Birte Snilstveit|Emma Gallagher|Daniel R. Phillips|Martina Vojtkova|John Eyers|Dafni Skaldiou|Jennifer Stevenson|Ami Bhavsar|Philip Davies
PROTOCOL: Interventions for improving learning outcomes and access to education in low? and middle?income countries: a systematic review
International Initiative for Impact Evaluation|International Initiative for Impact Evaluation|International Initiative for Impact Evaluation|International Initiative for Impact Evaluation|International Initiative for Impact Evaluation|International Initiative for Impact Evaluation|International Initiative for Impact Evaluation|International Initiative for Impact Evaluation
campbell systematic reviewsvolume 13 issue 1 p 182 protocolopen access protocol interventions improving learning outcomes access education low middleincome countries systematic review birte snilstveit corresponding author birte snilstveit senior evaluation specialist bsnilstveit3ieimpactorg 442079588352 international initiative impact evaluation 36 gordon square london wc1h 0pd united kingdomsearch papers authoremma gallagher emma gallagher research assistant international initiative impact evaluationsearch papers authordaniel phillips daniel phillips evaluation specialist international initiative impact evaluationsearch papers authormartina vojtkova martina vojtkova evaluation specialist international initiative impact evaluationsearch papers authorjohn eyers john eyers information specialist international initiative impact evaluationsearch papers authordafni skaldiou dafni skaldiou evaluation specialist international initiative impact evaluationsearch papers authorjennifer stevenson jennifer stevenson research assistant international initiative impact evaluationsearch papers authorami bhavsar ami bhavsar research assistant international initiative impact evaluationsearch papers authorphilip davies philip davies deputy director international initiative impact evaluationsearch papers author birte snilstveit corresponding author birte snilstveit senior evaluation specialist bsnilstveit3ieimpactorg 442079588352 international initiative impact evaluation 36 gordon square london wc1h 0pd united kingdomsearch papers authoremma gallagher emma gallagher research assistant international initiative impact evaluationsearch papers authordaniel phillips daniel phillips evaluation specialist international initiative impact evaluationsearch papers authormartina vojtkova martina vojtkova evaluation specialist international initiative impact evaluationsearch papers authorjohn eyers john eyers information specialist international initiative impact evaluationsearch papers authordafni skaldiou dafni skaldiou evaluation specialist international initiative impact evaluationsearch papers authorjennifer stevenson jennifer stevenson research assistant international initiative impact evaluationsearch papers authorami bhavsar ami bhavsar research assistant international initiative impact evaluationsearch papers authorphilip davies philip davies deputy director international initiative impact evaluationsearch papers author first published 21 september 2017 httpsdoiorg101002cl2176citations 9aboutsectionspdf toolsrequest permissionexport citationadd favoritestrack citation shareshare give accessshare full text accessshare fulltext accessplease review terms conditions use check box share fulltext version articlei read accept wiley online library terms conditions useshareable linkuse link share fulltext version article friends colleagues learn morecopy url share linkshare onfacebooktwitterlinkedinredditwechat background problem condition issue education considered essential sustainable development fundamental human right stated article 26 universal declaration human rights un 2013a widespread consensus importance education human wellbeing glewwe kremer 2005 instance sen 1999 296 argues education direct relevance wellbeing freedom people well indirect role influencing social change economic production addition intrinsic value education research suggests positive relationships education economic growth earnings barro 1991 duflo 2000 psacharopoulos patrinos 2004 relationship becomes pronounced poorer countries psacharopoulos 1985 mankiw et al 1992 moreover various studies provided evidence link better education systems indicators human development including health status maternal infant mortality lower population growth lowered crime glewwe 2013 hillman jenkner 2004 hannum buchmann 2003 words individuals high levels education likely employed generate higher income overcome economic shocks maintain healthier families world bank 2011 substantial efforts made recent years improve access education low middleincome countries lmics significant progress uneven challenges remain instance net enrolment rate children primary school increased 82 90 per cent 1999 2010 un 2013b however improvements enrolment rates slowed considerably 2004 2010 61 million children primary school age still school half 33 million subsaharan africa unesco 2012 progress reducing number girls excluded education 58 per cent 1999 53 percent 2010 un 2012 girls still likely boys miss schooling girls participation rates remain lower boys 53 developing countries disparities particularly pronounced west asia subsaharan africa un 2012 increase primary education increased demand secondary education enrolment secondary school risen almost 10 percentage points last ten years world bank 2013 demand also presents challenge many countries however 71 million children lower secondary age 1215 years school worldwide un 2012 three four outofschool adolescents residing either subsaharan africa south west asia unesco 2012 adolescents disadvantaged backgrounds likely miss education poor rural households likely excluded girls likely attend lower secondary school boys un 2012 last decades much attention focused addressing issues related access education recently attention