Proposal for GPE Accelerated Funding for COVID-19 Response: Malawi - GPE (Global Partnership for Education, 2020)

A case study of innovations that address constraints on the effectiveness of early-grade reading achievement - Comings, John P. (PROSPECTS, 2020)
The United States Agency for International Development, World Vision, and the Australian government established All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development (ACR GCD) to address problems that prevent children from gaining foundational reading skills. ACR GCD mobilizes the private sector, academia, and nongovernmental organizations in problem-solving dialogues that support the development, testing, and promotion of new solutions to these problems. It also advances EdTech innovation and research to improve reading outcomes for marginalized children in low-resource contexts to effectively build bridges over system constraints in ways that lower the risk of pilot-testing and eventual large-scale replication. This case study describes some of ACR GCD’s funded innovations and its nontraditional approach to employing grant competitions (in which innovators propose solutions to broadly described problems) and prizes (in which innovators develop solutions to specifically identified problems). For innovations that have been evaluated, this article summarizes the findings on their impact on learning.

1.3 billion learners are still affected by school or university closures, as educational institutions start reopening around the world, says UNESCO - UNESCO (2020)

Covid-19 Crisis: UNESCO Call to Support Learning and Knowledge Sharing through Open Educational Resources - UNESCO (UNESCO, 2020)
In response to the massive disruption of education due to the Covid-19 pandemic affecting 1.57 billion learners in 191 countries, UNESCO has issued a Call to support learning and knowledge sharing through Open Educational Resources (OER) worldwide. OER are learning, teaching and research materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or are under copyright released under an open license[1], permitting no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation and redistribution by others.

Technical Note: Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic. - Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE). (2020)
We are thrilled to share a new INEE Technical Note on Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

EdTech in the time of COVID-19: We need more than evidence to harness the potential of EdTech to deliver on its promise | The Education and Development Forum - Outhred, Rachel; Lipcan, Alina (UKFIET, 2020)

Back to school: Preparing and managing the reopening of schools - UNESCO (2020)

Delivering distance learning in emergencies: A review of evidence and best practice - Morris, Emily; Farrell, Anna; EnCompass LLC; MSI (USAID, 2020)

Delivering Distance Education in Emergencies: A Review of Evidence and Best Practice - USAID (2020)
The purpose of this review, produced by USAID's Data and Evidence in Education Programs (DEEP) activity, is to provide evidence on four effective distance learning modalities that can be implemented in USAID-recipient countries during and beyond emergencies.

Delivering Distance Learning in Emergencies | Education Links - USAID (2020)
The purpose of this review, produced by USAID's Data and Evidence in Education Programs (DEEP) activity, is to provide evidence on four effective distance learning modalities that can be implemented in USAID-recipient countries during and beyond emergencies.

Caring in the time of COVID-19: Gender, unpaid care work and social protection - Nesbitt-Ahmed, Zahrah; Subrahmanian, Ramya (UNICEF Evidence for Action, 2020)
The impact of COVID-19 on care workers and the role of social protection in ensuring they thrive while performing critical services in homes and communities

The privilege of #pivotonline: A South African perspective - Adam, Taskeen (Open Development & Education, 2020)
Taskeen Adam, https://opendeved.net/2020/04/22/the-privilege-of-#pivotonline/, 2020-04-22, 10.5281/zenodo.3760383 As the global number of COVID-19 cases increase, lockdowns continue across the world. Reports from UNESCO highlight that nationwide closures are impacting over 91% of the world’s student population who can no longer attend school. With schools closed, there has been a mass shift to online education — from primary …
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate; dode_eth-src-dode; dode_eth-trf2-dode

How involved are parents in their children’s learning? MICS6 data reveal critical insights - Mishra, Sakshi; Brossard, Matt; Reuge, Nicolas; Mizunoya, Suguru (Evidence for Action, 2020)
It is widely understood that parents play a pivotal role in a child’s education – research suggests that parental involvement in a child’s education boosts well-being and confidence and is important for academic progression. With school closures due to the global COVID-19 pandemic affecting an estimated 1.58 billion children in more than 180 countries, the importance of parental involvement in education has suddenly and dramatically increased. Internationally comparable data on parental involvement and its impact on children’s education is extremely limited. To address this critical gap, round 6 of the UNICEF supported Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS6) includes a new…

How involved are parents in their children’s learning? MICS6 data reveal critical insights - Mishra, Sakshi; Brossard, Matt; Reuge, Nicolas; Mizunoya, Suguru (Evidence for Action, 2020)
It is widely understood that parents play a pivotal role in a child’s education – research suggests that parental involvement in a child’s education boosts well-being and confidence and is important for academic progression. With school closures due to the global COVID-19 pandemic affecting an estimated 1.58 billion children in more than 180 countries, the importance of parental involvement in education has suddenly and dramatically increased. Internationally comparable data on parental involvement and its impact on children’s education is extremely limited. To address this critical gap, round 6 of the UNICEF supported Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS6) includes a new…

Laptops offered for online school lessons at home - Coughlan, Sean (BBC News, 2020)
Pupils studying at home will have online lessons and disadvantaged teenagers can borrow computers.

High Court stops Malawi's 21-day coronavirus lockdown - Montsho, Molaole (2020)
The Lilongwe High Court in Malawi has granted Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HDRC) an order blocking the government from effecting a 21-day lockdown meant to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Rapid Response Guidance Note: Educational Television & COVID-19 - World Bank (2020)
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Rapid Response Guidance Note: Educational Television & COVID-19 - World Bank; Bank, World (2020)
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Gobierno habilita herramienta “Inteligencia Quisqueya” para estudiantes que se preparan para pruebas nacionales - CDN, Redacción (CDN - El Canal de Noticias de los Dominicanos, 2020)
Estableció también que los jóvenes y adultos que lo deseen, podrán cursar a través de la Escuela Radiofónica Santa María estudios básicos y medios.

THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON LEARNING - THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE GHANAIAN STUDENT - Owusu-Fordjour, C.; Koomson, C. K.; Hanson, D. (European Journal of Education Studies, 2020)
This study aimed at accessing the impact of Covid-19 on Ghana’s teaching and learning. The study employed a Descriptive survey design in which 11 items Likert-scale type of questionnaires was administered to 214 respondents mainly students in the second cycle and tertiary institutions of Ghana. The study employed simple random sampling technique in selecting the respondents for the study. The study revealed some challenges students encounter in the close down of schools due to the outbreak of the pandemic Covid-19: Students are unable to study effectively from the house thus, making the online system of learning very ineffective. Again, parents are incapable of assisting their wards on how to access online learning platform, neither can they entirely supervise the learning of their children at home without any complications. It came to light that the pandemic really has had a negative impact on their learning as many of them are not used to effectively learn by themselves. The e-learning platforms rolled out also poses challenge to majority of the students because of the limited access to internet and lack of the technical knowhow of these technological devices by most Ghanaian students. The study therefore recommends that students should be introduced to e-learning platforms to supplement classroom teaching and learning.  Article visualizations:
Keywords: emotions; highlife music; lyrics; popular music; structure; ⚠️ Invalid DOI

Education during the pandemic: VVOB continues capacity development of education partners from a safe distance - Vandenbosch, Tom; Katelin, Raw (Teaching at the Right Level, 2020)
VVOB Zambia team member Richard Bwale continues to work from home. Photo: VVOB This blogpost is part of a series – over the next few months, the TaRL blog hopes to showcase what various organisations are doing to continue to support education systems and ensure that learning continues while schools across the world are closed […]

Report: The Impact of COVID-19 Across Africa - Elliott, Roxana (GeoPoll, 2020)
New report on coronavirus in sub-Saharan Africa including data from Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria. COVID-19 and food security, economic impact.

Policy Brief: The Impact of COVID-19 on children - UN (UN, 2020)
Children are not the face of this pandemic. But they risk being among its biggest victims. While they have thankfully been largely spared from the direct health effects of COVID-19 at least to date – the crisis is having a profound effect on their wellbeing. All children, of all ages, and in all countries, are being affected, in particular by the socio-economic impacts and, in some cases, by mitigation measures that may inadvertently do more harm than good. This is a universal crisis and, for some children, the impact will be lifelong. Moreover, the harmful effects of this pandemic will not be distributed equally. They are expected to be most damaging for children in the poorest countries, and in the poorest neighbourhoods, and for those in already disadvantaged or vulnerable situations. This policy brief provides a deeper analysis of these effects. It identifies also a series of immediate and sustained actions for the attention of governments and policymakers.

