Evidence Library – The EdTech Hub - Custom feedEvidence Library – The EdTech Hubhttps://docs.edtechhub.org/lib/2024-03-28T13:12:11.774086+00:00https://docs.edtechhub.org/lib/atom.xml?creator=%22Bold,+Tessa%22KerkoExperimental evidence on scaling up education reforms in Kenyahttps://docs.edtechhub.org/lib/XRHDAKJR2023-07-14T09:27:04Z2023-07-14T09:30:56ZWhat constraints arise when translating successful NGO programs to improve public services in developing countries into government policy? We report on a randomized trial embedded within a nationwide reform of teacher hiring in Kenyan government primary schools. New teachers offered a fixed-term contract by an international NGO significantly raised student test scores, while teachers offered identical contracts by the Kenyan government produced zero impact. Observable differences in teacher characteristics explain little of this gap. Instead, data suggests that bureaucratic and political opposition to the contract reform led to implementation delays and a differential interpretation of identical contract terms. Additionally, contract features that produced larger learning gains in both the NGO and government treatment arms were not adopted by the government outside of the experimental sample.Bold, TessaKimenyi, MwangiMwabu, GermanoNg’ang’a, AliceSandefur, Justin2018-12-01https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2018.08.0070047-2727enExperimental evidence on scaling up education reforms in KenyaWhat Do Teachers Know and Do? Does It Matter? Evidence from Primary Schools in Africahttps://docs.edtechhub.org/lib/I898ERZQ2020-05-25T12:48:11Z2023-07-14T17:09:42ZSchool enrollment has universally increased over the past 25 years in low-income countries. However, enrolling in school does not guarantee that children learn. A large share of children in low-income countries learn little, and they complete their primary education lacking even basic reading, writing, and arithmetic skills—the so-called "learning crisis." This paper uses data from nationally representative surveys from seven Sub-Saharan African countries, representing close to 40 percent of the region's total population, to investigate possible answers to this policy failure by quantifying teacher effort, knowledge, and skills. Averaging across countries, the paper finds that students receive two hours and fifty minutes of teaching per day—or just over half the scheduled time. In addition, large shares of teachers do not master the curricula of the students they are teaching; basic pedagogical knowledge is low; and the use of good teaching practices is rare. Exploiting within-student, within-teacher variation, the analysis finds significant and large positive effects of teacher content and pedagogical knowledge on student achievement. These findings point to an urgent need for improvements in education service delivery in Sub-Saharan Africa. They also provide a lens through which the growing experimental and quasi-experimental literature on education in low-income countries can be interpreted and understood, and point to important gaps in knowledge, with implications for future research and policy design.Bold, TessaFilmer, DeonMartin, GayleMolina, EzequielRockmore, ChristopheStacy, BrianSvensson, JakobWane, Waly2017-01-26enhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igoWhat Do Teachers Know and Do? Does It Matter? Evidence from Primary Schools in Africa