ConTextos Annual Report 2011

AnnualReport

CelebratingourFirstYear,PreparingfortheNext

Dear friends, “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” This Frederick Douglas quote reminds me of ConTextos’ schools, images of children laughing over picture books, intrigued by novels, questioning scientific diagrams… Ten years ago, these communities lived almost exclusively in orality. Today, ConTextos guides the transition into literacy, forming global citizens with a sense of local responsibility. Our work, creating communities of readers, sets students free to be successful in school and define their own futures. Over the past year, ConTextos has learned much about the problems that plague schools in El Salvador, throughout the region and in the under-developed world. Teachers are ill-prepared to enable students with the skills necessary for success in the 21st century. Through ConTextos’ partnerships, we’ve been able to bring much-needed resources to schools. But books and materials aren’t enough. ConTextos builds capacity that goes beyond just teaching reading and writing to foster literate environments. ConTextos transforms teacher practice with results that can be measured in student experience and outcomes. As you read this, or the daily newspaper, or a good book, remember that forming readers takes more than just donated materials, but an environment that cultivates shared experiences and dialogue. The human desire to learn is strong, but sadly, millions of children learn to stop thinking at school. ConTextos changes this. As the world gets smaller and our connectedness grows stronger, we have an obligation to help all children receive an education that allows them to be successful and free. I’m proud to share all that ConTextos has accomplished and learned in this first year. These early experiences inform us to expand our work in the coming years, into more schools and more children’s lives.

Debra Gittler

Founder and Executive Director

ConTextos

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LoremIpsum Issue|Date

Since January 2010, ConTextos has distributed 4,006 books to four public schools, benefiting 1,235 students and their 600 families. 31 teachers and 4 Directors are receiving direct on-going training.

ConTextos’ Schools

School Name Boys Girls Students Teachers Grades

BUENA VISTA 269 230 499 499 10 k-8 EL ZAPOTE 194 160 354 12 k-12 CORINTO 158 123 281 5 k-9 SAN JORGE 62 59 121 4 k-5 TOTAL 683 572 1,235 31

In February, we filmed, interviewed and/or surveyed 100% of participating teachers, 30% of students and 30% of parents in a comprehensive diagnostic study. Before ConTextos’ intervention, students had virtually no access to books at school, other than the

government-issued textbook. Class work featured copying from a book or the board, or identifying parts of speech in the textbook. Reading activities emphasized mechanics of decoding, without emphasizing literal or higher levels of comprehension.

ProgramAccomplishments

Lorem

June2010‐May2011

Thefirstcommittedboardmembers;collaborationwithMINED

June

CreationofwebsiteJuly

EstablishingaVisionandaSalvadoranTeam

August

SchoolselectionprocessbeginsSept

ConTextosestablishedasa501c3inChicago;firstofficialboardmeeting

Oct

Schoolselectionprocesscompleted;fundraisingbeginsinUSA

Nov

VideoReleaseDec

Fourpilotphaseschoolschosen;team‐buildingandtrainingbeginsinElSalvador

Jan

Diagnosticprocessinallfourschools;FirstBookDonationof992books

Feb

In‐schoolsupportinfullswingMarch

BoardMeetingandGrowingConTextos’network

April

3,014additionalbooksdonatedtoschools;buildingtheSalvadoranboard

May

Diagnostics

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“Literacyunlocksthedoortolearning

throughoutlife,isessentialto

developmentandhealth,andopensthe

wayfordemocraticparticipationand

activecitizenship.”

–KofiAnnan,formerUnitedNations’Secretary‐General

In interviews, teachers did not distinguish between having students copy a text and having students read that text. The majority of teachers believed that copying text was evidence of comprehension. Similarly, teachers did not distinguish between asking a child to copy a text and asking them to produce their own written work; they did not differentiate between dictation (reading something aloud for students to write) and authentic writing activities that promote expression—be it creative, argumentative, persuasive, etc. In short, classroom practice emphasized decoding and encoding text without emphasizing the value of written language or the deep thinking that gives reading purpose.

