1. Policy Analysis Analyzing the Problem Bardach, the eightfold path
Education Sector Assessments
Program Evaluation
Analyzing the Process of Policy Making (Politics and Interests)
Haddad (national politics)
Kemmerer on Sector Assessments (national politics)
Alternative ways to think about the relationship between Problem Analysis (research) and Process
Informed Dialogue

2. The Eightfold Path Define the Problem Assemble some Evidence
Construct the Alternatives
Select the Criteria
Project the Outcomes
Confront the Tradeoffs
Decide
Tell your Story

3. Developing an Education Strategy
OECD Mexico Education Strategy Exercise
Robert Schwartz

4. Assessing the Performance of an Education System
Assessing the Performance of an Education System. Conducting Education Sector Assessments.

5. Summarize the state or condition of the sector
Sector Analysis
Sector Review
Sector Assessment

6. Sector Analysis Sector Review Sector Assessment
Identification of sector needs and constraints and opportunities for system improvement
Sector Analysis
Sector Review
Sector Assessment

7. Judgement of the success of programs
Sector Analysis
Sector Review
Sector Assessment

8. Education Sector Assessments.
A comprehensive review of the performance of an education and human resource development system, with emphasis in the linkages across sub-sector components. Systems-approach. Integrated by sub-sector assessments.

9. “A sector assessment is a detailed analysis of the goals and objectives, status, plans, needs, constraints, and priority target areas with rank ordered recommendations for action in a national education system…all components analyzed interdependently…Objectives of the assessment are too encourage the use of relevant and current information for planning, policy formulation, and resource allocation that will improve efficiency throughout the entire education sector.” (Cieutat and Pigozzi, 2-2).

10. Differs from a needs assessment and from an evaluation in that it is multi-issue, multi-program in scope, not focused on a specific policy or program. Evaluation focuses on a single activity or set of activities.
Sector analysis: Summarize the state or condition of the sector
Sector review: Judgement of the success of programs
Sector assessment: Identification of sector needs and constraints and opportunities for system improvement.

11. Sector assessments have been in existence since educational planning began in the 1950s. They have been supported and popularized by donors. In the 1980s a USAID supported-project (Improving the Efficiency of Education Systems, which began in 1984) sponsored many sector assessments in developing countries, popularizing a particular approach to conducting sector assessments described in Pigozzi and Cieutat’s manual.

12. Beneficiaries/Audiences: Narrow view: Government officials and donors
Broader view: Stakeholders for education reform.
Purposes of a Sector Assessment:
Baseline Information
System Efficiency
Constraints
Subsector Priorities
Synthesis
Planning Tool
External Assistance Agency Coordination
Institutionalization of systems analysis

13. Process of Carrying out a Sector Assessment
Preparation
Data Collection
Data Analysis
Identification of Issues and Contraints
Conclusions
Recommendations
Review “Frequent and careful review of the assessment during its development is an important part of the process. Reviews should occur not only at the end of the assessment but also during the process. They provide an opportunity to ensure that data and their interpretations are correct.”
Revision

14. Preparation
Definition of the Scope of Work (SOW)
Specify: Purpose, task, approach, staffing (level of effort), duration, reporting.
Initial Outline
Terms of Reference for Consultants
Management, institutional coordination.
Logistics (transportation, support, access, review coordination)
Costs
Timeline and schedule

15. Structure of a Sector Assessment
Synthesis
Economic and Financial Analysis
Overall macroeconomic situation
Employment and job creation
Emerging needs to support economic growth (Manpower supply and demand)
Rates of return
Fiscal capacity
History, structure and management capacity
Pre-Primary Education
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
Technical/Vocational
NonFormal
Teacher Education
Special Studies

16. Each section of the assessment has a comprehensive descriptive section and an analytical section.
Data Sources:
Quantitative records
Policy documents
Existing studies
Interviews
Special, ad-hoc, studies

17. The descriptive section must address:
Historical setting and cultural context
Relevant national goals and objectives
Organization and Institutional Structures
Existing Programs: teachers, curriculum, materials, evaluation practices, facilities and equipment and costs.

18. Administration in each subsector:
Organization Chart, functions and staffing
Supervisory structure
Management personnel education and capabilities
Supply and demand of management personnel
Communication links through subsectors
Education and skills of principals
Teacher appointment, review, salary and promotion.

19. Students in each subsector:
Enrollments by grade
Age distribution
Access and capacity (gross and net enrollment)
Initial access and criteria
Cohort flow
Enrollment projections

20. Teachers in each subsector
Numbers by grade and location
Distribution by training, experience and specialization
Salary schedule
Age distribution
Student/teacher ratios
Teachers teaching

21. Curriculum by subsector
Purposes and content (Intended Curriculum)
Scope (national, regional, institutional)
Source
Instructional materials required and available
Teaching methods (Implemented Curriculum)
Language of instruction
Relevance of the curriculum
Student learning (Achieved Curriculum)

22. Assessment systems and research
Facilities
Costs and Financing
Analysis of Various Sub-sectors:
Identify Needs
Discuss Plans
Examine constraints
Highlight Isues
Summarize conclusions
Formulate recommendations

23. Analytic themes:
External efficiency
Internal efficiency
Access and equity
Administration and supervision
Costs and financing

24. Utilization of a Sector Assessment
Purposes: answer whether the system meet its goals and if it does so efficiently.
“Because equity is a stated goal in almost every educational system, the efficiency analysis must include an analysis of the system’s equity effects since, by definition such systems cannot be efficient if they are not also equitable” (Kemmerer).
“The technical component [of sector analysis] is simply one step in an alternative approach to strategic planning; an approach built on inter- and intra-sectoral collaboration and on the collection and analysis of reliable and timely information on system efficiency”

25. Identification of key stakeholders
Purposes of Sector Analysis to Encourage National Dialogue on Education: 
Promote national discussion of key educational issues
Expand the focus of educational ministries and programs
Promote collaborative problem solving
Clarify goals
Increase accountability
Win support for reform
Build a forum

26. Steps:
Initiation
Forming the National Steering Committee
Determining the Scope of the Analysis (Scope of Work)
Form the subsector teams
Form the technical analysis team
Collect data
Discuss preliminary findings
Collect additional data
Formulate draft recommendations
Discuss draft recommendations
Revise and prioritize recommendation

31. Government
Government is the most central and essential political actor because the other political actors are “mapped” (or categorized) in terms of their opposition or support to government.
External Actors
They include: multinational corporations, foreign embassies, international NGOs, and bilateral and multilateral donor agencies. External actors are often the economic fuel for many policy decisions.
Social Sectors
Social sectors are defined by a general interest or motive that brings individuals together through mass mechanisms. Examples are small farmers, agro-export farmers, urban working class, large landholders, industrialists, or minority groups.
Political Parties
Their main objective is to shape public policy via selecting candidates to run for office and appointing party loyalists to government positions.
Pressure Groups
Pressure groups can be labor unions, teacher coalitions, church organizations, business associations, NGOs, or other professional organizations that function to influence public policy.