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In the world of global development and education reform, the image of a leader is often that of an academic or executive, presenting findings from a podium or strategizing in a corporate boardroom. It is a world of metrics, policy papers, and high-level negotiations. Yet, in the heart of Mexico, a different kind of leadership story is unfolding—one that challenges these very perceptions. This is the story of Dr. Felipe Hevia de la Jara, a distinguished scholar and the co-director of the People’s Action for Learning (PAL) Network member organization in Mexico, Medición Independiente de Aprendizajes (MIA) who chose to step out of his formal role and into the boots of a volunteer. He sat through the entire three-day training session, typically reserved for volunteers, and then, leaving his title behind, walked from one household to the next in one rural village, conducting assessments as a regular volunteer.
This extraordinary act is a profound embodiment of the very philosophy that drives the PAL Network and its pioneering approach to education. His actions demonstrate a deep, personal commitment to a movement that believes that true and lasting change in education is not a top-down mandate but a grassroots effort, led by the very citizens it seeks to serve. This blog delves into the broader mission of the PAL Network, the innovative design of its International Common Assessments of Numeracy (ICAN) and Reading (ICAR), and the powerful impact of MIA in Mexico. Ultimately, it seeks to reveal how one leader’s selfless dedication on the front line illuminates the core principles of a global movement to ensure that every child’s right to learn is not just a policy goal but a lived reality.
The People’s Action for Learning Network: A Global Movement
PAL Network is a coalition that stands apart from conventional development initiatives. It is a south-south partnership of 17 organizations working across 15 countries in Africa, the Americas, and South Asia. This designation is critical, as it signifies a network built on mutual exchange and peer learning among nations of the Global South, rather than a top-down, Western-led approach. It operates on the principle that local actors and communities are best equipped to address their own educational challenges. The network is united by a shared purpose: to improve foundational literacy and numeracy for children through Citizen-Led Assessments (CLAs) and Citizen-Led Actions.
The CLA approach emerged in India in 2005 through the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), a response to the quiet yet pervasive global learning crisis. Traditional, school-based assessments often fail to capture a complete picture of learning. They frequently overlook children who are out of school, or those who attend irregularly, and their complex methodologies can produce data that is difficult for communities to understand or act upon. In contrast, CLAs were designed to uncover these hidden learning inequalities and track progress for the most disadvantaged children. They are defined by a set of powerful and inclusive characteristics: The assessment is conducted through oral, one-on-one administration in children’s households by trained community volunteers. This approach ensures that all children, including those not in school, are included and that any barriers from written tests are removed. The community-driven nature of the program fosters a sense of local ownership and helps identify learning gaps early on.
The network’s mission extends beyond mere data collection to using evidence to inform actions and drive change. The data generated by CLAs is not intended to be a static report; it is a catalyst for change. It is used to generate evidence that can inform policy, influence public discourse, and mobilize citizens and education authorities to implement effective, evidence-based programs.
The Tool of Transformation: Decoding the ICAN-ICAR Assessment
To understand Dr. Felipe’s journey, one must first appreciate the tool he was helping to administer: the International Common Assessments of Numeracy (ICAN) and Reading (ICAR). The ICAN-ICAR tool is a critical initiative spearheaded by the PAL Network with a core mission to combat the global learning crisis by producing globally comparable, yet contextually relevant, data on foundational learning.
The assessments were developed through a collaborative effort among PAL Network member organizations and are designed to align with international standards, including the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.1.1(a) and the Global Proficiency Framework (GPF). This alignment allows countries to track their progress toward ensuring all children achieve at least a minimum proficiency level in reading and mathematics.
The ICAN-ICAR’s methodology is built on innovation and inclusivity. The assessments are robust and easy to use. They are administered orally and one-on-one by trained volunteers, which ensures that the skills of all children are captured, even those who have not yet learned to read or write fluently. The assessment also features an adaptive design with ‘stop rules,’ which means that if a child gets a certain number of easier questions incorrect, they are not forced to endure the frustration of attempting harder items. Beyond measuring literacy and numeracy competencies, the assessment also collects valuable contextual data on socio-economic indicators at the child, family, and community levels, providing a more holistic picture of the factors influencing a child’s learning journey.
Development of ICAN-ICAR demonstrates the journey of PAL Network that began with country level citizen-led assessments that align with each country context and curriculum yet conforming to the same assessment principles. Network members then began the common assessment journey with a pilot of the ICAN tool in 2019, the PAL the PAL Early Language, Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (PAL-ELANA) in 2022/23, a digitally adaptive assessment, and finally ICAN-ICAR. The common assessment tool allows for generation of evidence that is comparable across multiple countries.
The 2025 ICAN-ICAR assessment is being conducted by PAL Network members across 11 countries. In Africa; Kenya (Usawa Agenda), Mali (OMAES), Mozambique (Facilidade ICDS), Senegal (LARTES-IFAN) Tanzania (Uwezo Tanzania), and Uganda (Uwezo Uganda); in Latin America, Mexico (Medición Independiente de Aprendizajes) and Nicaragua (ABACOenRed), and in South Asia, Bangladesh (ASER Bangladesh/IID), Nepal (ASER Nepal/GalliGalli) and Pakistan (ASER Pakistan/ITA).