Completing the diagnostic surveys and interviews has helped ConTextos stay focused on improving the quality of education using texts as a vehicle to promote critical thinking, problem solving and literacy in all subject areas. Through our pilot phase diagnostics, we’ve improved our questions to better show the reality before our intervention. Throughout the year, ConTextos monitors and documents the evolving student experience to show impact during and after our intervention. Measuring child outcomes—not just in test scores or attendance, but in overall experience—distinguishes ConTextos from most other educational non-profits that only focus on outputs like number of teachers trained or resources delivered.

UNESCO’sEducationforAllandtheMillenniumDevelopmentGoalsstrivetoimproveeducationandliteracyintheleastdevelopedcountries.Asaresult,morekidsaregoingtoschool,butthequalityofeducationandoveralloutcomesare

worsethanever.

AccordingtothemostrecentUNESCOglobalstatistics,illiteracyrateshaveincreasedby5%formalesand10%forfemalesintheleast

developedcountriessince1990.InElSalvadorandneighboringcountries,datashowthat70%ofprimarystudentsreadfarbelowlevel

withlimitedunderstandingofwrittentext.

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“Before ConTextos, we never read, just copied. Now I read books every day,” explained Abigail, a 5th grader at San Jorge School. “We use them in class and I take them home. Our teacher has us act out what the stories are about, read them out loud to our classmates and write our own stories about the books.” Abigail is currently reading Hiroshima, a young-adult chapter book that tells the story of the atomic bomb through narratives by a Japanese child and the pilot of Enola Gay. In training, her teacher Mirna is learning to use text to get students thinking deeply about point of view. Through class conversation and written work, Abigail and her classmates are learning about different

perspectives, developing global awareness and gaining exposure to problem-solving skills. At Sacacoyo School, Director Juan Gamero says the student results have already been impressive. “We completed a comparative analysis of 2011 and 2010 using indicators from the Ministry of Education. We observed that the first semester of 2010, 40% of students in 1-3rd grades were far-below level (failing) in literacy abilities. At the same time in 2011, only 20% of students in the same group were below grade level. “This year, we’ve seen these children reading with greater fluency and interest, analyzing texts in their classroom and practicing reading comprehension.

Student Results

Literacyvs.Alfabetization

“TheEnglishtermliteracyis

verydifficulttotranslateinto

Spanish.“Alfabetización”

continuestohaveverygeneral,

traditionalmeaningthat

impliesonlythemostbasic

decodingskillsofreadingand

writing.Incontrasttheterm

literacyincroporatesthe

complicatedthinkingprocesses

andhumanreflectionthathas

evolvedasaresultofwritten

language…”

DanielCassany

DoctorofLinguistics,

UniversityofBarcelona

CriticalPerspectivesonLiteracy

UNESCOdefinesliteracyasthe"abilitytoidentify,understand,interpret,create,communicate,computeanduseprintedandwrittenmaterialsassociatedwithvaryingcontexts.Literacyinvolvesacontinuumoflearninginenablingindividualstoachievetheirgoals,todeveloptheirknowledgeandpotential,andtoparticipatefullyintheircommunityandwidersociety."

TrueLiteracy

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In the traditional classroom, students do not talk but only listen to teachers. In ConTextos’ classrooms, teachers facilitate student discussion, encouraging students to think deeply, interact and dialogue.

We believe that these are direct results of the support that 1-3rd grade teachers are receiving from ConTextos.” Juan underscored that the only thing different between this year and last is the support offered by ConTextos. So far, each school has established protocols and processes to document student book use—how often books are taken home and by whom—so that ConTextos can monitor student exposure to books. Gamero laughed when he talked about Miguel, a first grader, who keeps checking out the same book. “When he takes the book home, his mom, dad, siblings all want to read and look at the book. Miguel

almost never gets a chance to see it alone so he has to check it out again!” At Zapote School, Director Hector says that the most remarkable changes has been in the k-5th grade students. “They run for the books at recess,” he explains. “The quality of the books combined with the engagement in their classrooms gives reading a real purpose.” ConTextos plans to complete midyear student surveys in August. We are constantly adjusting and refining our measurement tools to adequately document student experiences. MINED literacy results will be available in 2012.