10 challenges of e-learning during COVID-19 & ways to solve them - Plitnichenko, Lisa (Jellyfish.tech, 2020)

School closures, government responses, and learning inequality around the world during COVID-19 - Vegas, Emiliana (The Brookings Institution, 2020)
According to UNESCO, as of April 14, 188 countries around the world have closed schools nationwide, affecting over 1.5 billion learners and representing more than 91 percent of total enrolled learn…
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Using Transparency To Create Accountability When School Buildings Are Closed and Tests Are Canceled - Gill, Brian P. (Education Next, 2020)
The districts and schools most likely to succeed in remote education will be those that provide a substantial amount of synchronous instruction and live student–teacher interaction.

Education Systems’ Response to COVID19 - World Bank (The World Bank, 2020)

Launching sign languages on the Global Digital Library - Global Digital Library (Global Digital Library, 2020)

Launching sign languages on the Global Digital Library – Global Digital Library - Global Digital Library (2020)

Schools’ readiness for digital learning in the eyes of principals. An analysis from PISA 2018 and its implications for the COVID19 (Coronavirus) crisis response - Moreno, Juan Manuel; Gortazar, Lucas (World Bank Blogs - Education for Global Development, 2020)
An analysis from PISA 2018 and its implications for the COVID19 crisis response

Designing the Education Workforce - Lee, Ju-Ho; Steer, Liesbet; Jimenez, Emmanuel; King, Elizabeth M.; Erikson, Eliza (Social Science Research Network, 2020)
There is rising evidence that traditional ways of teaching are failing to provide adequate learning opportunities and breadth of skills for the 21st century, likely to leave millions of children and young adults behind. The challenge of meeting the demands of each student with vastly different backgrounds and abilities within today’s models of education has limited the capacity of teachers and education systems to provide the personalized learning that students need. A new approach is required. The Education Commission is partnering with select countries, higher education institutions, schools and tech thought leaders to test the applicability and adaptability of “High-Touch High-Tech (HTHT)” learning in diverse contexts. The first pilot - currently in Vietnam - will incrementally expand to other select countries in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. HTHT learning is an opportunity for new collaborators to become part of a transformative effort to personalize learning for enhanced learner success through the application of Artificial Intelligence. Based on the report, “Transforming the Education Workforce: Learning Teams for a Learning Generation” that the Education Workforce Initiative (EWI) released during 2019 UN General Assembly, we propose new approaches for harnessing the potential of teachers and the broader education workforce to ensure HTHT learning and, more broadly, quality education for all students.
Keywords: Designing the Education Workforce; Eliza Erikson; Elizabeth M. King; Emmanuel Jimenez; Ju-Ho Lee; Liesbet Steer; SSRN

Arabic version of Design Thinking for Educators – Open Development & Education - Khalayleh, Abdullah (2020)
Keywords: dode_eth-src-dode; dode_eth-trf2-dode

Open educational practices of MOOC designers: embodiment and epistemic location - Adam, Taskeen (Distance Education, 2020)
This article reports the lack of epistemic diversity in producers of massive open online courses (MOOCs) through examining whose knowledges and what knowledges are forefronted in MOOCs. Through analysis of 27 semi-structured interviews, the study explored the relationship between South African MOOC designers and their open educational practices (OEP), questioning in what ways MOOC designers enact openness in their design, based on their own reasoning of what openness means. The study illustrates that MOOC designers create MOOCs that strongly link to who they are, what they value, and how they understand the world, highlighting the crucial need to have epistemically diverse MOOC designers from different cultures, value systems, and epistemologies, that critically reflect on their positionalities and subjectivities. From this, the study asserts a new way of looking at OEP where MOOC designers go beyond implementing OEP, to being someone who is open. I termed this the embodiment of openness.
Keywords: MOOC designer; OEP; critical consciousness; dode_eth-src-dode; dode_eth-trf2-dode; embodiment; epistemic location; positionality

Reaching Children & Students in Remote Locations - Aladin, Katija (2020)
During this educational shift from school to home, how are we addressing the needs of students in remote locations with little to no access to connectivity? From providing educational content through Whatsapp, Facebook messenger to accessing online content offline, these innovative ideas are helping children and families connect with teachers and lessons in other ways than online.

How ministries of education work with mobile operators, telecom providers, ISPs and others to increase access to digital resources during COVID19-driven school closures (Coronavirus) - Trucano, Michael (World Bank Blogs - Education for Global Development, 2020)
How can we – quickly – help students (and teachers) get online, and stay online?

From Ebola to coronavirus: education must not be forgotten in a health crisis - Watt, Ewan (Theirworld, 2020)
The challenge faced during the 2014 epidemic in West Africa of ensuring that children don’t fall between the cracks now confronts the whole world.

The relationships of learning independence, family support, facilities and service of institutions through quality of learning students - Dalas, Nove; Hadiyanto; Muhaimin (Journal of critical reviews, 2020)
Education is a conscious endeavor and aims to develop human quality. Education has a very important role because, without education, the transformation process and the actualization of knowledge are difficult to manifest. One of the things that supports education in schools is the guidance and counseling service. Meanwhile, the problems in the school environment are the lack of learning quality of students in line with the maximization of learning independence, family support, and self-development services students of MTs Negeri Jambi. This research was correlational research conducted in six state Islamic junior high schools in 1 Jambi city, Indonesia. The samples of the study were 886 students taken by using a stratified sampling technique, and randomly for each class of each school. The instruments used were questionnaires with 100-item statements by Likert scale while data were analyzed by using a descriptive analysis, Pearson correlation test, and multiple linear regression tests. The results showed that the quality of learning, learning independence, family support, and self-development services had not been carried out maximally at six state Islamic junior high schools. Students who were less independent, got less family support and minimum in obtaining self-development services would also had less maximum learning quality. Simultaneously the independence of study, family support, and facilities and service of the institutions were associated very closely with the quality of students' learning, and in partial increments of each learning independence variable, family support, and service Self-development impacts on improving learning quality.

Teachers’ Perceptions of Adopting Information and Communication Technologies in Teaching and Learning at Rural Secondary Schools in Eastern Cape, South Africa - Chisango, Grasia; Newlin Marongwe; Mtsi, Nomxolisi; Matyedi, Thembisile E (Africa Education Review, 2020)
There is an increasing global call to adopt information and communication technologies (ICTs) in teaching and learning. ICTs have become so essential that the South African government has introduced the e-education policy. ICTs are powerful enabling tools that play a significant role in the teaching and learning process. This article reports on a study that sought to explore teachers’ perceptions of adopting ICTs in teaching and learning at some secondary schools in Eastern Cape, South Africa. The purposive sampling technique was used to identify three secondary schools and five study participants from each school. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions. A thematic approach was adopted to analyse and present the collected data. The study found that the teachers had a positive attitude towards the adoption of technologies and were ready to integrate ICTs in teaching and learning but they lacked the requisite ICT skills. The article concludes that ICT is an important vehicle in education, and further recommends the training of both teachers and learners in ICT usage.
Keywords: Communication technology; Communications technology; Curriculum development; Education policy; Education--Higher Education; Information technology; Learning; Pedagogy; Perceptions; Positive thought; Rural communities; Secondary schools; South Africa; Teachers; Teaching; curriculum interpretation; intervention strategies; pedagogy; professional development; support

COVID-19 reinforces the need for connectivity - Diop, Makhtar (2020)
Now is the time to work together to achieve the promise of new technologies for all and keep the world connected.

Phone survey on the Covid crisis in Senegal - Le Nestour, Alexis; Moscoviz, Laura; Mbaye, Samba (Centre for Global Development, 2020)
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Orientation and Mobility Practices within the Expanded Core Curriculum with Effective Parental Involvement of Visually Impaired Learners in Pakistan - Malik, Shazia; Manaf, Umi Kalthom Abdul (Bulletin of Education and Research, 2020)
The aim of this study was to observe Orientation and Mobility (O&M) with effective parental involvement within the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) for visually impaired learners (VILs) to make them independent in their environment in Pakistan. O&M practices have become significant as these are essential in independence and one of the main components of the ECC for VILs. This research explores O&M practices within the ECC from the perspectives of the teachers by using a qualitative approach and semi-structured interviews of O&M teachers were conducted from two public secondary level institutes of VILs Lahore, Pakistan. This paper endeavors to answer the question: What are the O&M practices within ECC that needed for VILs to enhance their independence in classroom settings? The findings of the study indicate that VILs need to use the knowledge of O&M practices to get their independence in their environment. Therefore, it is appropriate for O&M teachers to add the skills of mobility techniques under the subsection of O&M practices within the guidelines of ECC. The VILs seemed to benefit from immediate instructions from their O&M teachers. However, the VILs still need more help in O&M practices with effective parental involvement under the guidance of ECC. So, in the context of the study, it is the urgent need of VIL to align their O&M practices with mentioned instructions in ECC.
Keywords: Assistive Technology; Core Curriculum; Foreign Countries; Orientation; Parent Participation; Secondary School Students; Skill Development; Visual Impairments; Visually Impaired Mobility; ⛔ No DOI found

Guidance note 1: Inclusive Digital Learning (Humanity and Inclusion, 2020)

Framework for reopening schools - UNESCO; UNICEF; World Bank; World Food Programme (2020)

COVID-19 and Its Implications for Protecting Children Online - UNICEF; UNESCO; WHO; UNODC; ITU; End Violence Against Children; We Protect Global Alliance (2020)

Covid-19 school closures around the world will hit girls hardest - Giannini, Stefania; Albrectsen, Anne-Birgitte (UNESCO, 2020)
As COVID-19 forces school closures in 185 countries, Plan International and UNESCO warn of the potential for increased drop-out rates which will disproportionately affect adolescent girls, further entrench gender gaps in education and lead to increased risk of sexual exploitation, early pregnancy and early and forced marriage.

