Core components of teaching at the right level

Working paper

This working paper synthesises evidence and implementer insights to distil the core components of Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL), an evidence-backed foundational literacy and numeracy approach used in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. By combining impact evaluations, related academic evidence (cognitive science, educational psychology), and interviews with implementers, the authors identify nine critical elements across classroom instruction, pedagogical support, and system-level authorising environments that are essential for effective design, adaptation, and large-scale implementation of TaRL programmes.

Authors: Kaffenberger, M; Angrist, N; Hwa, Y-Y; Kayton, H; Jukes, M

• Publication status: Published
• Publisher: What Works Hub for Global Education
• Series: What Works Hub for Global Education
• Place of publication: Oxford, United Kingdom
• Publication date: 2026-01-14
• DOI: 10.35489/BSG-WhatWorksHubforGlobalEducation-WP_2026/001
• Paper number: 2026/001
• Language: English
• Keywords: foundational learning; education policy; Teaching at the Right Level; education evidence synthesis; TaRL; instructional adaptation; implementation science; teacher professional support; literacy and numeracy; SBTMR