Rising delivers strong outcomes in Rwanda for the second successive year
Building on the successes of the initial pilot in the 2023/2024 Academic Year, our literacy and numeracy partnership with Rwanda’s Ministry of Education (MINEDUC)- “RisingFaster” via Elimu-Soko - has delivered a second year of strong cost-effective results.
Year 2 Results at a Glance
FasterReading Impact: Students receiving Rising’s “FasterReading” literacy program outperformed control group students by 0.25 SD¹ on letter recognition tasks and showed greater oral reading fluency.
FasterMath Impact: Students receiving Rising’s “FasterMath” numeracy program saw gains of 0.30-0.35 SD in addition and subtraction tasks compared to students in control schools, with significant improvements in grade-level proficiency across participating schools.
Teacher Feedback: Over 95% of teachers expressed a strong interest in continuing the program and reported confidence in recommending it to other schools.
The partnership was formed through the ground-breaking “Elimu-Soko Marketplace” that supports public education systems in identifying, testing and scaling innovations that can improve the quality of learning. The project aimed to strengthen the systems that support teacher professional development, and ultimately to improve student learning in foundational literacy and numeracy (Grades P1, P2, and P3). We were the selected innovator for the inaugural Elimu-Soko initiative, working with 40 schools to pilot RisingFaster over two years.
The Challenge and Key Results
In Rwanda, foundational literacy has been a significant challenge, with only 10% of P3 learners meeting the national English literacy proficiency benchmarks in 2021. Elimu-Soko sought to address this through the FasterReading program. By the end of Year 2, 46% of P1 students reached reading proficiency—17 percentage points higher than control groups. Similarly, P2 and P3 students saw proficiency gains of 11 and 13 percentage points, respectively.
These results demonstrate that the program has helped students reach the same proficiency levels in less than two academic terms that control group students achieved over a full year, significantly accelerating learning outcomes.
Boosting Numeracy: FasterMath’s Success
The FasterMath component also saw remarkable improvements. In addition to enhancing basic numeracy skills, the program increased the number of students proficient in two-digit and three-digit addition and subtraction.
Notably, P3 students in FasterMath schools outperformed control schools by 39 percentage points, illustrating how the program supports students in achieving grade-level benchmarks faster than traditional methods.
Teacher Development is a Key Component of Success
Beyond student outcomes, RisingFaster’s success hinges on its ability to strengthen teacher knowledge and confidence. Teacher training focused on improving foundational literacy and numeracy instruction, fostering a growth mindset, and equipping educators to engage students more effectively.
Additionally, Communities of Practice (COPs) provided ongoing professional development and peer support, contributing to the program’s sustainability. This systemic approach has laid the groundwork for further scale as it delivers results at an affordable cost.
Teacher Testimonials:
“FasterReading has transformed my classroom. My students can now read fluently, and they are more engaged in their learning.”
“Before FasterMath, my students struggled with basic calculations. Now, they solve problems confidently and accurately.”
Moving Forward: Scaling for National Impact
Our partnership with the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC), NESA (National Examination and School Inspection Authority), and REB (Rwanda Basic Education Board) aims to integrate the Rising Faster program into the national education framework, expanding its reach to benefit more students across Rwanda. The key focus areas moving forward include:
Expansion to 80 New Public Schools: We will collaborate with NESA and REB to identify and support 80 new public schools across selected districts for inclusion in the program. This will ensure that more students experience the accelerated literacy and numeracy learning interventions that have already shown positive outcomes in the pilot phase. The target districts will be selected in coordination with both NESA and REB based on educational needs and prioritizing areas with significant performance gaps.
Strengthening Data Systems for Monitoring and Evaluation: We will work closely with NESA and REB to enhance data systems to better track student performance, teacher engagement, and overall program effectiveness. This will include aligning our data collection methods with NESA’s current reporting structures to ensure a streamlined flow of information. We will also integrate more granular monitoring tools to ensure that interventions are responsive to the specific needs of students at each school.
Enhancing Teacher Training for Quality Instruction: Teacher training programs will be expanded and customized to align with REB requirements. Our focus will be on creating locally relevant professional development content and ensuring it meets the quality standards set by MINEDUC. We will conduct additional capacity-building workshops with District and Sector education officials to create a sustainable model for training, with a focus on effective pedagogical strategies, the use of technology in teaching, and the specific literacy and numeracy challenges faced by students in Rwanda.
Preparation for Independent Evaluation (2025/2026): To assess the effectiveness of the program at scale, we will prepare for an independent evaluation using a rigorous Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) in collaboration with international evaluators. MINEDUC, NESA, and REB will be key partners in facilitating this evaluation, ensuring that schools are appropriately selected, data is collected ethically, and that findings directly inform future policy decisions. We are planning coordination meetings with NESA and REB to outline timelines and processes for this evaluation to ensure transparency and alignment with national standards.
1. Standard deviation (SD) is a statistical measure that represents the amount of variation in a set of data. In the context of education, an improvement in SD reflects the degree of learning gains students achieve compared to a control group or baseline. For example, a 0.25 SD improvement in literacy means that the intervention students outperformed the control group by a meaningful margin. Educational interventions with SD improvements of 0.2 or higher are often considered statistically significant, indicating a real impact on learning outcomes.