Evidence on efforts to mitigate the negative educational impact of past disease outbreaks - Hallgarten, Joe (K4D Helpdesk Report, 2020)
This rapid review focusses on efforts to mitigate the educational impact of previous disease outbreaks, concentrating on school-age learners. It follows two companion papers that reviewed broader secondary effects and attempts to mitigate them (Rohwerder, 2020; Kelly, 2020). It aims to inform the education sector’s responses to the COVID-19 crisis, although there are important differences between previous disease outbreaks and the COVID-19 situation. For instance, unlike Ebola, transmission of COVID-19 is asymptomatic, and the outbreak is global. This review finds a limited range of quantitative evidence on the educational impact of disease outbreaks, and minimal evidence on mitigation measures or their impact. Although several ‘lessons learned’ documents include guidelines and recommendations (and now complemented by many education-focused COVID-responsive blogs), this review finds that these are rarely based on evidence of impact of particular interventions, or on evidence of the impact of different approaches to action, co-ordinations, funding or prioritisation. The review found four particular evidence gaps: First, how distance learning materials can support learners who do not have access to family members with the skills or time to help them. Second, a gap in the use of screen or internet-enabled technologies to support alternative education. Third (and related), a gap in remote teacher training and development during school closures. Finally, the review analysed gender and equity issues but did not find any literature that explored disability. The education in emergencies literature has an emerging evidence base across all four themes within refugee education contexts, but has not yet learnt from or applied this evidence to disease outbreak situations.
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate; ⛔ No DOI found

Making the Grade: The Sensitivity of Education Program Effectiveness to Input Choices and Outcome Measures - Kerwin, Jason; Thornton, Rebecca (Jason Kerwin, 2020)
Keywords: C:Uganda; NULP; ___working_potential_duplicate

COVID-19 and school closures: What can countries learn from past emergencies? - Winthrop, Rebecca (Brookings, 2020)
The education in emergencies community can offer good practices for countries battling COVID-19 where education has been disrupted for a protracted period.

Education Ministry creates special online study platform for SHS students (2020)
The Ministry for Education has launched a special online study platform for Senior High School students. Ever since Covid-19 halted school activities the Education Ministry together with the Ghana Education Service has stepped up efforts to help...

As Schools Close Over Coronavirus, Protect Kids’ Privacy in Online Learning (Human Rights Watch, 2020)
The educational disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic is unprecedented in speed and scale. As of today, over 160 countries have closed schools. Education authorities are scrambling to provide remote learning for more than 87% of the world’s student population now missing class.

The difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning - Hodges, Charles; Moore, Stephanie; Lockee, Barbara; Trust, Torrey; Bond, Mark (EDUCAUSE Review, 2020)
Well-planned online learning experiences are meaningfully different from courses offered online in response to a crisis or disaster. Colleges and universities working to maintain instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic should understand those differences when evaluating this emergency remote teaching.

Rapid Evidence Summary on Mass Communication | - Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE). (2020)

Rapid Evidence Summary on Mass Communication - International Rescue Committee (International Rescue Committee, 2020)

Remote Learning, Distance Education and Online Learning During the COVID19 Pandemic: A Resource List by the World Bank's Edtech Team - World Bank (World Bank, 2020)
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

School’s Out: Now What? - Carvalho, Shelby; Crawfurd, Lee (Center For Global Development, 2020)
Using a newly assembled database, here’s what we found about the scale and timing of school closures, as well as how countries are adjusting to distance learning.
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

COVID-19: Most marginalised children will bear the brunt of unprecedented school closures around the world - Save the Children (Save the Children International, 2020)
Governments and communities must act now to ensure that millions of vulnerable children do not lose out on their education as schools close their gates to try and contain the Coronavirus outbreak, warns Save the Children. More than 120 countries have already introduced nation-wide school and...

Radio Education: Physical Distance but Social Solidarity | INEE - Minetti, Elena (2020)

Replay - Salle des Profs - Pr : Astou Mbène – Intégralité - Télé Futurs Medias (TFM) (2020)

Handbook on Facilitating Flexible Learning During Educational Disruption - Huang, Ronghuai; Tlili, Ahmed; Yang, Junfeng; Wang, Huanhuan; Zhang, Mahua; Gao, Bojun; Lu, Hang; Chang, Ting-Wen; Cheng, Qian; Yin, Xiayu; Cheng, Wei (2020)

Can Facebook groups enhance continuing professional development of teachers? Lessons from Kenya - Bett, Harry; Makewa, Lazarus (Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 2020)
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for teachers in Kenya suffers from challenges such as inadequate resources, poor planning, competing interests, among others. Besides being traditional in approach, most CPD sessions are far between to be meaningfully helpful. With increasing uptake of technology and number of social media users in Kenya, Facebook can be a potential platform to enhance teachers’ professional development. This exploratory cross-sectional survey focussed on discussions teachers had in the month of February 2015 on one Facebook Group named ‘Teachers of English’. A directed content analysis of the 647 posts following Shulman’s category of teacher knowledge base revealed that interactions on the group centred on the teaching of English and Literature, as well as on other education-related matters. This study concludes that that Facebook Groups can be fertile avenues for teachers’ ongoing professional development, especially in developing countries where such opportunities are scarce.
Keywords: Content analysis; Education--Teaching Methods And Curriculum; English teachers; Facebook Groups; Kenya; Professional development; Social networks; Teacher education; Teachers; __:import:02; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2425933; __finaldtb; professional development

Mongolia leads in organizing TV classes for children - Munkhzul, A (Montsame (Mongolia), 2020)

Adverse consequences of school closures - UNESCO (UNESCO, 2020)
School closures - even when temporary - carry high social and economic costs. The disruptions they cause touch people across communities, but their impact is particularly severe for disadvantaged boys and girls and their families. Some of the reasons why school closures are so harmful are listed below. While the list is far from comprehensive, it helps clarify why school closures should matter to all of us. Interrupted learning: Schooling provides essential learning and when schools close, children and youth are deprived opportunities for growth and development.

Evaluating the Use of Radios to Promote Learning in Liberia During COVID-19 - Bulat, Dr. Jennae (RTI International, 2020)

Making the Grade: The Sensitivity of Education Program Effectiveness to Input Choices and Outcome Measures - Kerwin, Jason T.; Thornton, Rebecca L. (The Review of Economics and Statistics, 2020)
This paper demonstrates the acute sensitivity of education program effectiveness to the choices of inputs and outcome measures, using a randomized evaluation of a mother-tongue literacy program. The program raises reading scores by 0.64SDs and writing scores by 0.45SDs. A reduced-cost version instead yields statistically-insignificant reading gains and some large negative effects (-0.33SDs) on advanced writing. We combine a conceptual model of education production with detailed classroom observations to examine the mechanisms driving the results; we show they could be driven by the program initially lowering productivity before raising it, and potentially by missing complementary inputs in the reduced-cost version.
Keywords: NULP; ___working_potential_duplicate

Reducing distance through online international collaboration - Schreiber, Brooke R; Jansz, Mihiri (ELT Journal, 2020)
Online and hybrid courses offer many benefits for ESL teacher education, but can be hampered by ‘transactional distance’, a lack of interpersonal closeness which can cause misunderstanding and disengagement. This article describes a pedagogical project in which in-service teachers studying in a distance-learning MA TESL programme in Sri Lanka participated in an asynchronous discussion forum with peers from a university in New York City to discuss varieties of World Englishes. The project increased dialogue between learners, and between learners and the instructor, providing space for informal interactions through text, images, and video, as well as multiple methods for responding to feedback, ultimately reducing transactional distance. This article discusses the benefits of the project as well as the pedagogical and technological challenges, offering suggestions for other MA TESL educators about implementing such collaborations.

Reducing distance through online international collaboration - Schreiber, Brooke R; Jansz, Mihiri (ELT Journal, 2020)
Online and hybrid courses offer many benefits for ESL teacher education, but can be hampered by ‘transactional distance’, a lack of interpersonal closeness which can cause misunderstanding and disengagement. This article describes a pedagogical project in which in-service teachers studying in a distance-learning MA TESL programme in Sri Lanka participated in an asynchronous discussion forum with peers from a university in New York City to discuss varieties of World Englishes. The project increased dialogue between learners, and between learners and the instructor, providing space for informal interactions through text, images, and video, as well as multiple methods for responding to feedback, ultimately reducing transactional distance. This article discusses the benefits of the project as well as the pedagogical and technological challenges, offering suggestions for other MA TESL educators about implementing such collaborations.