shifted towards improving quality education significant progress towards achieving education many countries promise schooling failed translate learning prichett 2013 children receive better education virtue school conditions enable learning also present petrosino et al 2012 pritchett 2013 glewwe 20133 argues enrolment final goal education policy ultimate goal prepare children better life adults studies measuring learning outcomes among school children across low middleincome countries find consistently low levels learning hundreds millions children leaving school without basic numeracy literacy skills prichett 2013 robinson 2011 unesco 2012 according education global monitoring report unesco 2013 around 250 million children lmics cannot read write basic maths problems number includes 130 million children actually enrolled primary school yet acquired basic skills leading commentators suggest global learning crisis robinson 2011 example 2010 annual assessment basic reading arithmetic skills 600000 children india conducted aser found many states 53 per cent children grade 5 able read grade 2 level text aser 2011 similarly uwezo learningassessment survey aiming determine level literacy numeracy across kenya tanzania uganda also highlight mayor gaps childrens learning uwezo 2013 recent report found less one third grade 3 children basic grade 2 level literacy numeracy skills two ten children still achieved level grade 7 assessments conducted southern eastern africa consortium monitoring educational quality sacmeq found around 27 per cent students took part assessments functionally illiterate meaning unable read short simple texts extract meaning spaull 2011 interventions improve access education learning outcomes response importance education international development proposed systematic review identify appraise analyse findings impact evaluations educational interventions low middleincome countries lmics past two decades range different interventions currently implemented address challenges associated ensuring children lmics access schooling gain sufficient skills knowledge realise benefits good education bring structure review broad range interventions specify types intervention include use framework classifying interventions based institutional setting follows similar approach one adopted sherman et al 2002 review evidence range different crime prevention interventions framework together provisional list description interventions falling category outlined childlevel interventions define childlevel interventions child settings interventions targeting children directly focusing improving ability benefit schooling incentives motivation investing time resources education interventions falling category include following 1 school feeding programmes typically aim improve general health children provide safety net vulnerable food insecure families improve childrens ability learn jomaa et al 2011 interventions fall two categories traditional school feeding programme children provided meals school takehome ration programmes children provided food school take home family lawson 2012 many cases food provided fortified supplemented order give additional nutritional benefits jomaa et al 2011 school feeding programmes often targeted towards families communities food insecure low incomes food school feeding programmes procured variety different ways recently focus using local produce 2 schoolbased health programs include interventions prevent treat illness delivered children school example intervention deworming programme busia district kenya provided children schools free deworming treatment treatment delivered nurses public health workers local schools also combined course wormprevention classes provision wall charts teacher training worm prevention miguel kremer 2003 examples include provision micronutrients children kleimanweiner et al 2013 eye tests followed provision eyeglasses et al 2013 3 providing information children potential future benefits education terms income employment social status thought increase school participation enrolment continuation students underestimate actual returns education nguyen 2008 interventions type typically involve providing information students future potential returns schooling information presented various ways including teachers external presenters disseminating statistics average earnings level education interventions make use role models share experience education current achievements children programs using combination channels nguyen 2008 4 meritbased scholarships aim improve learning outcomes rewarding high performing students scholarships continue study mcewan 2013 example intervention kenya provided scholarships girls performed well 6th grade exams programme awarded top 15 per cent students grade grant cover school fees two years also cash sum used school supplies thereby intending provide girls incentive perform well school kremer et al 2009 householdlevel interventions define education interventions taking place household level initiatives aiming reduce remove financial household level barriers education well programmes providing incentives motivation households invest time resources education children programmes delivered governments nongovernmental organisations religious organisations international organisations education interventions implemented level typically fall following categories outlined 1 interventions reducing costs cash transfers typically divided unconditional cash transfers ucts conditional cash transfers ccts ucts provide small cash sums households increase income cash transfer conditional particular behaviour school enrolment attendance baird et al 2013 ccts hand provide cash sums households conditional certain behaviours attending school increased household income supposed reduce prohibitive costs potential benefit parents sending children work rather school 