In the first 3 months of support, ConTextos observed on average 25% of teachers immediately embraced and implemented new methodologies, actively, continuously seeking out guided support from trainers. 25% were equally motivated to participate, but initially expressed fear or concern about moving away from traditional practice. These numbers are consistent with international research about teacher professional development. In the past month, though, we have seen teacher participation increase because of our new “Strong-small wave” philosophy. All schools—whether

having four or 14 teachers—host all-staff professional development for 3 hours/month, either in bi-weekly or monthly sessions. Then, self- and ConTextos-identified “strong wave” teachers receive additional support through classroom modeling, observation and planning. These strong wave classrooms serve as sites to get “small wave” teachers more engaged in reflection about their practice. 100% of teachers in each school are participating in daily read-aloud and full-school professional development, and are open to observations and modeling in their classroom; strong wave teachers do even more. The Ministry of Education (MINED) uses “strong wave” classrooms as model sites for regional development of teachers and directors. MINED—

Teacher Training “La ola fuerte lleva la ola pequeña,” “The strong wave carries the small.”

–Cuban saying.

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with ConTextos’ support—organizes inter-school exchanges where strong wave teachers model and host workshops about best-practice, spreading new knowledge beyond our four pilot phase schools. Transforming teachers mired in a traditional mindset requires on-going accompaniment, guidance and observation. ConTextos fosters model teachers and classrooms while still having institutional and systemic impact. This poises ConTextos to grow throughout El Salvador and the region. Total

Teachers “Strong Wave”

Percent

San Jorge 4 4 100% Corinto 5 4 80% Zapote 12 8 67% Sacacoyo 10 5 50% The first 3 months in schools made it clear that our teachers need ways to improve practice through quantifiable means, and then deepen their understanding of the quality of that work. As a result, ConTextos has developed unique instruments that help teachers plan, execute and reflect upon classroom practice. These tools allow teachers to use simple quantity measurements as

well as more nuanced quality measurements; they also allow trainers to tailor training to the “context” of a school or classroom while staying true to ConTextos’ core, guiding principles and theories of learning. For instance, in traditional classrooms, students do not talk but only listen to teachers. In a ConTextos’ classroom, teachers facilitate discussion, encouraging students to interact and dialogue. In order to help teachers make this transition, one area of development is the “conversation tail”. Teachers can literally count how many students talk before she re-directs conversation. As her ability to manage and facilitate talk improves, she will be able to focus more on the quality of the student participation as a result of her orientation. This is just one example of how ConTextos “scaffolds” teacher knowledge and practice to sustainably create permanent change in classroom instruction. To date, all four ConTextos schools have implemented 20-minute blocks per “turno” (there are two “turns” in a day: one group of kids come to school in the morning, another in the afternoon) to practice new strategies.

“You don’t have to know how to read letters to be able to read books with your children!” On May 18, Maria, mother to a kindergartner and 2nd grader, spoke into the microphone to the audience of nearly 100 parents and 300 students. “You can use the pictures and your child can help you. The important thing is that you talk together about the book and the reading. I’ve seen it in my children and one is only in kindergarten. He already reads so much…”

Parent and Community Outreach

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Just three months earlier, though, Maria refused to even touch a book. In mid February, ConTextos held a series of community-wide events to present our objective to parents and family members. Maria refused to take a book from the selection of 100 on the table. “I don’t know how to read,” she explained. Maria held the book at arms length and refused to look at the cover. “I don’t know how to read,” she repeated. Maria, shaken and uncomfortable, refused to participate and insisted that books and reading weren’t for her. Transformations like Maria’s have occurred in all four schools sites. In the course of just three months, mothers, fathers and grandparents who refused to touch a book, who insisted that they couldn’t read (but were willing to do anything to make sure their kids could!) were transformed into passionate advocates for sharing the reading process, no matter their own ability to decipher textual code. By increasing access to books and readings, parents have become better-informed advocates for their children. Before, teachers and directors explained, parents would complain that their children were not doing “planas” a traditional teaching strategy where students would repeatedly write a word, sometimes 100s of times, in order to “learn to read and write”. Now, those same parents insist on more authentic and progressive learning strategies such as reading genuine texts, writing stories, and talking about new ideas. Parents and community members also donate time, resources and labor to build shelves, care for books and support kids in reading activities. The role of parents and community members is constantly evolving as schools incorporate drama and other events to celebrate student work as result of new teaching strategies.