COVID-19 Educational Disruption and Response - UNESCO (UNESCO, 2020)
A record number of children and youth are not attending school because of closures mandated by governments in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility Report - Ericsson (Ericsson.com, 2020)
Our Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Report includes all the highlights of our sustainability performance.

Impact of use of technology on student learning outcomes: Evidence from a large-scale experiment in India - Naik, Gopal; Chitre, Chetan; Bhalla, Manaswini; Rajan, Jothsna (World Development, 2020)
One of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-4) adopted by the United Nations focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all. Most research on impact of technology on learning outcomes depends on designs that require low student-to-computer ratio and extensive retraining of teachers. These requirements make the designs difficult to implement on a large scale and hence are limited in terms of inclusivity and ability to ‘provide equitable opportunity for all’. Our paper is the first to evaluate an intervention design that is aimed at dealing with these concerns. We conduct a large-scale randomised field experiment in 1823 rural government schools in India that uses technology-aided teaching to replace one-third of traditional classroom teaching. Even with high student-to-computer ratios and minimal teacher training, we observe a positive impact on student learning outcomes. The study thus presents a low cost, resource-light design, which can be implemented in a developing country on a large scale to address the problem of poor learning outcomes, thereby making the intervention inclusive and equitable in line with the spirit of SDG-4.
Keywords: Field experiment; India; Quality of learning; SDG-4; School education; Technology-aided-teaching

Making Vision 2041 a Reality: Perspective Plan of Bangladesh 2021-2041 - General Economics Division, Bangladesh Planning Commission, Ministry of Planning, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (2020)

GSMA Connected Women: the mobile gender gap report 2020 - GSMA (2020)

Making Vision 2041 a Reality: Perspective plan of Bangladesh 2021-2041 - Ministry of Planning (Ministry of Planning,Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, 2020)

Handbook on Facilitating Flexible Learning During Educational Disruption - UNESCO IITE (UNESCO IITE, 2020)
As COVID-19 continues spreading in many countries of the world, how to keep learning in disruption has become a major challenge to the global education community. As stated by UNESCO... Read more Handbook on Facilitating Flexible Learning During Educational Disruption

UNICEF Yemen Country Office Humanitarian Situation Report (Reporting Period: 1 - 31 March 2020) [EN/AR] - Yemen - UNICEF (ReliefWeb, 2020)
Arabic Situation Report on Yemen about Contributions, Coordination, Children, IDPs, Epidemic, Flash Flood and more; published on 12 May 2020 by UNICEF

Mobile Phone Technologies in Coping with the Challenges and Opportunities of CPEC by the Youth of Rural Mountainous Areas of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan - Rahim, Sabit; Qutoshi, Sadruddin Bahadur; Sahar, Gul; Jabeen, Gul; Ali, Imran (Mobile Information Systems, 2020)
The study aims to explore the access of mobile phone, emerging technologies, and use of the mobile phone by the youth of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), Pakistan, for learning and safety and security purposes. Structured questionnaires were used to collect the data. The descriptive statistics was employed to test the research model. Among the 300 distributed sample size, 272 participants responded back including 133 male and 139 female students of Karakoram International University (KIU) from eight districts of GB as research participants for data collection. Only 1 male and 6 females responded that they do not have their own mobile phone, comprising of 90.6% response rate. The results show that 97% of students of rural mountainous areas own a mobile phone. The study contributes valuable findings about the access and positive use of mobile phones for learning and safety and security purposes. The result also shows that the youth of GB have enough skills of mobile phone technologies to cope with the future challenges of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) by taking advantages of China Pakistan Information Corridor (CPIC is a fiber optics cable laid down from the China border to Islamabad Pakistan for the purpose of providing the fast internet facility including 5G). This is the baseline survey and future study will be based on this survey.
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Classification of Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations - World Bank (2020)

UIS releases more timely country-level data for SDG 4 on education - UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2020)
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) has just updated its global database with more recent country-level data to monitor progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal on education (SDG 4). UIS global education database While the global numbers and regional averages on key indicators such as out-of-school rates have not changed since the previous release in September 2019, we have added new country-level data to provide a more complete and timely picture of the education situation facing children, youth and adults around the world....

Do civil service performance incentives work: Evidence from Ghana and Zambia - Williams, Martin (International Growth Centre, 2020)

Twelve African EdTech Companies Named as First Fellows at Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning in ICT - Mastercard Foundation (2020)

Twelve African EdTech Companies Named as First Fellows at Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning in ICT - Mastercard Foundation (Mastercard Foundation, 2020)

Learning-adjusted years of schooling (LAYS): Defining a new macro measure of education - Filmer, Deon; Rogers, Halsey; Angrist, Noam; Sabarwal, Shwetlena (Economics of Education Review, 2020)
The standard summary metric of education-based human capital used in macro analyses is a quantity-based one: The average number of years of schooling in a population. But as recent research shows, students in different countries who have completed the same number of years of school often have vastly different learning outcomes. We therefore propose a new summary measure, the Learning-Adjusted Years of Schooling (LAYS). This measure combines quantity and quality of schooling into a single easy-to-understand metric of progress, revealing considerably larger cross-country education gaps than the standard metric. We show that the comparisons produced by this measure are robust to different ways of adjusting for learning and that LAYS is consistent with other evidence, including other approaches to quality adjustment. Like other learning measures, LAYS reflects learning, and barriers to learning, both inside and outside of school; also, cross-country comparability of LAYS rests on assumptions related to learning trajectories and the validity, reliability, and comparability of test data. Acknowledging these limitations, we argue that LAYS nonetheless improves on the standard metric in key ways.
Keywords: Education; Human capital; Learning; Returns to education; Schooling; Test Scores; ___working_potential_duplicate

Blended learning and Syrian refugees' empowerment through a capability approach lens - Abdelfattah Ahmed Younes, Mona (Lancaster University, 2020)
This study analyses the learning experiences of three Syrian refugee youth who enrolled in and completed blended learning (BL) programmes in Jordan, in order to explicate how BL has/or has not empowered those refugees. To achieve this objective, the following research questions framed this study: Does blended learning empower Syrian refugee youth living in Jordan? 1. Is blended learning, in the case of Syrian refugee youth, an empowering capability? 2. Does blended learning help Syrian refugee youth to overcome their restrictive ‘rules of the game’? 3. Does blended learning improve Syrian refugee youth’s resource portfolio? This study followed a case study approach. Three Syrian youth, each of whom attended a different BL programme, were interviewed between December 2018 and March 2019. While all three cases expressed aspirations that are education-bound, this study shows some difference in the aspirations of males and females and of urban refugees versus those residing in the camps. BL has been for all three cases a feasible learning opportunity. Programme providers designed the courses in a manner that accommodated to refugees’ locations, time, and economic status. Social media disseminated information about educational opportunities and possessing smartphones made following up with lectures and assignments possible and easy. The investigated BL programmes proved also to be enjoyable due to their constructive, learner-centred and collaborative approach, and competent facilitators. However, this finding does not indicate that those programmes were “empowering”. Restrictive legislations that constrain refugees’ work, movement, and lives, as well as patriarchal traditions that hampered females’ choices of education, were “rules of the game” that hindered students’ ability to fully benefit from the provided programmes. Despite the development of oral and public speaking, employability, and English language skills and despite the enhancement of self-esteem, confidence, and respect towards others, those programmes did not lead to refugees’ full empowerment.
Keywords: Google Scholar/ "mobile learning" "refugee education"; RER theme_pedagogies and modalities

The state of education in urban slums of Bangladesh - Khondoker, Zarine Anan (BRAC Institute of Governance and Development, 2020)

Understanding access to education in Nigeria - GRID3 (GRID3, 2020)
To support Nigeria’s Universal Basic Educational Commission (UBEC) in improving access to education, GRID3 Nigeria used geospatial data to analyse the location of current schools to Nigeria's school-age population and recommend new school locations.

Chinese education authorities to broadcast lessons on television - CGTN (2020)

Language counts when learning mathematics with interactive apps - Outhwaite, Laura A.; Gulliford, Anthea; Pitchford, Nicola J. (British Journal of Educational Technology, 2020)
When available in multiple languages, educational apps can deliver the same mathematics instruction in the child’s first language or different language of instruction. This pilot study examined the ...

Responding to Iraq’s learning crisis - Ali, Laila (UNICEF Connect, 2020)
Amidst the devastation in Mosul's Old City, UNICEF supports the rehabilitation of primary education for a safe environment that’s conducive to learning.