2 interventions reducing costs programmes providing scholarships allowances households aim cover costs associated education including school fees uniforms books scholarships different meritbased scholarships directed household rather child provided regardless performance scholarship programs provided students facilitate attendance times economic shocks case indonesia asian financial crisis cameron 2009 common scholarships targeted groups students risk nonenrolment drop lower income students case cambodia filmer schady 2009 girls case western kenya friedman et al 2011 scholarships provided household targeted using different mechanism costreducing interventions instance household income primarily focused improving access education reducing costs household 3 interventions reducing costs programmes reducing eliminating school user fees aim improve access schooling direct user fees including payments tuition uniforms textbooks parentteacher association contributions common many lmics morgan et al 2012 interventions reduce eliminate school user fees include removing direct costs schooling instance providing school uniforms free elimination tuition fees done many african countries last decades bentaouetkattan 2006 tuition fees may universally removed rolled gradually targeted towards particularly vulnerable groups morgan et al 2012 4 interventions providing information parents aim improve schooling outcomes changing parents behaviour way information provided may detail performance children instance use report cards provide parents information benefits future returns education may also include information overall performance school parents may question results demand better performance teachers dissemination information economic benefits schooling typically involves providing information either parents students future potential returns schooling sharing concrete information economic benefits staying school enables parents students update perceptions based accurate data change behaviour accordingly nguyen 2009 jensen 2010 instance programme rural madagascar arranged parentteacher meetings give families grade 4 students statistical information economic benefits education parents also met role model educated person high income local area shared personal experience schooling impact lives nguyen 2009 interventions aim empower parents enlightening childs academic performance quality local schooling instance learning education achievement pakistan schools leap project gave parents two report cards 112 randomly selected rural communities pakistan one detailing childs test scores ranking compared children ranking schools village performance andrabi 2009 schoollevel interventions define education interventions taking place school level initiatives aiming improve quality teaching learning environment include interventions providing physical inputs changes teaching delivered typically programme may include combination components programmes delivered governments nongovernmental organisations religious organisations international organisations education interventions implemented level typically fall following categories 1 instructional approach content time organisation interventions include broad range programmes aim adapt improve educational content methods taught time available instruction includes instance interventions introducing new curriculum innovative specialised methods computerassisted learning multigrade teaching instance computerassisted learning use technologies classroom widely implemented means tailoring learning students individual needs kremer 2013 interventions introduce multigrade teaching approach involve shift instructional approach curriculum materials suit settings two grades combined little 2004 tailored reading programmes introduce innovative methods new materials classroom setting abeberese 2007 remedial classes tutoring target children seen need tailored additional content banerjee et al 2007 increase instructional time aims increase instructional contact time ultimately improve learning outcomes nectl 2000 2 new schools infrastructure interventions typically include building school area one previously rehabilitating existing facilities category may also include providing access clean water drinking washing safe waste disposal separate toilets girls remove health related barriers schooling well tackle incidents harassment humiliation school toilets birdthistle et al 2011 3 interventions providing materials assist teachers facilitate learning improve educational quality interventions include intervention providing traditional hardware material books chalkboards classroom equipment instance school assistance program sap funded dutch nonprofit organisation international christelijk steunfonds ics provided english maths science text books primary school children kenya glewwe et al 2009 teacherlevel interventions define teacherlevel interventions interventions targeting teachers directly interventions include designed hire additional teachers increase teacherstudent ratios interventions designed provide teachers new skills provide performancerelated incentives increase accountability interventions falling category include following 1 interventions providing teacher incentives promoting accountability seek improve working conditions schools teachers motivated come work improve performance interventions take many forms providing direct payments teachers based attendance based achievement students glewwe et al 2008 instance programme india offered teachers cash bonus linked pupils performance independent tests muralidharan sundararaman 2009 similarly programme kenya offered primaryschool teachers inkind rewards based pupils exam scores glewwe et al 2010 alternatively interventions provide monetary incentives infrastructural ones improvements school facilities classroom learning materials guerreo et al 2012 interventions