The USAID Early Grade Education Activity (ASAS) is a five-year initiative led by a consortium comprising both local and international organizations. Its goal is to enhance national efforts to fortify the quality of Pre-and In-Service education, aiming to improve numeracy and literacy skills from Kindergarten through Grade 3, as well as foundational and socioemotional skills throughout Jordan.

ASAS will support evidence-based systems and policies that promote system-wide alignment among early grade system actors across the country, including the Government of Jordan, educational institutions, the private sector, and the broader community, encompassing parents and caregivers.

The Activity will enhance the institutional capacity of four universities to provide effective Early Grade Pre-and In-Service Teacher Education Programs. This will involve curriculum enhancements, innovative teaching and assessment methods, and administrative reforms, all in collaboration with select U.S. universities. As a result, both current and prospective educators will acquire advanced classroom management techniques, engage in interactive learning, and reinforce pedagogical practices to meet the evolving needs of young learners.

All Activity interventions will be carefully tailored to honor Jordanian culture and norms, ensuring each is relevant and reflective of local values, thereby nurturing an inclusive and effective educational environment.

By fulfilling its objectives, ASAS will not only positively influence the lives of more than one million students throughout the life of the Activity but will also empower educators with essential skills that will benefit future students for generations to come.

• Equip over 23,500 resilient early-grade teachers and educator leaders to inclusively deliver enhanced curricula, teaching and learning materials, and assessments proven to increase learning outcomes to over one million students over five years, including those most marginalized. This initiative will incorporate key global best practices into pedagogy and content, such as universal design for learning, play-based practices, and technology-based solutions.
• Partner with four Jordanian universities to strengthen their institutional capacity to deliver effective Early Grade Pre- and In-Service Teacher Education Programs, manage administrative reform, and boost student recruitment, retention, and progression into early grade careers. Such efforts are expected to make a significant contribution to the educational workforce in Jordan, ultimately improving the quality of education for future generations.
• Strengthen system-wide relationships and coordination with early grade system actors across the Government of Jordan, universities, schools, and community-based organizations and actors, such as parents and caregivers, to ensure that data-driven policy reforms are sensitive and responsive to the diverse needs of the community, accommodate various learning styles, and promote positive wellbeing outcomes for all students.
• Improve policy and systems related to early grade student education by building the capacity of system actors for data gathering, analysis, and interpretation to inform and guide evidence-based policy and planning that enhances student learning and well-being. 
• Create an open dialogue between system actors to ensure alignment and coherence across early grades education to minimize duplicative effort and to build on exiting platforms and systems to solve structural challenges. 

• Conduct assessments with stakeholders across the Government of Jordan, universities, schools, community-based organizations, parents, and caregivers to create data-driven interventions to improve early grade education across Jordan. 
• Assist the Government of Jordan by providing technical assistance and professional development to stakeholders in the Ministry of Education for the roll-out of enhanced curriculum and Teaching and Learning Materials (TLMs), improve real-time data exchange to enhance data-informed decision-making capabilities.  
• Support Jordanian universities by providing technical assistance, professional development, Training of Trainers (ToT) programs, and resources for teacher educators and administrators to enhance university systems, early grade teacher preparation curriculum, and execute enrollment campaigns.
• Establish partnerships between U.S. universities and selected Jordanian universities to cultivate essential peer exchanges and collaborative research opportunities and increase the institutional capacity of Jordanian universities to deliver effective early-grade teacher education programs, including curriculum improvements, teaching and assessment methods, and administrative reform.
• Integrate and mainstream Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI). Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) in ASAS aims to create an equitable learning environment that addresses and dismantles systemic barriers faced by marginalized groups, including children with disabilities, and those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Collaborate with local organizations to implement caregiver and community engagement activities that support children's education both at home and school.

Implementing Consortium

The Implementation of USAID Early Grade Education (ASAS) is led by International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX), who acts as the collaborative facilitator of the consortium, alongside five other implementing partners:

Offering a strong track record in building local capacity for high-quality pre-service and teacher in-service professional development (PD) in Jordan and across the MENA region. IREX has established relationships with the Government of Jordan (GOJ) and has successfully navigated complexities to achieve sustainable reforms. IREX also bolsters private sector and local leadership with international expertise, sharing research, experience, and innovative ideas from education projects worldwide.

ChangeAgent for Arab Development and Education Reform (CADER): A private sector partner with integral MOE relationships nationwide, in-depth public-school experience, and nearly 20 years of effectively delivering high-quality interactive teacher professional development (PD) to over 50,000 trainees in over 50 Jordanian programs, including several USAID initiatives.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC): Brings deep early childhood development (ECD) expertise through the leadership of Ahlan Simsim and impactful work with local publishers, technology companies, CBOs, and the Government of Jordan (GOJ), including the NCCD. In Jordan, IRC has engaged communities reaching nearly 500,000 children, and caregivers and advancing social and emotional learning (SEL) by training over 2,500 KG2-G3 principals and 170 MOE supervisors and staff.

School-to-School International (STS): With over 20 years of experience building local actors’ capacity across all stages of assessment, STS strengthens the use of data to improve early grade policy and practice.

Development Gateway (DG): Possesses distinct expertise in enhancing user-centered digital solutions to support local actors in improving systems' interoperability. By syncing and analyzing data from various sources, early grade system actors will be better equipped to learn and adapt interventions, craft responsive policies, and allocate resources to priorities.

Queen Rania Teacher Academy (QRTA): Plays a crucial role in improving the quality of early-grade pre-service education programs. QRTA is responsible for strengthening quality assurance systems and processes, developing a pre-service teacher education curriculum framework aligned with early-grade national teacher competencies, and mapping the existing curriculum. Additionally, QRTA leads professional development for teacher educators and collaborates with U.S. higher education institution peers to design or upgrade program courses.

Activity Partners

• Ministry of Education
• The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
• Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission for Higher Education Institutes
• The National Center for Human Resources Development
• National Center for Curriculum Development
• Jordanian Universities
  • University of Jordan
  • Yarmouk University 
  • Hashemite University

Email: Info.Asas@irex.org