Africa Has a Literacy Crisis. America Has an Economic Stake in Solving It.
Schoolutions: Curious Educators. Evidence-Based Strategies. Classrooms Where Every Child Thrives.
03/20/26
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In Part 2 of my @schoolutionspodcast conversation, Dr. Kris Nystrom (founder of Reading the World Inc.) connects the dots among global literacy rates, the world economy, and why what happens in a slum school in Nairobi has a profound economic impact. This discussion highlights the critical role of universal education in addressing poverty and fostering global awareness, underscoring the broader implications for finance and world news.
Kris shares:
🌍 Why student success in Kenya is directly tied to the global economy
📖 Project Ripple: a science of reading initiative in Nairobi slum schools with 100:1 student-teacher ratios
💡 The Good Hope Royalty Center, where "all children are royal" and street kids are given unconditional love and a future
🔁 The Sankofa philosophy: "You can go back and fix your mistakes"
👨👩👧 How one literate child creates a ripple of empowered educators, healthier families, and stronger communities
💫Make sure to watch Part 1 & donate here if you can.
📚 CHAPTERS:
00:00 Welcome & Sankofa: "You can go back and fix your mistakes"
02:00 Colonial history & why African literacy rates are low
04:30 Inside Nairobi slum schools: 100 students to 1 teacher
07:30 Project Ripple: science of reading training in APBET schools
09:00 Why global literacy matters to every economy
10:30 By 2050, 1/4 of the world will live in Africa
12:00 The ripple effect: one child teaches their parents to read
13:30 Good Hope Royalty Center & Faith Woge's unconditional love
16:30 "All children are royal" candles, soap & sustainable futures
17:30 How to support Reading the World Inc.
18:00 Closing reflection: the ripple is the whole thing
🔗 RESOURCES MENTIONED:
- Why Should I Care? Counting Up From Survival
- Reading the World Projects
- APBET schools (Alternative Provision for Basic Education and Training)
- SUNY New Paltz Science of Reading Center
🎧 New episodes every Monday & Friday with bite-sized Wednesday reel bonus content.
📧 Connect with me if you’d like a thought partner to help you cultivate curious learners who advocate for what they believe in.
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl
Don't forget to 🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE with fellow educators!
Next Week: We are going somewhere equally unexpected and equally beautiful. Portrait Pals, founded by Tonya Quinn, is redefining what art class can be — pairing children across communities to paint each other's portraits, and in doing so, teaching them that every face tells a story worth seeing.
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
Previous Episode
What does a child's birthplace have to do with their right to learn? Everything. And Dr. Kris Nystrom is doing something about it.
This clip explores the philosophical foundation of "reading the world," asserting that a child's place of birth should not dictate their access to education for all. It underscores the critical role of academic success in fostering social justice. This perspective drives the daily work of educators committed to education reform, questioning why any child should be treated as less than, and emphasizing the need for mental health support.
🌍 Support Reading the World Inc. by donating here.
In this clip:
- The philosophical foundation of Reading the World Inc.
- What "school deserts" are, and the 4 forces that create them
- Why the pro-kid mindset has no borders
- What culturally responsive teaching looks like at a global scale
- How student success begins with seeing the whole child
Save this. Share it with your school administrators, instructional leaders, and fellow teachers.
Watch, reflect, and share Part 1 & Part 2 of our @schoolutionspodcast S5E29 interview with your team.
📌 CHAPTERS
0:00 — The Quote That Drives Everything
0:12 — "Where One Is Born Cannot Be the Only Reason"
0:28 — Looking Kids in the Eyes: The Moral Case for Equity
0:45 — What Is a School Desert?
0:52 — Walking Through Lions to Get to Class
1:05 — Building Schools That Communities Own
📧 Connect with me if you’d like a thought partner to help you cultivate curious learners who advocate for what they believe in.
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl
Don't forget to 🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE with fellow educators!
#Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter #CuriosityDriven #EvidenceBased #equityineducation #CulturallyResponsiveTeaching #SchoolDesert #GlobalLiteracy #WholeChild #StudentSuccess #InclusiveClassrooms #TeacherCoaching #InstructionalLeadership #SchoolImprovement #ProKidMindset #EmpoweredEducators #Schoolutions #ReadingTheWorld #TeachingTips #EducationTransformation #NewTeachers #MentorTeachers #FamilyPartnerships #SchoolCulture
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
Next Episode
Part 1 of my S5E30 @schoolutionspodcast conversation, Tonya Quinn from The Kindness Art Education shares her journey, emphasizing the role of visual art and art for kids in shaping worldviews. This conversation highlights how art classes for beginners can ignite creativity and provide healing, even far from home. Tonya illuminates how personal hardship has fostered her powerful kindness movement.
In this episode, you'll discover:
→ The 4 rules for being an artist (and why they work for every child in every classroom)
→ Why active learning and student participation skyrocket when kids feel creative ownership
→ How Portrait Pals bridges generations to fight low engagement
→ What inclusive teaching actually looks like when you hand a child primary colors and say, "You can do this"
→ Why inspiring students starts with teaching them to listen to themselves first
→ The research from Harvard's Project Zero that proves arts access improves academic performance
→ A pro-kid mindset that goes beyond survival toward whole-child thriving
Whether you're a teacher looking for innovative teaching strategies, an instructional coach searching for coaching strategies that move the needle, a school leader focused on school culture and instructional leadership, or a parent exploring the home-school connection and family partnerships, this conversation is for you.
Some Episode Mentions:
- Harvard’s Project Zero
- Theresa Booth Brown
- The National Gallery
- Ana María Hernando
- Faith Ringgold
- Portrait Pals
- Frida Kahlo
- Molly Piper Greaves
- The Kindness Art Education
📌 Part 2 drops Friday where we go inside the full Portrait Pals process.
If this moved you, share it with a teacher, principal, parent, or school counselor who believes every child deserves to thrive, not just survive.
CHAPTERS:
0:00 — Introduction & Tonya Quinn overview
1:45 — Harvard's Project Zero research on arts & student success
4:00 — How Tonya's parents shaped her pro-kid mindset
5:20 — 20 years in London: perspective, art galleries & inclusive teaching
8:30 — Launching a nonprofit during the pandemic
9:50 — The "How to Be an Artist" curriculum & 4 rules
13:00 — Every child deserves to thrive, not just survive
14:30 — The challenge sweet spot: frustration + growth in the classroom
16:30 — Making skin tone: the hardest and proudest moment
17:45 — Lightning round with Tonya Quinn
#schoolutionspodcast #forevergettingbetter #curiositydriven #PortraitPals
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
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