1. Is exactly the right question. My work is just one input to answering it. My coworkers are confronting it more directly, but I think nothing is public at this point. My gut is that the result is broadly representative and that expanding schooling supply alone is often pushing on a string. It is well documented that in many primary schools in poor countries, kids are learning pitifully little. Dig into the question of why, and it has do with lack of accountability of teachers and school systems for results, which in turn has to do with the distribution of power in society. That is not easily changed. But nor is it hopeless (this, this, this), so the problem is also potentially an opportunity.
2. Whoops! The table’s header row got chopped during editing. I fixed it.
Dig into the question of why, and it has do with lack of accountability of teachers and school systems for results, which in turn has to do with the distribution of power in society.
This sounds like a really interesting hypothesis to me. If it were true, I assume it would imply some specific solutions, similar to what you mentioned.
My guess is that the answer is no, but if there are other resources that explain or lay out this hypothesis further, I’d appreciate links to those.
Hi Ozzie. I’m out of my depth here, but what I had in mind was the Uwezo program at one of my “this” links, which I believe was inspired by Pratham in India. I think these organizations originally gained fame for conducting their own surveys of how much (or little) children were actually learning, in an attempt to hold the education system accountable for results.
But that’s surely just a small part of a large topic, how a citizenry holds a public bureaucracy more accountable. Specific solutions include “democracy”… You know, so just do that.
I should say that there is a strong and arguably opposing view, embodied by the evidence-based Teaching at the Right Level approach. The idea is to completely script what teachers do every day. It’s very top-down.
Thanks @MHR.
1. Is exactly the right question. My work is just one input to answering it. My coworkers are confronting it more directly, but I think nothing is public at this point. My gut is that the result is broadly representative and that expanding schooling supply alone is often pushing on a string. It is well documented that in many primary schools in poor countries, kids are learning pitifully little. Dig into the question of why, and it has do with lack of accountability of teachers and school systems for results, which in turn has to do with the distribution of power in society. That is not easily changed. But nor is it hopeless (this, this, this), so the problem is also potentially an opportunity.
2. Whoops! The table’s header row got chopped during editing. I fixed it.
This sounds like a really interesting hypothesis to me. If it were true, I assume it would imply some specific solutions, similar to what you mentioned.
My guess is that the answer is no, but if there are other resources that explain or lay out this hypothesis further, I’d appreciate links to those.
Hi Ozzie. I’m out of my depth here, but what I had in mind was the Uwezo program at one of my “this” links, which I believe was inspired by Pratham in India. I think these organizations originally gained fame for conducting their own surveys of how much (or little) children were actually learning, in an attempt to hold the education system accountable for results.
But that’s surely just a small part of a large topic, how a citizenry holds a public bureaucracy more accountable. Specific solutions include “democracy”… You know, so just do that.
I should say that there is a strong and arguably opposing view, embodied by the evidence-based Teaching at the Right Level approach. The idea is to completely script what teachers do every day. It’s very top-down.
Thanks for your response!