Children whose first language is not the language of instruction in school are more likely to drop out or fail in early grades. Research from the Universities of Illinois and their Ugandan partners Mango Tree Educational Enterprises and the Ichuli Institute, Kampala, demonstrates that the provision of teacher support and educational resources produced in local languages can lead to large learning gains in rural, under-resourced and overcrowded classrooms.
Focus projects:
The Literacy Laboratory Project (LLP) in Uganda aims to scale up and evaluate the Mango Tree literacy program, promoting reading and writing, especially in local languages, as a meaningful part of daily life in households and communities.