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Scaling Up Evidence-Informed Early Childhood Education Teacher Training

Photo: Teachers participate in a five-day training on the INSET manual. © 2023 Sabre Education

Staff: Cassandra Azumah and Amélie Daubresse

In collaboration with the Ghana Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service, Sabre Education, and Right to Play, IPA supported an in-service teacher training (INSET) package promoting evidence and play-based learning. Drawing from previous IPA evaluations, this support included sharing evidence at design workshops, co-developing monitoring and evaluation tools, piloting content, and helping administer tools at scale. IPA also contributed to the development of a 3-year scale-up plan. So far, the INSET package has been implemented in 57 districts, reaching 4,566 teachers and 167,244 students, with plans to reach 16,200 schools and 1.4 million students.

Boosting Student Achievement at Scale in Ghana’s Public Schools

Photo: A primary school part of an evaluation in Ghana. © 2013 Jessica Kiessel

Researchers: Annie Duflo, Jessica Kiessel, and Adrienne Lucas

In an effort to improve student learning in government primary schools, the Ghana Ministry of Education developed the Teacher Community Assistant Initiative, which focused on student-centered, targeted instruction. An IPA evaluation of four at-scale interventions—in collaboration with the Ghana Education Services, Ghana National Association of Teachers, and the National Youth Employment Program—found that the initiative improved students’ test scores by 27 percent of a grade level after two years, and effects persisted one year after students finished the program. Despite limited implementation, the program showed that teachers and teacher community assistants can strengthen learning outcomes in existing public schools, with the potential for even greater impact when they're given additional support.

The Oxford Handbook of Program Design and Implementation Evaluation

IPA's Executive Director, Annie Duflo co-wrote Chapter 25 of the Oxford Handbook of Program Design and Implementation Evaluation with Heidi McAnnally-Linz (BRAC, formerly of IPA) and Anu Rangarajan (Mathematica and Princeton University). This chapter describes an approach to scale-up that focuses on delivering effective programs to increase the reach of program services.

The Importance of Management Support for Teacher-Led Targeted Instruction in Ghana

In partnership with IPA Ghana, the Ghana Ministry of Education, and UNICEF, researchers conducted a randomized evaluation that showed that engaging school principals and supervisors to improve their monitoring and support for teachers substantially increased the implementation of Differentiated Instruction in classrooms. As a result, student test scores in English and math increased by one-third of the school year. Both the increased test scores and the improved management persisted after the intervention ended.

The Impact of an SMS-Based Adaptive Math Learning Tool on Educational Outcomes in Kenya

In collaboration with IPA Kenya, Precision Development, and the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, researchers conducted a pair of randomized evaluations to measure whether an SMS-based adaptive mathematics learning service improved educational outcomes of school-aged children. The service appears to have improved math skills, school attendance, and grade attainment of students in households without electricity.

Preventing Violence Against Children in Refugee Camp Schools in Tanzania

In collaboration with IPA Tanzania and the International Rescue Committee, researchers conducted a randomized evaluation in Tanzania that found that a violence prevention program for teachers in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp had no impact on reducing physical violence against students.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's 2024 Goalkeepers Report

The 2024 Goalkeepers report calls out malnutrition as the worst health crisis for children today and links malnutrition to climate change. One of IPA's Best Bets, some of our most promising innovations for impact at scale, is on small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements to reduce childhood stunting.