From 2022–2025, the Gates Foundation funded a cohort of five behavioral science projects focused on improving foundational literacy and numeracy outcomes. Each project took a unique approach, but all shared a common goal: to understand how behavioral science could help teachers adopt or more consistently implement effective teaching practices, ensuring these practices were embedded into daily routines with a focus on fidelity and feasibility. The cohort designed and tested low-cost solutions aimed at driving change not through overhauls, but through small, sustainable shifts in teacher behavior for better foundational literacy and numeracy outcomes.

In July 2025, members of the behavioral science for foundational literacy and numeracy cohort came together for a closed reflection session to candidly discuss what worked, what didn’t, and what they’d recommend for future efforts. The session included representatives from four of the five projects and seven of the nine organizations involved. What followed was an honest and thought-provoking conversation about what worked, what didn’t, and what we’d recommend for the future of foundational literacy and numeracy education.

Lessons and Learnings About Foundational Literacy and Numeracy

  1. Teachers are motivated and are central to the work: Across all projects, one message rang clear: teachers care. They want to help students learn, and they’re open to trying new instructional practices. But systemic and behavioral barriers often get in the way. Some teams found that tools like learner progress trackers and feedback from coaches helped reinforce motivation. Equally powerful was engaging teachers in the research process itself. From in-depth interviews to large-scale quantitative surveys to co-design workshops, teachers were eager to share their experiences. This participatory approach not only led to richer insights but made the work more rewarding for foundational literacy and numeracy researchers and implementers.
  2. Mid-level system actors matter: Teachers did not operate in isolation to improve foundational literacy and numeracy outcomes. Their practices are influenced by coaches, district officials, subject advisors, inspectors, and others in the “middle” of the education system. Teams found that if these mid-level actors weren’t aligned with or supportive of an intervention, it was unlikely to stick. Treating the middle-tier as change agents themselves is essential in reinforcing and scaling teacher behaviour change for better foundational literacy and numeracy education.

Read the full article about foundational literacy and numeracy by Kate Rinehart-Smit, Sharon Schroen, Stefaan Vande Walle, Dr. Sneha Shashidhara, Akashi Kaul, Morgan Kabeer, Varsha Ashok, Mamadou Amadou Ly, and Sihle Bikitsha at ideas42.