Improving teacher accountability in Pakistan’s rural schools - Asad, Saher; Habib, Masooma; Karachiwalla, Naureen; Kosec, Katrina; Leaver, Claire; Ur Rehman, Attique (International Growth Centre, 2020)
Pakistan has extremely low learning levels and poor education service delivery is a driving factor. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has expressed a strong desire for evidence on how to design evaluation and oversight systems for the education sector, with the goal of improving learning. Accordingly, we conducted an International Growth Centre (IGC) supported study …

Ghost schools can be traced through RTMS in Balochistan - Quetta Voice (Quetta Voice Breaking News, English News, Technology, Health, 2020)
The real time monitoring system (RTMS) proved to be an effective system in tracing of closed/ghost schools across Balochistan. The system was established

The potential of Accelerated Learning Programmes (ALPs) for conflict-ridden countries and regions: Lessons learned from an experience in Iraq - Bilagher, Moritz; Kaushik, Amit (International Review of Education, 2020)
Accelerated learning programmes (ALPs) provide a fast-track second-chance opportunity to complete formal education, enabling disadvantaged children and youth to catch up with their peers. In 2005, after a preliminary pilot phase, the Government of Iraq, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) implemented an ALP initially in 10 of Iraq’s 18 governorates with the intention of providing an estimated 50,000 out-of-school, often traumatised and disenfranchised children aged 12–18 years with an opportunity to complete the six-year primary cycle in three years. This experience generated some insights which may still be of practical use today in other conflict-ridden countries and regions. In order to highlight how the lessons learned just over 10 years ago are relevant to similar situations elsewhere today, this article discusses the findings of an independent evaluation of the programme in 2008. The available evaluation data imply that this ALP addressed a significant need and was appreciated by the target group, with 75 % of learners stating that they liked the ALP very much. Around 90 % of ALP graduates continued either in secondary education, or studying in other programmes, joined an apprenticeship scheme or found employment. Both survey and interview data suggest that this ALP did more than create educational opportunities for young persons; it also helped young people obtain a confident perspective for their own future. Consequently, this made them less vulnerable to participation in subversive activities (such as, for example, being recruited into militias). This is a lesson not just relevant to Iraq at the time, but to a wide range of unstable contexts across the world.
Keywords: Accelerated Learning Programmes (ALPs); Iraq; Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4; access to education; education in (post-)conflict environments; education in emergencies

Technology in education in low-income countries: Problem analysis and focus of the Hub's work - Hennessy, Sara; Jordan, Katy; Hassler, Bjoern; Hollow, David; Brugha, Meghan; Jamieson Eberhardt, Molly; Sabates, Ricardo (2020)
An output by the EdTech Hub - #EdTechHub, https://edtechhub.org

Hub Heroes, our newest project. - Hello World (Hello World, 2020)
Hello World has a new programme, Hub Heroes. This programme will exponentially increase literacy and numeracy for children at our hubs AND empower mothers in our Hub communities to take advantage of the technology and connectivity at the Hello Hub.

Scientists at DSTI go the extra mile to make it easier for children to get to school - Directorate of Science, Technology & Innovation (Sierra Leone) (2020)
Mike Fabrikant, a software developer from Washington D.C., is embedded within the data science team at the Directorate of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI) to support systems delivery. His workRead More

See states for Nigeria where schools no go resume on January 18 - BBC News Pidgin (BBC News Pidgin, 2020)
Some state governors, lawmakers no buy di idea of school resumption wey Ngeria government bin give go ahead to resume on January 18
Keywords: Education; Nigeria

Thoughts on “Education and digitisation in development cooperation” - Unwin, Tim (Tim Unwin's Blog, 2020)
Recently I was asked by the GFA Consulting Group to provide some short comments and reflections (just a few sentences) in response to four questions, the answers to which will be incorporated as pa…

The Digital Divide - Dijk, Jan van (John Wiley & Sons, 2020)
Contrary to optimistic visions of a free internet for all, the problem of the ‘digital divide’ – the disparity between those with access to internet technology and those without – has persisted for close to twenty-five years.In this textbook, Jan van Dijk considers the state of digital inequality and what we can do to tackle it. Through an accessible framework based on empirical research, he explores the motivations and challenges of seeking access and the development of requisite digital skills. He addresses key questions such as: Does digital inequality reduce or reinforce existing, traditional inequalities? Does it create new, previously unknown social inequalities? While digital inequality affects all aspects of society and the problem is here to stay, Van Dijk outlines policies we can put in place to mitigate it.The Digital Divide is required reading for students and scholars of media, communication, sociology, and related disciplines, as well as for policymakers.
Keywords: Social Science / Popular Culture; Social Science / Sociology / General

Community of practice (Wikipedia, 2020)
A community of practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a craft or a profession. The concept was first proposed by cognitive anthropologist Jean Lave and educational theorist Etienne Wenger in their 1991 book Situated Learning (Lave & Wenger 1991). Wenger then significantly expanded on the concept in his 1998 book Communities of Practice (Wenger 1998). A CoP can evolve naturally because of the members' common interest in a particular domain or area, or it can be created deliberately with the goal of gaining knowledge related to a specific field. It is through the process of sharing information and experiences with the group that members learn from each other, and have an opportunity to develop personally and professionally (Lave & Wenger 1991). CoPs can exist in physical settings, for example, a lunch room at work, a field setting, a factory floor, or elsewhere in the environment, but members of CoPs do not have to be co-located. They form a "virtual community of practice" (VCoP) (Dubé, Bourhis & Jacob 2005) when they collaborate online, such as within discussion boards and newsgroups, or a "mobile community of practice" (MCoP) (Kietzmann et al. 2013) when members communicate with one another via mobile phones and participate in community work on the go. Communities of practice are not new phenomena: this type of learning has existed for as long as people have been learning and sharing their experiences through storytelling. The idea is rooted in American pragmatism, especially C. S. Peirce's concept of the "community of inquiry" (Shields 2003), but also John Dewey's principle of learning through occupation (Wallace 2007).

Curriculum flexibility in a blended curriculum - Jonker, Herma; März, Virginie; Voogt, Joke (Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 2020)
This study offers insights into the processes that play a role in realising curriculum flexibility. Curriculum flexibility is conceptualised in terms of adaptability and accessibility of the curriculum to students’ needs and capabilities. To realise curriculum flexibility, the teacher education institution in this study designed a blended curriculum with face-to-face and online components. This flexible curriculum aimed at increasing student enrolment and allowing for variety in students’ graduation portfolios. Through semi-structured interviews with 10 teacher educators, conditions that could foster or hinder the realisation of flexibility were investigated. Results indicate that different contextual, teacher-, and student-related conditions were perceived to affect (further) curriculum flexibility. Furthermore, teacher educators identified several challenges related to these influential conditions, which were recognised as tensions. Based on a discussion of these findings, recommendations for research and practice are given.
Keywords: blended curriculum; case study research; collaborative design; curriculum flexibility; curriculum implementation; perceived curriculum; qualitative research

Moving beyond the predictable failure of Ed-Tech initiatives - Sancho-Gil, Juana M.; Rivera-Vargas, Pablo; Miño-Puigcercós, Raquel (Learning, Media and Technology, 2020)
The development of Information and Communication Technology has created waves of excitement about its power to fix educational problems and improve learning results, prompting a succession of policy efforts to integrate digital technology into education. Educators, schools and corporations are increasingly driving these initiatives. This article makes the argument that a narrow vision of digital technology, which both ignores the complexity of education and wastes valuable public resources, is becoming an obstacle to significant improvement and transformation in education. Utilising our research and experience in the field of educational technology, this paper problematises the common elision of ‘technology’ and ‘digital technology’. From this basis, we then critically reflect on various common approaches to introducing digital technology in education under the guise of promoting equality and digital inclusion. These include national government-led programmes, more recent trends for local school-led initiatives, and the role of non-formal education initiatives led by corporations/foundations. Amidst the varying surface-level ‘failure’ and/or ‘success’ of these approaches, we point to limited underpinning ‘information and knowledge society’ logics in framing the application of digital technology to education. As such we conclude by considering the educational challenges for future Ed-Tech initiatives.
Keywords: Educational change; digital technology corporations; educational challenges; educational policies; school improvement

Unlocking Data to Tell the Story of Education in Africa: Webinar Summary and Synthesis - Adam, Taskeen; Agyapong, Samuel; Asare, Samuel; Heady, Lucy; Wacharia, Wairimu; Mjomba, Renaldah; Mugo, John; Mukiria, Faith; Munday, Gemma (Zenodo, 2020)
[No description available.]

Self-regulated learning in online learning environments: strategies for remote learning - Carter, Jr Richard Allen; Rice, Mary; Yang, Sohyun; Jackson, Haidee A. (Information and Learning Sciences, 2020)
Purpose Many teachers and students in the USA and various parts of the world are migrating some aspects of education online out of necessity. The purpose of this paper is to identify and describe strategies of the self-regulated learning (SRL) framework for K-12 students learning in online environments to support remote learning with online and digital tools during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approach The SRL framework (Zimmerman, 2008) has been used consistently to support students in learning to work independently. This framework highlights three phases: planning, performing and evaluating. Previous research in K-12 online learning has yielded specific strategies that are useful. The paper identified and described the strategies to an audience seeking answers on how to meet the needs of students in online learning environment.Findings The main types of strategies that have emerged from previous studies include asking students to consider how they learn online, providing pacing support, monitoring engagement and supporting families.Originality/value Although the social crisis of COVID-19 is unique, prior research in online learning may be useful for supporting teacher practice and suggesting future research. Developing SRL skills of students will ensure the effectiveness of online learning that the field of education may ultimately focus on in the future.

“Being on the wrong side of the digital divide”: seeking technological interventions for education in Northeast Nigeria - Martens, Marianne; Hajibayova, Lala; Campana, Kathleen; Rinnert, Gretchen Caldwell; Caniglia, Joanne; Bakori, Isa Garba; Kamiyama, Tsukuru; Mohammed, Liman Audu; Mupinga, Davison M.; Oh, Olivia Jeonghwa (Aslib Journal of Information Management, 2020)
Purpose This paper aims to report the initial findings of a project aiming to re-establish basic education in conflict-ravaged states in Northeastern Nigeria and to improve education providers' ability to plan and deliver basic educational services. The authors present a preliminary analysis of Nigerian teachers' access to information communication technology (ICT), their technology skills, as well associated national ICT policies. Design/methodology/approach This case study uses results from two co-designed tools, administered using KoboToolbox to Education Managers in the first instance, and teachers in the second. The data from the tools form the basis for analysis. Findings In the first instance, educational managers reported a lack of access to technology, the internet and to training and professional development. In the second instance, teachers reported issues present in the classroom environment, including poor infrastructure, a lack of resources and over-crowded classrooms. Very few teachers had access to computers or to the internet. Research limitations/implications The 33 educational managers represent a small sample size and may not be fully representative of the region covered. The ICT Capacity Audit tool listed Excel in two different areas – basic Excel skills and using Excel for data analysis – which could have caused confusion for participants. The data collection should be repeated, expanded and compared for consistency. For the team, changes to the proposed (SENSE) box content meant that we were not able to deliver low-tech tools, such as Boogie Boards, or high-tech tools, such as tablets, to schools. Originality/value Despite seemingly insurmountable challenges, the research team identified low-tech tools as a feasible resource in the classroom. Existing tools, such as teachers' smartphones and use of the WhatsApp application, can be used for sharing educational resources and providing teacher training. This paper argues that Nigeria needs up-to-date national ICT policies to guide in-country efforts to develop implementation of information technology initiatives for education.

Online teaching-learning in higher education during lockdown period of COVID-19 pandemic - Mishra, Lokanath; Gupta, Tushar; Shree, Abha (International Journal of Educational Research Open, 2020)
The whole educational system from elementary to tertiary level has been collapsed during the lockdown period of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) not only in India but across the globe. This study is a portrayal of online teaching-learning modes adopted by the Mizoram University for the teaching-learning process and subsequent semester examinations. It looks forward to an intellectually enriched opportunity for further future academic decision-making during any adversity. The intended purpose of this paper seeks to address the required essentialities of online teaching-learning in education amid the COVID-19 pandemic and how can existing resources of educational institutions effectively transform formal education into online education with the help of virtual classes and other pivotal online tools in this continually shifting educational landscape. The paper employs both quantitative and qualitative approach to study the perceptions of teachers and students on online teaching-learning modes and also highlighted the implementation process of online teaching-learning modes. The value of this paper is to draw a holistic picture of ongoing online teaching-learning activities during the lockdown period including establishing the linkage between change management process and online teaching-learning process in education system amid the COVID-19 outbreak so as to overcome the persisting academic disturbance and consequently ensure the resumption of educational activities and discourses as a normal course of procedure in the education system.
Keywords: COVID-19; Lockdown period; Online education; Online teaching-learning modes; Outbreak; Pandemic; Perception

Economic role of education in agriculture: evidence from rural Vietnam - Ninh, Le Khuong (Journal of Economics and Development, 2020)
Purpose This paper investigates the impact of education on output of rice farming households in Vietnam. Design/methodology/approach Given the literature review, this paper specifies three empirical models (i.e. linear constant coefficient model, partially nonlinear model and linear varied coefficient model) with variables that well describe the mechanism through which education affects output. The data were collected from 901 rice farming households randomly selected out of ten provinces and city in the Mekong River Delta (MRD) of Vietnam. The models are estimated using ordinary least squares (OLS) and Robinson's (1988) double residual estimators. Findings Estimates of the empirical models show that seed, fertilizer, labor and farm size have significant impacts on output of rice farming households while pesticide and herbicide do not. Education is also found to have a positive effect on output of rice farming households because it helps them better manage farms of larger size via combining various inputs in a more desirable way. Originality/value This paper confirms the positive impact of education on agricultural output, which implies that policies aiming to provide better education to rural people will greatly enhance their income as well as trigger long-term economic and agricultural growth.
Keywords: Agriculture; Education; Household; Input; Output; Rice; Rural; Schooling; Vietnam

Challenges in the online component of blended learning: A systematic review - Rasheed, Abubakar Rasheed; Kamsin, Amirrudin; Abdullah, Nor Aniza (Computers & Education, 2020)
Blended learning is widely regarded as an approach that combines the benefits afforded by face-to-face and online learning components. However, this approach of combining online with face-to-face instructional components have raised concerns over the years. Several studies have highlighted the overall challenges of blended learning mode of instruction as a whole, but there has been no clear understanding of the challenges that exist in the online component of blended learning. Thus, a systematic review of literature was conducted with the aim of identifying the challenges in the online component of blended learning from students, teachers and educational institutions perspectives. Self-regulation challenges and challenges in using learning technology are the key challenges that students face. Teachers challenges are mainly on the use of technology for teaching. Challenges in the provision of suitable instructional technology; and effective training support to teachers are the main challenges faced by educational institutions. This review highlights the need for further investigations to address students, teachers and educational institutions challenges in blended learning. In addition, we proposed some recommendations for future research.
Keywords: Adult learning; Improving classroom teaching; Pedagogical issues; Teaching/Learning strategies

Valuation of incentives to recruit and retain teachers in rural schools: Evidence from a choice experiment in Cambodia and Laos - Sisouphanthong, Viriyasack; Suruga, Terukazu; Kyophilavong, Phouphet (Cogent Education, 2020)
To provide an appropriate incentive for teaching profession, the important questions are “how much should we pay?” and “which factors influence potential teachers’ decision the most?” This research evaluates the factors that discourage and encourage potential teachers to join the profession in Cambodia and Laos by applying a discrete choice experiment to analysis teacher trainees’ preferences for school location, classroom condition, non-teaching professions, and indirect monetary incentives. The result highlights reasons and a possibility of potential teachers to leave the educational system.
Keywords: Cambodia; Laos; discrete choice experiment; incentives; teacher recruitment

Women's empowerment in action: Evidence from a randomized control trial in Africa - Bandiera, Oriana; Buehren, Niklas; Burgess, Robin; Goldstein, Markus; Gulesci, Selim; Rasul, Imran; Sulaiman, Munshi (American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2020)
We evaluate a multifaceted policy intervention attempting to jump-start adolescent women's empowerment in Uganda by simultaneously providing them vocational training and information on sex, reproduction, and marriage. We find that four years postintervention, adolescent girls in treated communities are more likely to be self-employed. Teen pregnancy, early entry into marriage/cohabitation, and the share of girls reporting sex against their will fall sharply. The results highlight the potential of a multifaceted program that provides skills transfers as a viable and cost-effective policy intervention to improve the economic and social empowerment of adolescent girls over a four-year horizon.
Keywords: Child Care; Children; Domestic Abuse, Fertility; Education and Economic Development, Marriage; Family Planning; Family Structure; Human Development; Income Distribution; Labor Productivity, Economic Development: Human Resources; Marital Dissolution; Migration; Non-labor Discrimination, Labor Demand, Human Capital; Occupational Choice; Skills; Youth, Economics of Gender

Rethinking education in the digital age - Braun, Anette; März, Anna; Mertens, Fabian; Nisser, Annerose (European Parliamentary Research Service, 2020)

Compendium of Social Protection Research in Bangladesh - Government of Bangladesh (The General Economics Division (GED), Bangladesh Planning Commission, 2020)

The Last-Mile Internet Connectivity Toolkit: Solutions to Connect the Unconnected in Developing Countries - ITU (2020)

