Ideas to Action:
Independent research for global prosperity
With increased focus on the shortfall inlearning outcomes around the world (the “learning crisis”!), one might assume that just about every child is in school, or at least that every young child is in primary school. But sadly, that’s not the case: in low-income countries, just two-thirds of children complete their primary education!
There are many studies that show how one intervention reduces dropouts (better access to school) or another intervention increases learning (better quality of schooling). But policymakers and others care about a combination of access and learning! So how do you choose between one intervention that says it will keep kids in school longer and another that says it will boost their learning? Presenting the results of evaluations in terms of learning-adjusted years of schooling, or LAYS, is one solution.
The potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on girls’ education are numerous and diverse. It’s too early for us to predict with confidence the impact of the pandemic on dropouts and longer-term outcomes. But research from previous pandemics and initial findings in this one can give us clues.
How big is a big effect size? In a new paper, David Evans and Fei Yuan examine more than 150 randomized controlled trials in low- and middle-income countries and standardize the effect sizes to provide a better understanding of the real impact of learning outcomes.
How can we help teachers to upgrade their pedagogical skills? Teacher coaching is a promising and increasingly popular candidate. Teacher coaching means teachers receive feedback in their place of work on specific things they can do better, not some general theory of pedagogy that’s completely disconnected from their day-to-day practice.
With a constant stream of new studies emerging on how to expand access or improve learning in education, it can be hard to keep track and make sense of it all. In our new paper we curate more than 140 evaluations of education interventions, from national policies to small pilots, in African countries that came out since 2014.
In our new study–“Are Teachers in Africa Poorly Paid? Evidence from 15 Countries”–we pulled together representative household data from 15 African nations in the last 10 years and examined how well teachers are paid relative to other workers with similar skill and experience.
In an earlier blog post, we proposed a few lessons from the experience of some members of our team with piloting phone-based assessments in Botswana and from other members with oral assessments from before the pandemic. Now, with more piloting experience and data, we update those lessons.
Using lessons from early movers in Botswana, together with the extensive literature on face-to-face oral assessments, we’re concluding, “yes,” we think it is possible to measure learning by phone. We’ve published some preliminary principles and discussion in a new working paper. Below is a quick summary—five tips which we hope are helpful for those embarking on their own efforts.
School closures, learning loss, and drop-outs will not be the only effects of COVID-19. School systems run on money. It’s impossible to provide access to schooling without financial resources, and despite occasional claims to the contrary, the best evidence suggests that the quality of education is also responsive to financial resources.
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