The National Association of Social Change Enterprises in Education (NASCEE) partnered with Proteus following the release of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Studies (2023). The brief was how to engage the NPO sector in developing a coordinated response to the literacy challenge. Over the next few months, Proteus will be facilitating sessions with various non-profits and the Department of Education. The goal is to partner together to co-create a strategy addressing the national reading crisis.
Following the release of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Studies in 2023, NASCEE scheduled a webinar to discuss the reading crisis, and to begin exploring how the non-profit sector might provide a coordinated response aligned to government’s efforts. This response requires a cohesive and aligned strategy that ensures effective collaboration and amplified impact. Proteus partnered with NASCEE to coordinate and facilitate a proven and effective strategy development and implementation process in consultation with a small group of NASCEE members, with the aim of developing a coordinated strategic response to the reading crisis, and developing a model for effective collaboration between NASCEE members that could be utilised in future.
Proteus worked together with NASCEE to form a working group of stakeholders from within the NASCEE membership with a focus on reading. The reading group was made up of six non-profits with a focus on reading, as well as representatives from funder groups active in the sector. In parallel, Proteus consulted leading academics and researchers in education for technical input on the reading crisis. We simultaneously consulted and engaged with senior officials at the Department of Basic Education (DbE) to ensure that the objectives and outcomes of the Reading Working Group would be firmly aligned with national priorities for reading.
Following this initial process of consultation, Proteus facilitated a session with NASCEE members. During this session we conducted a gap analysis – identifying and discussing the systemic barriers to teaching every child to read by 10, and exploring potential solutions that could be institutionalised, scaled and sustained.
Our approach has been consultative, problem driven, iterative, and adaptive. As a result, the initial scope of work has been amended from a series of workshops and the development of a coordinated strategy, towards more tangible, immediate outcomes. Following the consultation process and workshop, Proteus and NASCEE will be working together to:
