ERIC ED568939: Millions Learning: Scaling up Quality Education in Developing Countries

2016·1.7 MB·English

by  ERIC

MILLIONS
LEARNING
SCALING UP
QUALITY EDUCATION
IN DEVELOPING
COUNTRIES
Jenny Perlman Robinson and Rebecca Winthrop
with Eileen McGivney
1
MILLIONS
LEARNING
SCALING UP
QUALITY EDUCATION
IN DEVELOPING
COUNTRIES
Jenny Perlman Robinson and Rebecca Winthrop
with Eileen McGivney
Table of contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 8
FILIPE’S STORY: BRAZIL’S NEW APPROACH TO SCHOOLING IN THE 14
I
AMAZON JUNGLE
This report was written by Jenny Perlman Robinson and Rebecca Winthrop with Eileen
McGivney, along with research support from Jenny Alexander and Priyanka Varma, as well as
invaluable assistance over the past few years from the Millions Learning team at the Brookings II ACCELERATED EDUCATION PROGRESS IS URGENTLY NEEDED 20
Institution’s Center for Universal Education, particularly: Lulwah Ayyoub, Mia Blakstad, Zoe Global goals place a premium on learning for all 22
Norris, Priya Shankar, and Samantha Spilka. Where education has failed: The scope and scale of challenges 24
Why focus on learning? 27
Sincere gratitude and appreciation to our Millions Learning consultants who have been
equally instrumental in the report: Priscila Cruz, Shushmita Chatterji Dutt, Flavia Goulart,
III SCALING SO MILLIONS LEARN: DEFINING A GLOBAL PRIORITY 30
Mayyada Abu Jaber, Haeyeon Jung, Christina Kwauk, Alessia Lefebure, Divya Mansukhani,
A focus on scaling 33
Maria May, Jessica Moore, Ainan Nuran, Daniela Petrova, Martin Roeck, Marijke Schouten,
Addressing an evidence gap 33
Sheikh Islam Tanjeb, Judith-Ann Walker, and Jillian Yoerges.
Defining scaling 35
We are thankful for the guidance and support from our Millions Learning International Methods guiding Millions Learning 39
Advisory Panel Co-Chairs, the Honorable Julia Gillard (The Brookings Institution) and
Homi Kharas (The Brookings Institution), and members: Alice Albright (Global Partnership IV FINDINGS: HOW HAS SCALING HAPPENED? 44
for Education), Aaron Benavot (Education for All Global Monitoring Report), Madhav Chavan
Scaling success from the margins 46
(Pratham), Larry Cooley (Management Systems International), Claudia Costin (The World Bank
Idea adoption and delivery innovation: 50
Group), Elizabeth King (The Brookings Institution), Ruth Levine (The William and Flora Hewlett
Two strategies for scaling quality learning from the margins
Foundation), Santiago Levy (Inter-American Development Bank), Daniel Low-Beer (World Health
Scaling learning: 14 core ingredients 51
Organization), Lu Mai (China Development Research Foundation), Zbigniew Marciniak (University
of Warsaw), Shannon May (Bridge International Academies), Dzingai Mutumbuka (Association
V DESIGN 54
for the Development of Education in Africa), Vineet Nayar (Sampark Foundation), Tamela Noboa
(Discovery Learning Alliance), Liesbet Steer (International Commission on Financing Global 1. Local education needs: Interventions should be designed in response 57
Education Opportunity), and Mark Surman (Mozilla Foundation). to local demand and should ensure the participation of end-users.
2. Cost-effective learning: Cost structures affordable at scale should 64
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit organization devoted to independent research and be incorporated in the design.
policy solutions. Its mission is to conduct high-quality, independent research and, based on that
3. Flexible adaptation: Core elements of effective learning 69
research, to provide innovative, practical recommendations for policymakers and the public. The
approaches should be identified and replicated across contexts
conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s)
while adapting the rest to local circumstances.
and do not reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars.
4. Elevating teachers: Community expertise should be leveraged to 72
support and unburden teachers.
Support for this publication and research effort was generously provided by the John D. and
Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and The MasterCard Foundation. The authors also wish to
VI
DELIVERY 80
acknowledge the broader programmatic support of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation,
5. Education alliances: All actors need to work together to achieve a 83
the LEGO Foundation, and the Government of Norway.
common goal.