MIA, Mexico: Bringing the Movement Home
The story of the PAL Network assessments finds a home in each of the member countries, with Mexico’s being at Medición Independiente de Aprendizajes (MIA). Established as an action-research project coordinated by CIESAS-Golfo and the University of Veracruz, MIA’s mission is to use citizen-led data not just for measurement but as a direct catalyst for change. The organization operates on a self-reinforcing, virtuous cycle, where evidence from its assessments directly informs a comprehensive set of interventions. These include short-term educational camps, parent and caregiver workshops, and programs that expand beyond academics to social-emotional learning.
MIA’s holistic approach demonstrates that data is only truly valuable when it is used to inform and guide tangible change. The evidence from assessments directly dictates the design and deployment of programs, ensuring that interventions are precisely targeted to the needs of the children and communities they serve. This is a critical distinction from many traditional assessment models that often produce data-rich reports without a clear, community-level plan for action. MIA successfully bridges this gap, making it a living example of the PAL Network’s philosophy in practice.
Dr. Felipe Hevia: The Scholar, The Leader, The Volunteer
A highly respected academic, Felipe Hevia holds a PhD in Anthropology from CIESAS, and is a leading voice in education policy and research in Mexico. He is a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences and the National System of Researchers, with over 100 publications and numerous awards, including the Mexican Academy of Sciences research award in 2015.
Against this backdrop of high academic achievement, his decision to fully immerse himself in the ICAN-ICAR assessment process takes on a deeper meaning. This story highlights his attendance at the three-day training, typically designed for volunteers, and his participation in the assessment itself, going door-to-door in a village as a regular volunteer. This was not a symbolic, photo-op gesture. It was a deliberate act of humility and a powerful affirmation of the citizen-led model.
In a conversation with Felipe during the assessment, he speaks of the original citizen-led assessment (CLA) approach, whose theory of change was that the government would be motivated to act upon seeing the data, which he now believes was a “naive” assumption. He reflects that organizations like his are “necessary but not sufficient” to create systemic change, as NGOs and academia lack the capability to alter the structure of an education system on their own. The necessity is however very critical in providing an alternative voice on the learning situation in the global south, while demonstrating what works to improve learning outcomes for the children left behind.
For Felipe, understanding the urgency in responding to the learning crisis is something that must be lived in the field, not just read in a report. As he noted, statistics alone cannot capture the pain of a child struggling to sound out a word. The experience of walking from one household to another and seeing children struggle is what makes the work tangible. He contrasts this with the comfort of attending a polished conference in a capital city, where numbers risk becoming abstract and detached from lived realities. For him, being in the field — working under the sun, patiently assessing a child — is essential to truly grasp the magnitude of the challenge and to be able to “defend the work.”
Participating in the ICAN-ICAR assessment deepened this conviction. As Felipe reflects, “children are struggling with the foundational skills in literacy and numeracy. Even for the older ones, I have seen them making simple mistakes, those that one would not expect considering their current grade or age. This gives a clear picture of where the focus needs to be put, for children to have the required competencies.”
The CLA approach is founded on the idea that ordinary citizens can be trained to collect reliable and accurate data, a notion that challenges the traditional hierarchy of knowledge and expertise. By stepping into the role of a volunteer, Felipe, a quintessential credentialed expert, broke down the wall between ‘the leader’ and ‘the led.’ His presence on the ground sent an unmistakable message to the volunteers: that the work they are doing is not just a menial task; it is as important and as valuable as his own work as a researcher and the organization’s leader.
This act fostered a profound sense of shared ownership and trust. It validated the volunteers’ critical role, elevating their work from a simple task to a crucial component of a global movement. It proved that the principles of the PAL Network are not just abstract ideals but are lived and embodied by its leaders. This type of personal, hands-on leadership is what inspires genuine commitment and creates a more sustainable, impactful movement.
The Power of Citizen Agency
The inspiring story of Dr. Felipe Hevia on the front line is a testament to the broader vision that drives the PAL Network, and a representation of all PAL leaders across the 17 member organizations. It illustrates how true progress in global development is not achieved solely through high-level policy or large-scale funding, but through dedicated individuals who are willing to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the communities they serve. It is a new paradigm of leadership, one that values humility, trust, and a profound belief in the capacity of ordinary citizens to be agents of change. Through its citizen-led approach, the PAL Network, and its member organizations like MIA, are not simply generating data; they are democratizing it. They are turning communities from passive recipients of educational services into active participants in the process of defining, measuring, and improving learning outcomes. The ICAN-ICAR assessment serves not just as a tool for collecting metrics, but as a vehicle for community engagement and empowerment. As a result, the assessments not only provide a clear picture of what children know but also serve as a starting point for conversations that can spark local action and systemic change.
Blogpost by Winny Cherotich
Program Manager – Action
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