"The Politics of Literacy: State-Led Transformation and Government-Civil Society Cooperation in Literacy Reform"

The article discusses the crisis of early-grade reading in South Africa and Brazil, highlighting the importance of effective interventions such as structured phonics instruction, teacher coaching, and classroom libraries. The Sobral model in Brazil, which transformed from one of the poorest places to a top-performing municipality, demonstrates the effectiveness of state-led transformation and institutionalized reforms. In contrast, the Western Cape model in South Africa attempts to replicate Sobral's success through government-civil society cooperation and coordinated reforms. The article emphasizes that literacy reform is not just a pedagogical issue, but also a political one that requires political will, accountability, and cooperation between government and civil society.