Summative Evaluation of GPE's Country-level Support to Education. Bangladesh - Results for Development (Universalia, 2020)

Reducing distance through online international collaboration - Schreiber, Brooke R.; Jansz, Mihiri (ELT Journal, 2020)
Online and hybrid courses offer many benefits for ESL teacher education, but can be hampered by 'transactional distance', a lack of interpersonal closeness which can cause misunderstanding and disengagement. This article describes a pedagogical project in which in-service teachers studying in a distance-learning MA TESL programme in Sri Lanka participated in an asynchronous discussion forum with peers from a university in New York City to discuss varieties of World Englishes. The project increased dialogue between learners, and between learners and the instructor, providing space for informal interactions through text, images, and video, as well as multiple methods for responding to feedback, ultimately reducing transactional distance. This article discusses the benefits of the project as well as the pedagogical and technological challenges, offering suggestions for other MA TESL educators about implementing such collaborations.
Keywords: Asynchronous Communication; Computer Mediated Communication; DISTANCE education; Distance Education; ENGLISH as a foreign language; ENGLISH language education; ERIC, Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE); Educational Benefits; Educational Cooperation; English (Second Language); Feedback (Response); Foreign Countries; Group Discussion; Higher Education; IN-service training of teachers; Inservice Teacher Education; International Cooperation; LEARNING; Language Variation; Masters Programs; New York (New York); Online Courses; Peer Groups; Postsecondary Education; Program Descriptions; Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Sri Lanka; TEACHER education; Teacher Education Programs; Teaching Methods; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2099817; __finaldtb

Reducing distance through online international collaboration - Schreiber, Brooke R.; Jansz, Mihiri (ELT Journal, 2020)
Online and hybrid courses offer many benefits for ESL teacher education, but can be hampered by 'transactional distance', a lack of interpersonal closeness which can cause misunderstanding and disengagement. This article describes a pedagogical project in which in-service teachers studying in a distance-learning MA TESL programme in Sri Lanka participated in an asynchronous discussion forum with peers from a university in New York City to discuss varieties of World Englishes. The project increased dialogue between learners, and between learners and the instructor, providing space for informal interactions through text, images, and video, as well as multiple methods for responding to feedback, ultimately reducing transactional distance. This article discusses the benefits of the project as well as the pedagogical and technological challenges, offering suggestions for other MA TESL educators about implementing such collaborations.
Keywords: Asynchronous Communication; Computer Mediated Communication; DISTANCE education; Distance Education; ENGLISH as a foreign language; ENGLISH language education; ERIC, Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE); Educational Benefits; Educational Cooperation; English (Second Language); Feedback (Response); Foreign Countries; Group Discussion; Higher Education; IN-service training of teachers; Inservice Teacher Education; International Cooperation; LEARNING; Language Variation; Masters Programs; New York (New York); Online Courses; Peer Groups; Postsecondary Education; Program Descriptions; Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Sri Lanka; TEACHER education; Teacher Education Programs; Teaching Methods; __:import:01; __:match:final; __:matched; __:study_id:2099817; __finaldtb

Motivation and social cognitive theory - Schunk, Dale H.; DiBenedetto, Maria K. (Contemporary Educational Psychology, 2020)
This article discusses motivation from the perspective of Bandura’s social cognitive theory. Motivation refers to processes that instigate and sustain goal-directed activities. Motivational processes are personal/internal influences that lead to outcomes such as choice, effort, persistence, achievement, and environmental regulation. Motivation has been a prominent feature of social cognitive theory from the early modeling research to the current conception involving agency. The conceptual framework of reciprocal interactions is discussed, after which research is summarized on behavioral, environmental, and personal influences on motivation. Key internal motivational processes are goals and self-evaluations of progress, self-efficacy, social comparisons, values, outcome expectations, attributions, and self-regulation. Critical issues confronting the theory include diversity and culture, methodology, and long-term effects of interventions. The article concludes with additional recommendations for future research on contexts, conceptual clarity, and technology.
Keywords: Motivation; Self-efficacy in education; Social cognitive theory

Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (2020)

Cyber Actors Target K-12 Distance Learning Education to Cause Disruptions and Steal Data (2020)
This Joint Cybersecurity Advisory was coauthored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC).

equip Tanzania (2020)

Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative (GESCI) / African Digital Schools Initiative (ADSI) (2020)

Instant Network Schools (Vodafone, 2020)

Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (2020)

Kenya Institute of Special Education (2020)

Liquid Telecom Kenya (Liquid telecom, 2020)
Liquid Telecom in Kenya is a full-service data communications carrier offering a host of services including IP, broadband transport, infrastructure services and co-location services.

Local Content for African Libraries (Worldreader, 2020)
The LOCAL project aims to bring local books to libraries and ensure that children can learn in their mother-tongue language.

Loon (Loon, 2020)
Loon is a network of stratospheric balloons designed to bring Internet connectivity to rural and remote communities worldwide.

mCourser (2020)
Try our Learning Management System for free. mCourser supports online schools, free courses, real-time evaluation, private classes and more...

Mezzanine (Vodacom Ghana, 2020)

Microsoft (2020)
Microsoft, en tant qu’acteur de la transformation numérique en France, aide les individus et les entreprises du monde entier à exploiter pleinement leur potentiel.

MIT Solve (2020)

Mobile School Report Card (mSRC, 2020)

O'Genius Priority Ltd (O'Genius Priority, 2020)

One Billion (2020)

ProFuturo (2020)

Re:Coded (Re:Coded, 2020)

Rumie Initiative (Rumie Initiative, 2020)
Here at Rumie we are doggedly passionate about addressing the UN’s sustainable development goal of Quality Education. We are always excited to work with partners who share our vision of using affordable technology to deliver innovative, digital learning solutions to communities who need it ...

ShuleDirect (2020)

Teachers Service Commission (2020)

Worldreader (2020)
With low-cost technology, culturally-relevant digital books, and a network of partners, we’re helping millions of people read more and read better.

Final Report on: Assessment of Distance Learning Initiative of the Government of Bangladesh during COVID-19 Pandemic - a2i (2020)

Cambridge University Press & Cambridge Assessment. (2020). The Learning Passport Research and Recommendations Report: Summary of Findings. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press & Cambridge Assessment. - Abdul, Zahara (2020)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Impact of COVID-19 on Education in Sub-Saharan Africa - Aborode, A; Anifowoshe, O; Ifeoluwapo T, Ayodele; Rebecca A, Iretiayo; Oluwafemi O., David (Preprints, 2020)
The eruption of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected every sphere of life and may forever change how we have always lived and conducted our businesses, and no one can resist the wind of change that is blowing. Of all the sectors of governance, the educational sector, particularly at the tertiary level, appears to have been most greatly affected and therefore requires a more pragmatic approach to resolution. As of 29th June, Sub-Sahara Africa has reported 382,190 cases of COVID-19. In rejoinder to the virus epidemic, several Sub Sahara African governments implement the resolution to slam learning institutions to enclose the infection. Consequently, advanced schooling institutions obliged to reorganize their loom, becoming more digitally become forward, and changing to online platforms
Keywords: Africa; COVID-19; Deadly disease; Education; Governments; Resolution; Sub- Sahara

Between Social Justice and Decolonisation: Exploring South African MOOC designers’ conceptualisations and approaches to addressing injustices [O-143] - Adam, Taskeen (The Care in Openness, 2020)
Visit the post for more.
Keywords: dode_eth-src-dode; dode_eth-trf2-dode; ⛔ No DOI found

Advancing education and speech recognition in Nigeria with AI and machine learning - Agajo, J; Shuaibu, A; Guda, B (2020)

Semi-supervised learning to perceive children's affective states in a tablet tutor - Agarwal, Mansi; Mostow, Jack (2020)

With the largest share of funding, test prep startups leading the EdTech charge in India - Agarwal, Meha (2020)

Online learning in higher education during COVID-19 pandemic: A case of ghana - AGORMEDAH, Edmond Kwesi; HENAKU, Eugene ADU; AYİTE, Desire Mawuko Komla; ANSAH, Enoch APORİ (Journal of Educational Technology and Online Learning, 2020)
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

Mental health and learning: BRAC’s response in Bangladesh during Covid-19 - Ahmad, J; Mariam, E; Sadaf, B; Sarwar, S; Siddique, S; Zaman, S (2020)

Evaluating Pre-Service Teaching Practice for Online and Distance Education Students in Pakistan: Evaluation of Teaching Practice - Ahmed Abdullah, Nauman; Sultana Mirza, Munawar (International review of research in open and distance learning, 2020)
In addition to conventional modes, teacher education programs in Pakistan are also offered through online and distance education. Teaching practice is a significant component of pre-service teacher education programs. Assessing the quality of teaching practice for pre-service student teachers is important, as these modules train the prospective teachers for their professional teaching careers. Virtual University of Pakistan (VU), an online university, offers pre-service teacher education programs. This research is an investigation into the learning opportunities and practices of VU student teachers in their teaching practice modules. Students enrolled in different teacher education programs served as the population of this study. Those in the fall 2018 semester who were enrolled in teaching practice modules were selected as a sample. Data sources included lesson plans prepared, lessons delivered, administrative and co-curricular duties performed by the students, as well as evaluation reports by supervisors, cooperating teachers, and school principals. There were improvements in the student teachers’ lesson plan formation and their overall learning. Data obtained through personal visits by VU faculty was used to verify and assess actual classroom teaching. Lack of regular attendance and punctuality by student teachers was observed as a result. Internal review of the VU system as it relates to the teaching practice modules was conducted to address any shortcomings in the course(s), its procedures, and its controls. Recommendations for improving the system, such as grading the modules, peer-assessment, and orientation workshops for student teachers are provided, as well as suggestions for developments in the teaching practice modules themselves.

