PAL Network

Open data creates opportunities for evidence to grow.

PAL Network welcomes DataFirst, University of Cape Town’s new report, From Assessment Data to Better Evidence: Strengthening Africa’s Foundational Learning Evidence Ecosystem, which draws prominently on ICAN-ICAR microdata to demonstrate what becomes possible when assessment data are accessible for further research.

Together with MICS data, the report uses ICAN-ICAR to explore learning inequalities, population representation, assessment language, and patterns that headline indicators can overlook. Its latest accompanying article illustrates why looking beyond averages and proficiency rates can help us understand which skills children have mastered and where they need support.

This is precisely the opportunity we sought to create by making our ICAN-ICAR microdata publicly available through DataFirst: enabling researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and civil society organizations to ask new questions and generate evidence that can inform action.

Behind these data are children, families, citizen volunteers, and member organizations across the Global South. Making their contributions available for further analysis extends the value of that collective effort.

Congratulations to Cally Ardington, Siphiwe M. Bogatsu, Mikaela Daries, Chifundo Kanjala, Ph.D, and the DataFirst team. We look forward to seeing more research build on this shared resource to advance foundational learning for every child.

📘 Read the report: https://tinyurl.com/mv8u5v5n
📊 Explore the ICAN-ICAR microdata: https://tinyurl.com/yh32nnve

On 16 September, at the Conference in Oxford, PAL Network CEO Armando Ali moderated a thought-provoking session on Better Measurement and Use of Student Learning Data.

The meeting brought together education researchers and practitioners to explore how better use of learning and assessment data can strengthen education policy, evaluation, and effective teaching practice.

Watch the full session: https://youtu.be/hii1Jg5aRjk?is=_Md9bGflnRjcOKZV

WWHGE Conference 2026, Day 2 | Better measurement and use of student learning data Day 2, Session 3 of the What Works Hub for Global Education Confere...

We came. We played. We connected. And together, we showed up for .

We proudly participated in ’sCup Tournament 2026. The pitch was the playing field. The children were the purpose. And the whole community was on the team.

A big thank you to everyone who played, volunteered, partnered and showed up.

What does foundational learning look like across the Global South?

PAL's ICAN–ICAR data helps answer that with evidence from communities- not assumptions.

Across countries, the data reveals substantial differences in children's ability to meet foundational learning benchmarks.

And PAL makes this evidence accessible through its Learning Data Dashboard, allowing users to explore findings across countries, ages and learning outcomes.

From household responses to regional evidence—learning becomes visible.

Explore the data. Understand the gaps https://dashboard.palnetwork.org/

Quality means more than being in school. It means gaining the foundational skills to learn, progress and thrive.

The 2025 ICAN–ICAR findings show the scale of the challenge: in most of the 11 countries assessed, fewer than half of 10-year-olds reached the Minimum Proficiency Level in both reading and maths. Maths performance was generally stronger than reading, while learning trajectories remained slow or stagnant in many countries.

We’re helping make these gaps visible. Through household-based ICAN–ICAR assessments, 89,185 children across 11 countries were directly assessed, including children both in and out of school. The assessment provides nationally representative evidence aligned with SDG 4.1.1(a).

Quality education starts with knowing whether children are actually learning. This Global Goals Week, explore the evidence, make learning visible and use it to drive action for every child https://palnetwork.org/assessment/

We’re in New York this week for the .

Baela Jamil, CEO of ITA and PAL Network Board Member and Gonzalo Almeyda, PAL’s Advocacy & Communications Manager, are in New York and looking forward to connecting with colleagues, partners and friends working across education, learning and development.

If you’re attending UNGA, come say hello! 👋

The webinar “Aprendizajes básicos: retos y avances educativos en Nicaragua y México” brings together experiences from Independiente de Aprendizajes in Mexico and in Nicaragua to explore the challenges and progress in .

The session will help us understand where are learning, where gaps remain, and how evidence can inform action.

Across the Americas, PAL Network members are at the forefront, generating citizen-led evidence, sharing learning across contexts, and strengthening efforts to ensure every child has the opportunity to learn.

Join the conversation and hear directly from our members about the realities, evidence and approaches shaping foundational learning in and https://lnkd.in/dQAj__4a

It was great to officially welcome the 2026 cohort of PAL Network Research Fellows, who will be developing research proposals using data from the 2025 ICAN-ICAR assessment.

Their work will build on our ongoing efforts to explore some of the most important questions behind differences in children’s learning, including language mismatch, age-for-grade, learning differences among children within the same household, disability, and other factors shaping foundational learning outcomes.

We’re excited to see how these analyses deepen our understanding of who is learning, who is being left behind, and why, and help turn citizen-led assessment data into evidence for action.
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Are you a researcher, policymaker or education practitioner working on foundational learning?

Our ICAN–ICAR 2025 microdata is publicly available through the DataFirst, University of Cape Town Open Research Portal, giving you access to anonymised data for deeper analysis and further exploration.

The dataset covers 89,185 children, 56,913 households and 2,917 enumeration areas across 11 countries, with supporting documentation and metadata.

Use the data to conduct your own analysis, explore new areas of research and contribute to a stronger evidence base for foundational learning.
Access the ICAN–ICAR 2025 microdata:
https://tinyurl.com/2rktr3f4

Access 2025 ICAN-ICAR report: https://tinyurl.com/mz5k6hd6

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