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Consultancy: Research and Guidance for Early Numeracy Education Program

To apply:

Please submit the following by no later than June 6, 2025 :

1. A detailed proposal indicating how you will produce the deliverables before the end of August 2025

2. Your fees for the work

3. A resume/CV that demonstrates how you meet the qualifications and educational requirements.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the call for consultants may close before June 6th, 2025.

Background for this assignment

As part of its mission to support foundational learning, Room to Read will be expanding its early learning portfolio to include numeracy alongside literacy. Room to Read has global modules for literacy that provide research-based guidance for developing literacy curricula and associated training. These modules are contextualized for diverse contexts to align and respond to the particular needs of our government partners and local communities. To inform the development of Room to Read’s global numeracy modules, we are seeking to put together research-based guidance for curriculum development and educator professional development.

Scope of Work:

The consultant will develop a foundational resource in three parts to inform Room to Read’s early numeracy program, each with references and suggestions for further reading as appropriate.

Part 1: General

• Relationship between early literacy and numeracy, making a research-based case for supporting both areas
• How do young children best learn mathematics?
• What are the best practices in numeracy instruction in grades 1-3?
• Barriers to early numeracy education generally, particularly challenges in low-resource global contexts and how these challenges can be mitigated
• Gender differences in early numeracy development—global trends in gender-disaggregated outcomes and suggestions for mitigating differences

Part 2: Guidance for curriculum development

• What numeracy domains of learning and topics should be explored in grades 1-3?
• Include a framework for the organization of the topics across the three years that can be used as a basis for developing an ideal curriculum and associated materials
• Include a recommended list of low-cost manipulatives for every early grade classroom.

Part 3: Guidance for educator professional development

• Outline the best practices for educator professional development in early numeracy instruction
• Include a framework for organizing topics and instructional strategies to be covered, balancing training with job-embedded ongoing support.
• Suggest ideal number of days/hours, frequency etc. of professional development that educators should receive
• Include particular considerations for educators in low-resource contexts

Qualifications:

• At least 4 years teaching mathematics to children
• Experience developing mathematics curricula and facilitating numeracy-focused professional development for educators, including in low-resource global contexts
• Degree in mathematics education (preferred).
• A demonstrated passion for early numeracy education

While the days and times worked can be flexible, the consultant needs to be available to complete this project by August 31, 2025.

About Room to Read:

Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children®, Room to Read envisions a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality, where all children have room to read, learn and grow – creating lasting change.

Our Literacy Portfolio trains and coaches teachers of the early grades in literacy instruction; creates and publishes quality books and curricular materials in local languages; and establishes children’s libraries filled with diverse children’s books that can be enjoyed at school and home.

Our Gender Equality Portfolio supports adolescents, particularly girls, in developing life skills that promote gender equality, helping them to pursue lifelong learning and make informed decisions. We support young people of all genders to overcome gender biases and build the knowledge and skills to create a gender-equal world.

Room to Read collaborates with local communities, partner organizations, publishers, and governments to test and implement innovative models that can be integrated into the education system to deliver positive outcomes for children at scale. To date, Room to Read has benefited more than 50 million children in 28 countries. Learn more at www.roomtoread.org.

Location(s)

Global Office – Remote – United States

Room to Read’s Core Values

C – Collaboration

A – Action

R – Respect

E – Education

S – Scale

About Room to Read:

Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children®, Room to Read envisions a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality, where all children have room to read, learn and grow – creating lasting change. Our Literacy Portfolio trains and coaches teachers of the early grades in literacy instruction; creates and publishes quality books and curricular materials in local languages; and establishes children’s libraries filled with diverse children’s books that can be enjoyed at school and home. Our Gender Equality Portfolio supports adolescents, particularly girls, in developing life skills that promote gender equality, helping them to pursue lifelong learning and make informed decisions.

We support young people of all genders to overcome gender biases and build the knowledge and skills to create a gender-equal world. Room to Read collaborates with local communities, partner organizations, publishers, and governments to test and implement innovative models that can be integrated into the education system to deliver positive outcomes for children at scale. To date, Room to Read has benefited more than 50 million children in 28 countries.

Learn more at www.roomtoread.org.

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