Founded by 2013 Echoing Green Fellow Debra Gittler, who was inspired by the founder of Teach for America, Wendy Kopp, ConTextos is a non-profit organization that doesn't simply teach rote skills but rather attempts to, through reading, push critical thinking and literacy. The way that this is done is through an emphasis on teaching and, obviously or not, teachers.
ConTextos works in rural communities in El Salvador and does so in conjunction with MINED (Ministry of Education). Gittler has a breadth of experience in the education field including as a writer for El SAlvador's policy training program for literacy. For graduate school, she was educated at Harvard in social entrepreneurship and international education policy.
Contact Information
ConTextos website
ConTextos on Facebook
ConTextos on Twitter
ConTextos on YouTube
ConTextos' blog on Wordpress
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Critical Thinking Education
- Opportunity to develop innovative programs that focus on teaching critical thinking skills to students.
- Teacher Empowerment
- Potential for initiatives and technologies that support and empower teachers in delivering effective literacy programs.
- Cross-sector Collaboration
- Potential for partnerships between non-profit organizations, ministries of education, and educational institutions to improve literacy rates.
Where This Applies
- Education
- Opportunity for educational institutions to adopt and implement literacy programs that emphasize critical thinking skills.
- Non-profit
- Opportunity for non-profit organizations to develop and scale innovative literacy programs that address the needs of rural communities.
- Technology
- Opportunity for technology companies to create digital tools and platforms that facilitate critical thinking and literacy education for students and teachers.