may use monitoring order keep track teachers performance monitoring may undertaken school principals external assessors community members guerreo et al 2012 2 training teachers help schools improve quality instruction offer targeted tuition children falling behind training interventions vary widely include initial training underqualified untrained teachers general professional development training inservice subjectspecific interventions focusing pedagogy subjectspecific interventions focusing ict wider training programmes designed inform teachers changes curriculum orr et al 2013 3 hiring additional teachers mean posts new schools filled existing schools expand teacherpupil ratios increased recruitment local untrained teachers fixedterm contracts become increasingly popular kingdon et al 2012 india one intervention provided training secondary school graduates teach students government schools lagging behind peers core competencies banerjee et al 2007 contract teachers typically paid lower rate permanent teachers muralidharan sundararaman 2013 may hired national government local government ngos parents associations kingdon et al 2012 systemlevel interventions define category interventions aiming improve education changes education system either community local government districtstate national level interventions taking place level primarily related management governance financing education nature interventions typically implemented governments although nongovernmental organisations religious organisations international organisations may involved delivery education interventions implemented level typically fall categories outlined drawing glewwe kremer 2005 1 decentralisation local community participation interventions implemented response perceived failures centralised education systems core initiatives decentralisation decision making authority local levels greater involvement communities making decisions monitoring service providers intervention components interventions vary two commonly used modalities include schoolbased management community monitoring outlined schoolbased management sbm interventions involve decentralising authority school level improve quality school administration leadership sbm programmes may involve handing decisionmaking example budget staffing curriculum development teachers parents students community members barreraosorio 2009 example school management initiative hong kong gave school committees authority staffing devising curriculum well financial matters aiming create greater flexibility school finance increase accountability encourage collaborative decision making ibid committees may also devise school improvement plans receive funds finance implementation plans education quality improvement project cambodia encouraged school committees identify schools needs suggest improvements carry reforms using cash grants ministry education wdr 2004 types intervention may also foster greater accountability parents community increasing capacity demand improved services although always include participatory component b communitybased monitoring accountability interventions seek improve representation communities service providers governments public bodies operate westhorp et al 2013 interventions type used many sectors including education aim facilitate increased accountability service providers service users ibid example community based monitoring intervention education sector use newspaper campaign provide public information education expenditure uganda reinikka svensson 2004 effort reduce corruption ugandan government instigated newspaper campaign published information amount funds allocated district national local newspapers allowed parents head teachers others access information school grants area complain actual amounts received schools incorrect untimely 2 public private partnerships private provision schooling may seek increase parents students choice provide supply schooling none improve quality education provided barreraosorio et al 2009 private schools may run profit nonprofit faithbased organisations range different mechanisms implemented facilitate access private education school choice children poorer households instance school vouchers finance school tuition fees payments made government parent school chosen parent implemented range countries including colombia morgan et al 2013 pakistan program attempting induce creation private schools subsidised fellowship program girls alderman et al 2003 intervention might work depicted figure 1 complex set determinants influence access schooling quality education learning including individual school level wider sociocultural context economic factors household context presence parents work commitments parents children number children education health household members language used home distance children must travel school important impact likelihood children enrolling attending learning households must also ability deal direct costs school fees indirect costs school uniforms travel opportunity cost sending child school able cope income shocks factors also linked wider contextual factors including sociocultural attitudes toward education general gender local economic conditions safety security school attendance school infrastructure materials teaching resources pedagogical approaches fundamental determining quality access schooling educational system governance leadership determine institutional setting schooling takes place function wider national policy budget expectations figure 1 determinants educationopen figure viewerpowerpoint interventions included review aim influence one determinants draw range theoretical underpinnings aim achieve objectives means series contrasting pathways mechanisms one review objectives describe explore interventions work thus provide detailed discussions programme theories interventions protocol rather outl