Brookings recognizes that the value it provides is in its absolute commitment to quality, 6. Learning champions and leaders: As scaling quality learning is 88
independence, and impact. Activities supported by its donors reflect this commitment, and the a political and technical exercise, champions within and outside
analysis and recommendations are not determined or influenced by any donation. government and the classroom are crucial.
7. Technological advances: Context-appropriate technologies can 93 LIST OF FIGURES
accelerate education progress. Figure 1. A scaling success story: The rapid spread of schooling in 23
8. Windows of opportunity: Effective education approaches are 95 the past 200 years
more likely to take root and spread when they align with country Figure 2. The learning crisis: 38% of children not learning basic 25
priorities. literacy and numeracy
9. Better data: Data on learning and scaling play a central role by 98 Figure 3. Reaching universal secondary education: Projected gap 25
motivating informed action at the policy and practice levels.
Figure 4. Pathways to scale 36
Figure 5. Case study overview 40
VII FINANCE 102
Figure 6. Learning Metrics Task Force: Seven domains of learning 42
10. Flexible education financing: Financing should be flexible, 105
including to build core operational capacity. Figure 7. Scaling success from the margins 48
11. Long-term education financing: Stable and predictable support is 108 Figure 8. Scaling learning: 14 core ingredients 52
essential. Figure 9. Millions Learning recommendations 131
12. “Middle phase” financing: Financing is required to bridge the 110
critical stage between pilot and broad uptake. LIST OF BOXES
Box 1. Pathways for scaling effective approaches 38
VIII ENABLING ENVIRONMENT 114 Box 2. Defining the scope of the study 42
13. Supportive policy environment: Government policy must safeguard 117 Box 3. Lesson Study, Zambia 47
every child’s right to a quality education while remaining open to a
Box 4. Sistema de Aprendizaje Tutorial 50
diversity of ideas and actors to contribute to this common aim.
Box 5. Bridge International Academies 58
14. A culture of R&D: Ensuring that more children learn requires a 122
Box 6. Fundación Escuela Nueva 59
strong ethos of experimentation, collecting learning data, and using
it for continuous improvement. Box 7. BRAC, Non-Formal Primary Education 60
Box 8. Aflatoun International 61
IX TOWARD THE FUTURE: THE NEED FOR INCLUSIVE AND ADAPTIVE 126 Box 9. Room to Read, Literacy Program 62
EDUCATION ECOSYSTEMS IN A CHANGING WORLD
Box 10. Pratham, Read India 67
Action 1: Develop a culture of R&D in education 132
Box 11. Educate! 68
Action 2: Share new ideas through a network of Idea Hubs 133
Box 12. Sesame Workshop, Sesame Street 70
Action 3: Activate talent and expertise outside the classroom 134
Box 13. Teach For All 71
Action 4: Fund the middle phase 135
Box 14. INJAZ, Jordan 74
Action 5: Measure and learn what works through better learning and 136
Box 15. Amazonas State Government’s Media Center 76
scaling data
Box 16. Worldreader 86
ENDNOTES 138 Box 17. Government action to create space for scaling quality 121
learning
BIBLIOGRAPHY 148
ANNEXES
Annex 1. Millions Learning case study selection process 155
Annex 2. 14 Millions Learning case studies 158
Annex 3. Acknowledgments 160
s Executive components of the teaching and learning We identified 14 core ingredients, in
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nt process—from curriculum, to materials, different combinations depending on
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co to teacher development—have spread the context, contribute to scaling quality
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n summary across education ecosystems and been learning. Each of these ingredients is
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de latter, new education delivery approaches that improve learning. Their importance
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n i for the most marginalized communities— is frequently reinforced from evidence
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ti such as distance learning models or in the broader scaling literature. They
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y developed and grown within and across delivering, financing, and enabling
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u Around the world, countries are grappling from wide-ranging research on scaling
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alin with how to scale quality education and learning, including 14 in-depth case
Sc for their children and youth. Quality studies, from Brazil and Honduras, to
ng: education is at the center of a nation’s Uganda and Zambia, to Jordan and
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ar progress, and it is also enshrined in the India.
e DESIGN
s L United Nations Sustainable Development
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o Goals, which 193 countries have recently What we found is that from the slums
Milli committed to support. While the spread of New Delhi to the rainforest in Brazil, Improving learning at scale starts with committed leaders
of schooling over the past 150 years is transformational change in children’s planning for scale from the outset. Ingredients necessary to
one of the most widely successful “going learning is happening at large scale in do this are:
to scale” stories, this expansion too often many places around the world. We found
has been met with little mastery of core that successful scaling of quality learning
academic content and higher-order often occurs when new approaches 1 LOCAL EDUCATION NEEDS:
thinking skills. and ideas are allowed to develop and Interventions should be designed in response to local demand
grow on the margins and then spread and should ensure the participation of end-users.
