF's Foundational Learning Module"
This presentation will focus on the recent enhancements to UNICEF’s foundational learning module, a key tool for generating critical data on early childhood education and learning outcomes. Launched in 2016 and implemented in over 50 countries, the module has undergone significant improvements since 2021, expanding content coverage and updating sampling and administration protocols. The revisions have been guided by a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) comprising researchers, psychometricians, learning assessment specialists, and economists.

The presentation will provide an in-depth discussion of the collaborative effort in Kenya, where the module was field-tested in partnership with the National Statistical Office, the Ministry of Education, and Kenya’s Learning Assessment Agency. It will share key findings from item analysis and reliability assessments and offer insights into the broader analytical plan guiding the continued development and deployment of the module.

Participants will gain a thorough understanding of the updated module, its expanded content, revised standards, and potential applications. The presentation will also explore how researchers can use this data in future studies and consider integrating the module into other multi-topic national household surveys.

Presentation 3: "From Data to Action: Local-Level Use of Digital Dashboards for Decision Making and Feedback"
The third presentation will explore how digital dashboards are used by teachers, schools, communities, and education administrators to make data-driven decisions and provide feedback into programming. It will highlight practical examples of local-level data use, such as tracking student progress, identifying areas for targeted interventions, and sharing real-time feedback with national education authorities. The presentation will discuss the challenges of implementing digital solutions at the local level, including digital literacy gaps, infrastructure limitations, and the need for localized content. Recommendations will be provided on how to enhance data use at the grassroots level, ensuring that digital tools empower educators and communities to drive continuous improvement in FLN outcomes.

Expected Contributions:
This panel will provide a comprehensive exploration of how digital solutions foster data-driven decision-making at multiple levels of the education system. By sharing practical experiences from the implementation of the FLAT Scorecard, foundational learning module, and digital dashboards, it will offer valuable insights into the potential and limitations of digital tools for accelerating FLN. The discussion will directly engage with the CIES 2025 theme by demonstrating how digital technologies can support more inclusive, equitable, and effective education systems. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of leveraging data to drive systemic change, improve foundational learning outcomes, and build resilient education systems that leave no child behind.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Chairs

• Alyson Gombas, UNICEF

• Suman Sachdeva Ph.D, UNICEF

Individual Presentations

• The Foundational Learning Action Tracker (FLAT) Scorecard: monitoring progress and informing decision-making - Haogen Yao, UNICEF

• Enhancing data collection and analysis through UNICEF's Foundational Learning Module - Sakshi Mishra, UNICEF

• From data to action: use of digital dashboards for decision making - Suman Sachdeva Ph.D, UNICEF