READ TA is a five-year project supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development and implemented by the Research Triangle Institute and its partners, including the Florida State University.

The Learning Systems Institute was contracted to support READ TA and the Ethiopian Ministry of Education (MOE) in its efforts to develop a nationwide reading and writing program. The project is expected to reach 15 million children in all schools and all regions of Ethiopia. LSI provides technical assistance to Regional State Education Bureaus (RSEBs), Colleges of Teacher Education (CTEs) and the Ethiopian Ministry of Education in curriculum and materials development for preservice teacher education.

From 2013 to 2017, the FSU/LSI team has identified priority actions for improving the support for instruction of reading and writing in seven national languages; led several training workshops targeting 200 CTE instructors; and developed instructional materials for preservice teachers in seven national languages and English.

The LSI team developed seven modules in English and in seven national languages; and implemented training on each module, addressing the professional needs of 200 lecturers at 36 Colleges of Teacher Education in Ethiopia.