An estimated “100-year gap” persists to reach many more children and youth.
between education levels in developed What constitutes the margins varies on 2 COST-EFFECTIVE LEARNING:
and developing countries, and if business a case-by-case basis. For some, it means Cost structures affordable at scale should be incorporated in
proceeds as usual in the education a flexible central government giving the design.
sector, this gap is not projected to close. freedom to its officials within a district to
Today, 250 million children around the try a new approach. For others, it involves 3 FLEXIBLE ADAPTATION:
globe—many of them having spent at a community movement that develops Core elements of effective learning approaches should be
least four years of school in a developing new ways of reaching marginalized identified and replicated across contexts while adapting the rest
country—lack the most basic literacy and children whose educational options are to local circumstances.
numeracy skills. Additionally, countries limited.
around the world are struggling to help 4 ELEVATING TEACHERS:
young people develop 21st-century skills, Scaling from the margins occurs in Community expertise should be leveraged to support and
such as critical thinking and collaborative two main ways: idea adoption, namely unburden teachers.
problem solving, which are increasingly the spread of new approaches across
demanded by the labor market. an education ecosystem, and delivery
innovation, the development of new ways
Millions Learning tells the story of where to deliver education to marginalized
and how quality education has scaled in children and youth. With the former,
the developing world. The story emerges effective new approaches to improving
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s DELIVERY ENABLING ENVIRONMENT
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nt
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g Attention to the operational realities of implementing As critical as these three other aspects are, scaling does not
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opi or delivering at large scale is essential. This involves a happen in a vacuum. Largely guided by governments from
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v combination of technical and political actions. Ingredients national to local, the environment in which programs or
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n needed for this are: policies operate plays a critical role in facilitating or impeding
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o the scaling process. Ingredients needed for this are:
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ty 13 SUPPORTIVE POLICY ENVIRONMENT:
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u Government policy must safeguard every child’s right to a
q 6 LEARNING CHAMPIONS AND LEADERS:
p quality education while remaining open to a diversity of ideas
g u As scaling quality learning is a political and technical exercise,
n and actors to contribute to this common aim.
ali champions within and outside government and the classroom are
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S crucial.
g: 14 A CULTURE OF R&D:
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arni 7 TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES: Ensuring that more children learn requires a strong ethos of
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L experimentation, collecting learning data, and using it for
s Context-appropriate technologies can accelerate education
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o continuous improvement.
Milli progress.
8 WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY:
Effective education approaches are more likely to take root and
spread when they align with country priorities.
Scaling quality learning requires a effectively contribute their expertise—
move to a new norm of inclusive and from households, to communities, to
9 BETTER DATA:
adaptive education ecosystems. This civil society organizations, to the private
Data on learning and scaling play a central role by motivating
calls for education ecosystems that sector, and academia. These ecosystems
informed action at the policy and practice levels.
provide space for innovation and must be inclusive and adaptive,
experimentation to thrive, and then leveraging all assets these actors
actively help facilitate the spread of new bring as well as ensuring that the most
FINANCE ideas or approaches that most effectively marginalized children are reached. This
improve learning. Governments play a is the best way to move forward based on
pivotal role in this ecosystem. Not only evidence of what has successfully scaled
How resources are allocated matters as much as absolute
is it their responsibility to deliver on to date. Moreover, it is key to developing
amounts. Ingredients needed for this are:
every child’s right to a quality education a nimble education ecosystem ready to
but they must also actively foster an adapt in a rapidly changing world to
environment where all actors can whatever the future holds.
10 FLEXIBLE EDUCATION FINANCING:
Financing should be flexible, including to build core operational
capacity.
11 LONG-TERM EDUCATION FINANCING:
Stable and predictable support is essential.
12 “MIDDLE PHASE” FINANCING:
Financing is required to bridge the critical stage between pilot
and broad uptake.
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s We recommend the following five main actions to create inclusive and adaptive can be strategically tapped to assist educators, elevate them in their
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nt education ecosystems and ultimately help scale quality learning for millions of roles, and help reach children who are falling through the cracks.
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co children and youth: Governments, civil society, and the business community should
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n launch bold All-In Community initiatives, including through leveraging
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el technology, to support teachers and other education personnel in
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de their respective countries.
