Recovery of Literacy Skills in Primary Education in Romania. Potential Systemic Solutions

Despite recent interventions aimed at reducing inequity in the Romanian education system, educational gaps persist and, in some respects, are even widening.International assessment results indicate significant disparities in student performance.These same gaps are also evident in national testing.In this context, targeted interventions from the early years of schooling become not just an educational necessity but a social urgency.The long-term effects of low literacy levels are felt both individually, socially, and economically.This study explores the effectiveness of two intervention methods aimed at recovering literacy skills for primary school students: intervention by a specialist working with students who have skills below their grade level and recovery intervention conducted by the classroom teacher, supported through a training and mentoring program.The main objective of the study is to determine the most effective solution for recovering literacy skills for primary school students from vulnerable backgrounds.The study was conducted on a sample of 146 primary school students.The students were divided into two groups: 18 students who worked with an external specialist in the recovery program and 129 students who worked with classroom teachers after school hours.The classroom teachers were included in a training program as part of the support offered to teachers by Teach for Romania.To evaluate the students' progress, initial and final tests were administered during the 2023-2024 school year.The results suggest that both approaches generates an increase in students' skills, but the effect generated by the specialist's intervention is statistically significantly greater.