Up to 80 percent of incarcerated individuals are functionally

illiterate; Studies show that if a child reads on grade level by the

end of 3rd grade, there is a 99 percent certainty that child will never be incarcerated; school performance, more than any other single factor, is a major

contributor as to whether a youth becomes involved in drugs or

violence.

http://www.good.is/post/preventing-violence-by-teaching-literacy/

Debra Gittler

Fabricio Altamirano

Tony Barash

Mary Lee Kennedy

Jose Marinero Cortéz

Teresa Mlawer

Andrea Schildknecht de Mendez

Doug Rauch

Staff Debra Gittler

Ricardo Moncada

Paula Bustamante Cruz

Elizabeth Recinos

Board of Directors

Financials

Statement of Activities October 2010*-May 2011

REVENUES

INDIVIDUAL DONORS $43,642.49 FOUNDATIONS $10,000.00 DONATIONS IN KIND $37,154.69 TOTAL $90,797.18

EXPENSES

SALARIES $21,588.00 TRAVEL EXPENSES $3,283.30 TRANSPORTATION $1,628.62 BOOKS $4,188.67 OTHER BOOKS & SHIPPING $37,154.69 CONSULTANTS $750.00 LEGAL/IRS $2,374.00 HARDWARE $1,099.70 OTHER $3,889.42 TOTAL EXPENSES $75,956.40 BALANCE $14,840.78

*ConTextos started fundraising as a 501c3 in October, 2010.

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Foundations ChiRon Foundation Strachan Foundation

Individual Donors Mr. Herminio Alicea Mr. and Mrs. Baillie Mr. Barash and Ms. Hanson Maria Pilar Blanco Mr. and Mrs. Marc Blumenthal Dario Collado Mr. and Mrs. Fred Caruso Ms. Holly Crowl Ms. Gwyneth Cunningham Mr. and Mr.s Joel D’Alba Mr. Kenneth Ebie Mr. Omar Egan Mrs. Debra Epstein Paul and Mimi Francis Ms. Nicole Gallagher Mr. James Garbarino Ms. Mandy Gittler Ms. Josie Gittler Carol and Marvin Gittler Ms. Julie Goldenberg Mr. and Mrs. Robert Greenberg Ms. Kathy Gu Ms.Beth Halevy Mr. Stanley Hill Mark Hoffman Ms.Uchenna Itam Ms.Elizabeth Joynes Ms. Betsey Kalven Shyam Kannan Mary Lee Kennedy Molly Kovler Mary Pat Leonard Kimberly Lum Gerson Martinez Eileen McGowan

Ms. Meghan Meyer Mr. and Mrs. Jose Marinero Teresa and Bill Mlawer Mr. Elizabeth Muller Ms. Nell O’Donnell Mr. Jaime Perez Mr. Rajiv Pinto Mr. Doug Rauch Jenny and Aaron Richey Mr. Daniel Robinson Ms. Jaxira Rodriguez Mr. Scott Ruescher Ms. Kyla Saphir Marge and John Saphir Ms. Donna Schatt Mr. and Mrs. Gordy Schiff Shirley and Yonk Selhub Mr. Michael Shimkin Mr. Patrick Spann Mr. and Mrs. Glen Spear Ms. Sherri Spear Mrs. Barbara Stone Mr. Marc Stulberg Mrs. Linda Swift Ms. Kerry Salvatierra Ms. Sarah Tartof Ms. Julie Trott Ms. Sarah Tuttle Mr. and Mrs. Harold Uhlig Ms. Rebecca Utton Mr. Holger Wilms Susie & Dave Wexler and family Ms. Ami Werner Ann Worthing & Melinda Rezman Ms. Alexis Weill

Donors and Partners Corporate Alliances and In-Kind Donors

The generosity of in-kind donations and corporate support brings a value of over $40,000 from October 2010- May 2011. Generous discounts and donations from Lectorum Publishers, in-kind book donations from Scholastic, Inc, free shipping from Taca Airlines and on-going support from El Salvador Ministry of Education lowers costs and raises quality. Thank you!

Andover90additionalindividualdonationsof$50orless.

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1243N.Leavitt#2,Chicago,IL60622

USA

Res.VillasdeFrancia,SendalaBastilla9C

SantaTeclaLaLibertadElSalvador

www.con‐textos.org

“Onceyoulearntoread,

youwillbeforeverfree,”FrederickDouglas

ConTextos Annual Report 2011

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