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o A CULTURE OF R&D IN EDUCATION
ti
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c FUND
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d Leaders across all parts of the education ecosystem—from
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ty government to civil society to business—must embrace new
ali THE MIDDLE PHASE
u approaches to solving problems at scale. Building a strong culture
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u of research and development (R&D) within the education ecosystem
g Leaders across all parts of the education ecosystem—from government
n is a key step. Governments should provide the policy space, funding,
ali to civil society to business—must embrace new approaches to solving
Sc and infrastructure support necessary to try new approaches to
g: persistent problems. Donors, civil society, governments, and business problems at scale. Building a strong culture of research and development
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ni (R&D) within the education ecosystem is a key step. Governments should
r should work together to cultivate a cohort of Learning Leaders who
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e provide the policy space, funding, and infrastructure support necessary
L have the skills and attributes necessary for pushing forward a culture
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n to try new approaches to persistent problems. Donors, civil society,
o of R&D in education.
Milli governments, and business should work together to cultivate a cohort
of Learning Leaders who have the skills and attributes necessary for
SHARE pushing forward a culture of R&D in education.

NEW IDEAS THROUGH A NETWORK OF IDEA HUBS
MEASURE AND LEARN
Leaders in governments, in partnership with civil society and the
WHAT WORKS THROUGH BETTER LEARNING
private sector, should establish Idea Hubs for identifying, adapting,
and sharing effective approaches to improving learning and scaling AND SCALING DATA
them. The Idea Hubs should be nimble mechanisms that allow
Government and donor agencies should strengthen national
decision-makers to stay up to date with rapidly changing innovations.
student assessment systems, particularly in developing countries
Approaches led by all actors—government, educators, business, civil
where data are sporadic and often of limited use. Data on student
society—should be discussed. These hubs should be linked through a
learning should start at the classroom level and be used by teachers
global network to allow for experiences and lessons shared between
and move up through national level data on what children can
countries and among regional and global actors.
know and do. In particular, new ways of helping teachers assess
21st-century skills will be essential. This is in line with the Learning
ACTIVATE Metrics Task Force recommendation on learning data as a global
good. The research community should improve data on scaling
TALENT AND EXPERTISE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM through a Real-time Scaling Lab. Such a forum would provide
space to examine and document the process of scaling effective
To scale quality learning in the developing world, including in the approaches to learning as they unfold, contributing to building a
communities that are hardest to reach, a creative injection of support body of evidence on how to scale quality learning interventions.
and energy is needed. Teachers and other education personnel
who are on the front lines are overburdened and require tangible
assistance. For addressing tough education problems, expertise from Ultimately, Millions Learning is the quality education for all the world’s
diverse actors outside schools can be one important source of this story of possibility—the story of how children and young people, enabling
support. From nonprofit workers and young graduates to business collectively the global community can them to reach their full potential and
professionals and technology specialists, different types of expertise seize this moment in time and scale contribute to their societies.
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FILIPE’S STORY:
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Brazil’s new approach to
schooling in the Amazon jungle
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s Filipe’s story: What ultimately made it possible to and teachers responded to the lessons
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nt transform the traditional national and the interactive technology.
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co approach to distance education into
g Brazil’s new approach to schooling in the Amazon jungle
n Media Center’s more locally relevant As interesting as the model itself has been
pi
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el approach was the entrepreneurial and its ability to scale. What started as an
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de pioneering leaders within Amazonas state, experiment for 10,000 students in the 10th
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n i former secretary of education Gedeão grade in 2007 now reaches 23 percent
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ti Amorim and his successor Secretary of all secondary school students enrolled
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du Filipe is a teenager living in one of the education for all the world’s children Rossieli Soares da Silva, who focused their outside of Manaus. It has also been adapted
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ty thousands of small communities located and youth from early childhood through attention on local needs, constraints, and to seven other states across Brazil with
uali along the rivers of the Amazon jungle in secondary school, nearly every country is opportunities in education development. remote communities delivering distance
q
up Brazil. His village has only 20 families, grappling with how to reach every child In the Media Center model, lectures are education from middle school through
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n a total of 78 people. In 2015, Filipe and and improve quality. To do this, many broadcast via a bi-directional camera, high school and adult education. The core
ali
Sc another teenager were the only two countries will need to adapt their current allowing expert teachers in Manaus to components of the model are suited to
g: students in their community attending approaches. Brazil’s Amazonas state is not only lecture but also interact with scaling in remote areas in Amazonas and
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rni the 11th grade. A decade ago, he would a refreshing example of an inclusive and students in hundreds of classrooms at the Brazil, in that students do not need to travel
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Le have been faced with two options upon adaptable education ecosystem that is same time. Additionally, each classroom far, centers need one generalist teacher
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on reaching his high school years: move to harnessing creative ideas and leveraging has a generalist, tutoring teacher who rather than many specialists, and the
Milli Manaus, the capital city of Amazonas partners expertise to deliver on every guides and supports students’ learning technology is appropriate for the remote
state, hundreds of miles away, which child’s right to a quality education. and handles classroom management and areas. Much of the expansion has been
would take weeks to travel, or stop administrative functions. driven by demand from communities—a
going to school. Instead, he commutes by Media Center grew from an movement by rural populations to obtain
boat along with 19 other students from entrepreneurial group of policymakers Along the way, officials from SEDUC high-quality education for their children.
