Teaching of literacy in two Latin-American countries: a Comparative analysis

ROSEMBERG, C.R.

International Handbook of Litercy Teaching

Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

Año: 2025;

Reading research has progressed enormously in the last five decades. As with all growth, this development has included leaps and setbacks, as well as more than a few controversies. However, it is safe to say that both the scientific evidence and implementation experiences accumulated in this period have contributed to a consensus on the experiences and opportunities that are necessary for children to become competent readers. Nowadays, there is consensus on the relevance of factors such as immersion from an early age in a literate world through meaningful interactions with books; systematic and explicit instruction in the mechanics of the code; and a language-rich environment that promotes strong language and thinking skills. However, although implementation experiences show that it is possible in Latin America to provide these experiences and create competent readers (Cruz & Loureiro, 2020; Contreras & Cruzat, 2018; Rolla San Francisco et al., 2024; Shenoy et al., 2024, Borzone, 2017; Diuk, 2024; Rosemberg et al., 2016; 2024), scaling of such practices has proved difficult. Through the analysis and comparison of two similar but distinct countries in the region, in this chapter we aim to shed light on the role that evidence, theory, and policies can play in the implementation of effective practices in the classroom. Aside from a generally similar social, economic and cultural context —albeit with significant differences in current poverty rates (6% in Chile compared to between 38% and 52% in Argentina in 2024)— characterized by a stark economic inequality (Campos-Vázquez et al., 2023) and predominantly low levels of high-level comprehension reading skills in the general population (OECD, 2023), there are also educational factors that are similar in both countries. Both countries have official curricula -national for Chile versus provincial for Argentina- with a strong focus on literacy in the primary school years; both countries exhibit overly theoretical teacher training which offers few opportunities to develop evidence-based practical skills. There are also notable differences, such as educational spending (higher in Chile); degree of centralization of the education system; and the degree of involvement of private providers in public education, which is much greater in Chile due to its large voucher system, while Argentina maintains public management of all publicly funded schools. One of the most notable differences between the two countries vis a vis literacy instruction must be the role that theoretical approaches and evidence-based practices have had in shaping official documents as well as classroom practices. In what follows, we will review educational results, policies, practices, and dominant theoretical models of literacy in each of the two countries, attempting to understand how each factor may have impacted the teaching of reading. Afterwards, we will compare both countries in an effort to illuminate what kinds of policies and interventions may work from Latin America in the attempt to provide all children with effective literacy promotion.