Nigeria Center for Reading Research and Development with Bayero University Kano
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NIGERIA CENTER FOR READING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT WITH BAYERO UNIVERSITY KANO QUARTERLY REPORT APRIL 1 to JUNE 14, 2020 Submission Date: June 19, 2020 Grant Number: AID-620-G-17-00001 Activity Start Date and End Date: June 15, 2017 – June 14, 2020 Total Award Amount: $1,000,000 [AOR/COR] Name: Michael Onyeche Submitted by: Stephanie Simmons Zuilkowski, Chief of Party Florida State University Learning Systems Institute, University Center C4600, Tallahassee, FL 32306 Tel: (850) 644-2570 Email: [email protected] This document was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development Nigeria (USAID/Nigeria). I. PROGRAM OVERVIEW/SUMMARY Program Name: Nigeria Center for Reading Research and Development with Bayero University Kano Activity Start Date and End June 15, 2017 – June 14, 2020 Date: Name of Prime Learning Systems Institute, Florida State University Implementing Partner: [Agreement] Number: AID-620-G-17-00001 Name of Subcontractors/ Bayero University Kano Subawardees: Major Counterpart n/a Organizations Geographic Coverage Kano, Nigeria; Tallahassee, Florida (cities and or countries) Reporting Period: April 1 to June 14, 2020 I.I Program Description/ Introduction The goal of the project is to develop and establish the Nigerian Center for Reading Research and Development at Bayero University-Kano. Florida State University, in cooperation with Bayero University, proposes to establish a Collaborative Agreement to achieve the following objectives: Familiarize BUK faculty with the content and train them to deliver the pre- service courses in the teaching of primary grades reading that FSU is currently developing for teacher training colleges in Bauchi and Sokoto under the NEI+ project, Engage six key BUK faculty in a series of one-semester scholarly residencies at FSU’s Florida Center for Reading Research to familiarize them with the latest research in primary grades reading; to introduce them to the design, organization and objectives of a reading research center; and to study different models of academic program development, curricular content, and program design in reading, Engage key FSU faculty in advising BUK on the design and scope of the NCRRD, Support the infrastructural development of NCRRD, including computers and software, Engage key BUK and FSU faculty in collaborative research on primary grades reading in the Nigerian context, 2 Assist BUK in the development of a one-year postgraduate diploma in the teaching of primary grades reading, and Assist BUK in the development of a master’s degree program in the teaching of primary grade reading. Activities will take place on the campuses of Bayero University Kano, in Nigeria, and Florida State University, in Tallahassee, Florida. Additional meetings may take place in Abuja, at the U.S. Embassy and other locations. I.2 Summary of Results to Date Annual Standard indicators Baseline Annual Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Performance On FY 2018 Target FY18 FY18 FY18 FY18 Achieved to Target the End of Y/N Reporting Period (%) ES. 2-1: Number of host 0 1 1 1 1 1 100% Y country tertiary education institutions receiving capacity development support with USG assistance. ES.2-2: Number of 0 2 0 0 0 2 100% Y individuals attending tertiary education institutions with USG scholarship or financial assistance Number of individuals who 0 2 0 0 8 8 400% 1 Y complete professional development activities on implementing evidence- based reading instruction with USG assistance Note: The Results performance column depicts level of achievement expressed as a percentage of Actual versus planned 1. The goal was exceeded due to the course taught by FSU faculty at BUK in October, November, and December 2016, in which six NCRRD fellows participated. 3 Annual Standard indicators Baseline Annual Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Performance On FY 2019 Target FY19 FY19 FY19 FY19 Achieved to Target the End of Reporting Y/N Period (%) ES. 2-1: Number of host 0 1 1 1 1 1 100% Y country tertiary education institutions receiving capacity development support with USG assistance. ES.2-2: Number of 0 4 2 4 2 1 125%1 Y individuals attending tertiary education institutions with USG scholarship or financial Assistance Number of individuals who 0 4 2 8 3 0 200%2 Y complete professional development activities on implementing evidence- based reading instruction with USG assistance Note: The Results performance column depicts level of achievement expressed as a percentage of Actual versus planned 1. The goal was exceeded due to the schedule of the residencies: two in fall 2018, two in spring 2019, and one in fall 2019. 2. The goal was exceeded due to the study visit to FSU by the full NCRRD team (Seven teaching faculty participated) in January 2019, and the April 2019 attendance of Dr. I. Tsiga at the Comparative and International Education Society conference. 