Authors: Sruti Bandyopadhyay
This delivery note was prepared by Sruti Bandyopadhyay based on an original case study from the Brookings Institution. Please click on the following link for the full case study: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/FINAL-Worldreader-Case-Study.pdf
Case Study in brief: This case study explores how Worldreader’s digital reading program, implemented by international and local partner nongovernmental organizations, provides children and their families in 53 countries access to culturally and linguistically relevant digital books.
Development challenge: Lack of access to texts, specifically because of the shortage of books
Delivery challenges: Project design, project finance, and stakeholder engagement
Lessons learned: 1) To improve literacy, Worldreader focused on creating a culture of reading by leveraging technology to provide access to more than 30,000 books via low-cost e-readers and mobile reading applications that could be used by students, teachers, and families. 2) Investing in teacher training not only helped garner crucial teachers’ support for Worldreader, but it also helped ensure that e-readers were integrated to their maximum potential into classroom teaching and learning. 3) Worldreader benefited from extensive user data and impact tracking. Not only did the organization use actionable data to improve program design, delivery, and implementation, but it also used data and analytics to win over potential key partners, such as publishers
