Education data for decision making (EDDATA II): key achievements and lessons learned; final report | UNESCO IIEP Learning Portal

USAID's Education Data for Decision Making (EdData II) was implemented over a 12 year period beginning in 2004. EdData II had at its core the goal of improving access to data for USAID Missions and host country ministries, to use for making informed policy decisions. The tools and research developed under EdData II whelped to inform the development of learning metrics under the Sustainable Development Goals (2015); provide evidence to support the design and monitor the implementation of USAID's 2011-2017 Education strategy, and provide actionable, high-quality data to inform policy and practice in around 35 countries. The report reflects on EdData II and the project's impact, providing a summary of the most salient and impactful project activities, and drawing key lessons from their development and implementation. [...] The report is divided into four sections, as follows. Sections 1 and 2 begin with an overview of the background and key accomplishments of the EdData II contract and objectives, followed by a synopsis of EdData II task orders and their scope. Section 3, the main body of the report, delineates the key technical achievements of the program, including data collection tools, analysis, and measurement; pilot intervention programs; original and secondary research; and dissemination activities, as well as the implications of each. Section 4 reflects on the lessons learned from this work. In addition, several annexes provide further details about various aspects of the program.