ADEA BIENNIAL Effective Schools & Quality Improvement Rapporteur’s Comments

Overview of the Current Situation (B. Fredriksen, N. Burnett. A. Verspoor) POSITIVE: – “Remarkable progress” in enrollments – national political commitments and donor financing are growing – More cooperation among countries – Literacy rates are increasing – Gender-sensitive HIV/AIDS practices are spreading – Bi-lingual Education awareness and practical alternatives are available

Overview of the Current Situation (cont’d.) ( B. Fredriksen, N. Burnett. Verspoor) NEGATIVE – Overall learning levels in primary education remain low, with declining reading results – Overcrowding in many schools – Perfunctory oversight of teaching – Continued use of ineffective teaching methods – Textbooks in classrooms, teacher supply, and language of instruction remain problems Comments: Overcome dependency with African alternatives for vision, pedagogy, teaching paradigms, and language instruction

What’s been shared in the detailed sessions? Research on Effective Characteristics – Large scale, more quantitative – Small scale, more qualitative Examples of Approaches to Improve Characteristics – Effective approaches – Emerging possibilities

Research Findings presented (Sessions B.1- B.5) Schools have improved conditions for learning, but the conditions are not yet adequate – Some textbooks and teacher manuals are in most schools – Teachers who plan lessons and evaluate students regularly haved better student results Continued use of ineffective classroom teaching practices in spite of training in alternative approaches Contribution of education and training to differences in teaching practices is not observed Many complementary alternatives for difficult-to-serve populations are serving them effectively

Research Findings presented (cont’d.) (Sessions B.1- B.5) Student learning levels are low (especially in reading) Students do not get the instruction and support they need because – teachers do not get the help they need to teach effectively (training, language of instruction, etc.) – School heads are critical to success but their quality and pedagogical leadership remains limited – Community’s role is important and growing, but school-community interaction not yet effective Repetition does not improve a student’s chances of achieving at his/her peers’ level or of completing primary school

Approaches that can improve learning Strong mother tongue (MT) and bi-lingual education programs – Retain use of MT 50% of the time for more than 3 years – Teacher must be competent in speaking and academic use of language(s) for teaching, so training must be good – Needs in multi-lingual situations (3 or more languages) must be “unpacked” carefully

Approaches that can improve learning (cont’d.) Characteristics of effective principals’ are known (Are expectations too high? How to educate leaders in a small tertiary system?) – Organizes and empowers staff and community, including mobilizing resources – Focuses the school on student learning and creates a positive climate for it – Provides professional support to teachers – Could he/she be an experienced manager not an educator? – Education International’s code of conduct (African codes?)

Approaches that can improve learning (cont’d.) Potential research-based efficiencies could contribute to reducing the funding gap to achieve EFA without reducing student learning: – Consider more inputs with proven high contributions to learning at low financial costs (e.g., more textbooks, teacher manuals, Health/nutrition inputs, supervision and short initial teacher training at the expense of providing small class sizes, buildings, long pre-service training, high repetition rates) – Reduce inefficiencies due to bad governance – Examine current uses of funds to reduce funding for activities that don’t influence student learning

Approaches that can improve learning (cont’d.) Rural teachers will serve if they are fully supported – Government must recognize rural teacher postings as having special needs – Encourage and support alternative delivery systems when appropriate and in partnership (including urban poor areas?) – Create incentives that respond to local conditions for teachers

Approaches that can improve learning (cont’d.) Curriculum approaches based on competencies – Value existing approaches and local cultures and build on them – Involve teachers, teacher supervisors and inspectors in field training – Make the conceptual idea concrete and cost out carefully beforehand – Raise awareness and knowledge of what’s coming beforehand Gender Responsive pedagogy – use the FAWE Teacher’s Handbook in every school

Approaches that can improve learning (cont’d.) Direct financing to schools – Formula funding mechanisms work – Community capacity for planning, budgeting and financial management can be created School Projects – Clarify the concept, preparation process, and documentation before starting – Local capacity for analysis of needs related to learning can be built – Capacity to guide and supervise projects must be created close to the schools

Approaches that can improve learning (cont’d.) Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) – Government should recognize value of this participation Provide legal support and protection for PTAs Help them to become more professional Support national representation and include in policy dialogues – Strengthen balance of cooperation and power between PTAs/NGOs and school management Complementary schools and local teachers – Adapt size and location of the school to students’ needs – Hire teachers locally and provide culturally appropriate training and support – Teach a simplified curriculum in the local language – Empower a local committee to manage the school

Approaches that can improve learning (cont’d.) Information & Communication Technology (ICT) – Build in efficiency and relevance of the training – Create an architecture that allows a variety of delivery systems – Establish an adequate ICT capacity in each country – When internet is to be used, make sure connectivity will be accessible and reliable

Where do we go from here? Each country cannot to rely on traditional education practices if EFA is to be achieved Each country cannot continue to look for Silver Bullets – the magic solution – to resolve education’s complex challenges Each country ought to adopt A REFLECTIVE APPROACH to find solutions

What does a reflective approach require? Active Reflection on research findings and program ideas, especially when they contradict the accepted wisdom Respect for and use of national/local conditions and experience to help understand the problems Processes of discussion within the system that use all stakeholders’ inputs After reflection bold decisions, with commitment, by Government

What the results of Reflection may include: Explicit references to local and international information, including research findings A mix of policies, activities, and programs that are mutually dependent on each other A variety of interventions undertaken by a variety of partners, all of them adapted to national and sub- national contexts As much local authority as possible in deciding what to do within carefully managed processes

What to take home that may help: The research findings that have been shared Awareness and knowledge of the models that have been shared Awareness that – all problems are complex but solveable – Inputs of all forms are helpful to find the best solution A commitment to design and use reflective processes at home to reach policy and program decisions using all information that can be obtained