surrounding villages to one of a thousand in SEDUC, who had a vision to close the worked with teachers and pedagogy SEDUC was further strengthened and
local government classrooms to receive glaring gaps in secondary education in experts in Brazil to develop a model that able to scale Media Center by inviting in
lessons streamed live from a Media their remote villages. They had witnessed fundamentally reframed the relationship diverse partners, including international
Center teacher in Manaus. the failure of traditional distance learning between teachers and technology— organizations and the private sector, that
programs, which were unpopular ultimately they designed it from the had a shared vision.
Media Center has made it possible for among teachers and the organizations ground up with students and teachers
Filipe and 300,000 other students from that represented them, and lacked in mind. Technology that would work Media Center illustrates the power of
2,300 villages across Amazonas, home the student participation essential for in remote areas and be conducive to an inclusive and adaptive education
to some of the most remote communities learning. Amazonas’ peripheral status student learning was the goal, and to ecosystem. Systems that are spearheaded
in Brazil, to continue their schooling. The and geographic isolation gave the develop an infrastructure in such areas by leaders with a vision and ability to
innovative approach blending distance policymakers more flexibility to experiment required collaboration with private experiment, armed with evidence of
education and classroom instruction, without being in the national spotlight. sector partners, such as satellite service effectiveness, enriched by civil society and
developed and spearheaded by Meanwhile, the federal government’s providers and studio operators. The state private sector collaboration, and driven by
Amazonas State Secretariat of Education 2009 law mandating high school ministry also brought in Bain Capital, student and teacher demand can address
(SEDUC), is the key. It is transforming the education as a right for all Brazilians to a private sector consulting firm, to help the learning crisis for children in even the
educational experiences of young people be fulfilled by the states by 2016 forced strengthen the management capacity remotest areas.
in Brazil’s Amazon region. Amazonas state to find a solution to its and continue to improve SEDUC. As the
very complex challenge of providing program grew from one grade to a full Millions Learning takes a deep dive into
In light of the new United Nations (UN) schooling and classes in all disciplines to three years of secondary school, they just how this change is happening across
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), all students scattered throughout the vast were able to use evidence and adapt its the globe, by examining a diversity of
which aim to achieve high-quality universal Amazon rainforest. model, collecting data on how students cases such as Media Center, where state
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s and non-state actors have pioneered and, we focus on scaling and how we define
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nt in partnership with a range of actors, it as a range of pathways that expand
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co scaled new approaches to education. and deepen effective approaches that
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n Rather than focus on what works lead to lasting improvements in people’s
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el to improve student learning, or how live. We also outline our methodology
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de access to primary school has spread, for selecting and analyzing the 14 cases
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n i this report takes a look at some of the we studied. From these case studies
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ti core ingredients behind scaling effective and existing literature, we identify 14
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u education approaches that improve “core ingredients” for scaling learning
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y students’ learning outcomes. interventions, organized into four main
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uali areas of how to design interventions with
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p We start by outlining the urgent need to scale in mind, how to deliver and implement
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n accelerate progress in global education, interventions, how finance plays a role,
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c detailing the massive gaps in access and and finally what characteristics of an
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g: learning—and how, at the current pace, enabling environment are necessary to
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ni the SDGs will be far from met. Next, foster scaling.
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Milli Millions Learning takes a deep dive into just how this
change is happening across the globe, by examining a
diversity of cases such as Media Center, where state and
non-state actors have pioneered and, in partnership with
a range of actors, scaled new approaches to education.
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