4 Annual Standard indicators Baseline Annual Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Performance On FY 2020 Target FY20 FY20 FY20 FY20 Achieved to Target the End of Reporting Y/N Period (%) ES. 2-1: Number of host 0 1 1 1 1 n/a 100% Y country higher education institutions receiving capacity development support with USG assistance ES.2-52: Number of 0 2 1 3 2 n/a 150% Y individuals affiliated with higher education institutions receiving capacity development support with USG assistance Number of individuals who 0 4 0 405 0 n/a 10,125% Y complete professional development activities on implementing evidence- based reading instruction with USG assistance Note: The Results performance column depicts level of achievement expressed as a percentage of Actual versus planned 2. ACTIVITY IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS 2.1 Progress Narrative Q3 activities included the following: The sixth fellow, Dr. Muhammad [last name redacted], continued his coursework online in Q3. He audited four courses through the first week of May: o EDE 4302 Literacy Assessment and Instruction o EDF 5481 Methods of Educational Research o RED 4510 Teaching Reading in the Elementary School o EDG 5365 Practitioner Research in Schools and the Community Prior to his departure, Dr. [last name redacted] gathered electronic and hard copies of materials used in courses, as well as other reading materials, to bring back to BUK to contribute to the NCRRD library. After his return to Nigeria, Dr. [last name redacted] and Dr. Zuilkowski worked together to design a study examining parental support for children’s literacy development during COVID-19-related school closures. Dr. [last name redacted] conducted 15 parent interviews by phone, and the interviews are now being transcribed. Mr. Buhari [last name redacted] continued his online training in information technology and research support. Please see the report outlining his activities, which is included in the Success Story section below. 5 The first and second fellows submitted their manuscripts to international education research journals. The titles are as follows: o The teaching of reading comprehension in Kano State, Nigeria, submitted to Pedagogies: An international journal o Examination of Instructional Materials for teaching reading in Primary One Classrooms of Kano State, Nigeria, submitted to the Journal of Curriculum Studies The article by Dr. A. Tsiga, Dr. Adamu, and Dr. Zuilkowski, titled “Teaching reading in northern Nigeria: the challenges of large class size,” was revised and resubmitted for a final decision from the journal Pedagogy, Culture & Society (Taylor & Francis). According to Drirector I. Tsiga, the Universal Basic Education Commission has purchases 5,000 copies of the edited volume jointly edited by Dr. I. Tsiga, Dr. Zuilkowski, and Dr. Barnes, Issues in the Teaching of Early Grade Reading in Nigeria. The book will be distributed to education stakeholders nationwide. FSU submitted a concept note for the USAID HELIX SHARE opportunity, with NCRRD/BUK as a consortium partner. Our concept was one of two submissions selected for co-creation, and FSU and BUK participated in this process May 23 to 26. We were not selected for the award, unfortunately. FSU participated in the Data Quality Assessment process for indicator 2-52. FSU began closeout procedures for the project, supported by Sponsored Research. FSU also began submitting project documents to the Development Experience Clearinghouse. 2.2 Implementation Status ES. 2-1: Number of host country tertiary education institutions receiving capacity development support with USG assistance. We planned to support one tertiary institution—Bayero University Kano—and did support that one institution, through the training of the resident fellows, ongoing publication support, and discussions regarding future funding opportunities. ES.2-52: Number of individuals affiliated with higher education institutions receiving capacity development support with USG assistance During this quarter, one BUK faculty member (Dr. Muhammad [last name redacted]) and one BUK staff member received online capacity development. Dr. [last name redacted] continued his FSU coursework online and then worked with Dr. Zuilkowski to develop his research study and collect data. The staff member took various online trainings offered by FSU and consulted with Dr. Dina Vyortkina regarding information technology policies for NCRRD/BUK. Number of individuals who complete professional development activities on implementing evidence- based reading instruction with USG assistance 6 We did not conduct any further professional development activities on early grade reading in this quarter. 2.3 Implementation challenges. Dr. Nura [last name redacted] began data collection for his research project on support for new teachers in Kano State, before having to stop due to the COVID- 19 lockdown. Dr. Nura [last name redacted] is being supported by Dr. Marion Fesmire. The introduction and literature review sections of the manuscript have been drafted, but he cannot move forward until in-person data collection is again possible. The BUK faculty and staff we are currently working with faced several challenges during this quarter. The university faculty strike, combined with the COVID-19 pandemic, meant that fellows were unpaid for several months and could not access internet at BUK as they usually would.