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 This report was written by Jenny Perlman Robinson and Rebecca Winthrop with Eileen AMAZON JUNGLE 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, Sheikh Islam Tanjeb, Judith-Ann Walker, and Jillian Yoerges. Addressing an evidence gap 33 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 Organization), Lu Mai (China Development Research Foundation), Zbigniew Marciniak (University Scaling learning: 14 core ingredients 51 of Warsaw), Shannon May (Bridge International Academies), Dzingai Mutumbuka (Association for the Development of Education in Africa), Vineet Nayar (Sampark Foundation), Tamela Noboa V DESIGN 54 (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, the LEGO Foundation, and the Government of Norway. 5. Education alliances: All actors need to work together to achieve a 83 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 10. Flexible education financing: Financing should be flexible, 105 Figure 6. Learning Metrics Task Force: Seven domains of learning 42 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 strong ethos of experimentation, collecting learning data, and using Box 6. Fundación Escuela Nueva 59 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 components of the teaching and learning We identified 14 core ingredients, in process—from curriculum, to materials, different combinations depending on to teacher development—have spread the context, contribute to scaling quality Executive across education ecosystems and been learning. Each of these ingredients is adopted by different actors. With the central for scaling effective approaches latter, new education delivery approaches that improve learning. Their importance summary for the most marginalized communities— is frequently reinforced from evidence such as distance learning models or in the broader scaling literature. They alternative education programs—have include essential elements for designing, developed and grown within and across delivering, financing, and enabling countries. scaling of quality education. Around the world, countries are grappling from wide-ranging research on scaling with how to scale quality education and learning, including 14 in-depth case for their children and youth. Quality studies, from Brazil and Honduras, to education is at the center of a nation’s Uganda and Zambia, to Jordan and progress, and it is also enshrined in the India. United Nations Sustainable Development DESIGN Goals, which 193 countries have recently What we found is that from the slums Millions Learning: Scaling up quality education in developing countries in developing up quality education Scaling Learning: Millions 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