The Role of Evidence in Policymaking in Pakistan: Political Economy Analysis Report - Ahmed, K; Ahmed, V; Javed, S.A.; Jillani, A; Khan, A; Khaver, A.A; Nadeem, U; Pellani, A; Shah, Q; Shaxson, L; Suleri, A.Q; Zaidi, A; et al. (Oxford Policy Management, 2020)

Education and Covid-19 response: bringing schools and learning back on track - Ahmed, Manzoor; Rahaman, Mostafizur; Hossain, Syed Shahadat; Ahmed, Ghiasuddin (Education Watch/Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE), 2020)

Teacher Training Programs - AIMS Rwanda (2020)

Akello Digital Classroom | Home - Akello Digital Classroom (2020)

Gendered Impacts of COVID-19 School Closures: Insights from Frontline Organizations - Akmal, Maryam (2020)
COVID-19 school closures pose significant operational and financial risks to frontline organizations delivering vital education services, including non-governmental organizations, school operators, and other service providers. In this survey, we ask these organizations about the challenges they are facing in light of COVID-19 closures, particularly for girls. The responses shed light on how COVID-19 is affecting education service operations—and what providers are doing in response. We uncover three major findings. First, 69 percent of the respondents believe that girls are at a greater risk than boys from COVID-19 school closures, with more than half of those respondents citing girls’ exposure to gender-based violence as a major concern. Second, close to half (42 percent) of the respondents report that their organization is experiencing budget cuts, with 73 percent of those respondents citing a drop in funding from private and philanthropic donors. Third, despite the financial and operational disruptions due to school closures and lockdowns, 89 percent of the respondents report planning and delivering additional vital interventions during the pandemic. It is crucial, now more than ever, that donors and policymakers support and engage with frontline organizations delivering vital services for girls and their communities.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Education Financing - Al-Samarrai, Samer (World Bank, 2020)

Tackling inequity in education during and after COVID-19 - Alasuutari, Hannah (UKFIET, 2020)

From Assessment to Action: Lessons from the Development of Theories of Change with the People's Action for Learning Network - Alcott, Benjamin; Rose, Pauline; Sabates, Ricardo; Ellison, Christine (Global Education Review, 2020)
In recent years, much attention has been given to extremely poor levels of learning outcomes in low-and lower-middle income countries. Citizen-led assessments have played a vital role in highlighting this "learning crisis." Having developed these citizen-led assessments, members of the People's Action for Learning (PAL) Network are now increasingly devising and implementing actions aimed at tackling the learning crisis in different country contexts. This article documents the process we undertook of developing theories of change with PAL Network members across 10 countries to inform their shift from assessment of children's learning to action aimed at raising learning outcomes. The article highlights, in particular, the importance for theories of change to take account of context in identifying appropriate actions. Based on their country circumstances, the actions identified by PAL Network members vary, for example, from using assessment data to influence national government reform, to more localized activities associated with "teaching at the right level." For appropriate actions to tackle the learning crisis to be identified and successfully implemented, an important lesson from the PAL Network experience is the need to enable South-to-South learning and adaptation. As such, the article highlights a pressing need for flexible and iterative theories of change that reflect contextual realities.
Keywords: Agency Cooperation; Change Strategies; Citizen Participation; Cultural Differences; Educational Assessment; Educational Change; Foreign Countries; Government Role; Low Income Groups; Middle Class; Networks; Parent Role; School Role; Socioeconomic Influences; Theories; ⛔ No DOI found

Methodological Guidance Paper: The Art and Science of Quality Systematic Reviews - Alexander, Patricia A. (Review of Educational Research, 2020)
The purpose of this article is to overview various challenges that prospective authors of quality systematic reviews should be prepared to address. These challenges pertain to all phases of the review process: from posing a critical question worthy of pursuit and executing a search procedure that is appropriately framed and transparently recorded, to discerning patterns and trends within the resulting data that speak directly to the critical question framing the review. For each of these challenges, suggestions are offered as to how authors might respond so as to enhance the quality of the review process and increase the value of findings for educational research, practice, and policymaking.
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate; critical questions; literature search; systematic review

Balloons to Deliver Emergency Internet Across Kenya - Alison, Buckholtz (2020)
Telkom Kenya-Loon partnership will result in country-wide 4G connectivity during pandemic, boosting government services.

Effectiveness of Multimodal Microlearning for In-Service Teacher Training - Allela, Melisa Achoko; Ogange, Betty Obura; Junaid, Muhammad Ibn; Charles, Prince Brainard (Journal of Learning for Development, 2020)
To meet the growing demand for continuing professional development of practising teachers, the integrated in-service teacher training (INSET) programme aims at making permanent improvements on the quality of teaching and learning for Junior Secondary School (JSS) Teachers in Sierra Leone. Within this context, a toolkit for School-Based Teacher Development was created and microlearning identified as an ideal mode to deliver the toolkit content. In this paper, we present the design considerations that informed this decision as well as challenges and lessons learned from the first implementation of the INSET project for junior secondary school teachers in Sierra Leone. A multimodal approach was considered and implemented to mitigate Internet access challenges and to expand learning opportunities. These include a mobile app version of the Toolkit, offline access to microlearning resources on the TeacherFutures platform via the Moodle mobile app, a mobile app version of one INSET module, an e-portfolio to be used by participants in sharing their learnings as demonstrated and practised during a face-to-face roll-out seminar, and finally, WhatsApp groups in which different schools engaged in discussions based on the questions on the Toolkit. Preliminary findings indicate a strong preference among participants for the use of WhatsApp as the main channel of communication within the communities of practice; and very limited use of the main e-learning Moodle platform and e-Portfolio. This necessitates a need to critically evaluate the effectiveness of the design of a multimodal approach for delivering microlearning content. From this, we seek to establish a set of design considerations, capacity building and technical support issues derived from analysis of data emerging from the ongoing project rollout. This will inform future integration of Microlearning resources in the teacher training project.
Keywords: Barriers; Communities of Practice; Electronic Learning; Foreign Countries; Inservice Teacher Education; Integrated Learning Systems; Internet; Multimedia Materials; Portfolios (Background Materials); Professional Continuing Education; Professional Development; Program Effectiveness; Secondary School Teachers; Social Media; Synchronous Communication; Teacher Collaboration; Teacher Competencies; Workshops

From luxury to lifeline: Reducing the cost of mobile devices to reach universal internet access. - Alliance for Affordable Internet (Web Foundation, 2020)
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Exploring the critical challenges and factors influencing the e-learning system usage during COVID-19 pandemic - Almaiah, Mohammed Amin; Al-Khasawneh, Ahmad; Althunibat, Ahmad (Education and Information Technologies, 2020)
The provision and usage of online and e-learning system is becoming the main challenge for many universities during COVID-19 pandemic. E-learning system such as Blackboard has several fantastic features that would be valuable for use during this COVID-19 pandemic. However, the successful usage of e-learning system relies on understanding the adoption factors as well as the main challenges that face the current e-learning systems. There is lack of agreement about the critical challenges and factors that shape the successful usage of e-learning system during COVID-19 pandemic; hence, a clear gap has been identified in the knowledge on the critical challenges and factors of e-learning usage during this pandemic. Therefore, this study aims to explore the critical challenges that face the current e-learning systems and investigate the main factors that support the usage of e-learning system during COVID-19 pandemic. This study employed the interview method using thematic analysis through NVivo software. The interview was conducted with 30 students and 31 experts in e-learning systems at six universities from Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The findings of this study offer useful suggestions for policy-makers, designers, developers and researchers, which will enable them to get better acquainted with the key aspects of the e-learning system usage successfully during COVID-19 pandemic.

Towards e-learning in basic schools during Covid-19: Insights from Ghanaian teachers - Amanor-Mfoafo, Naa Kai; Edonu, Kwamina Kurefi; Akrofi, Olivia; Dowuona, Ebenezer Nortei (2020)
In the wake of the current closure of schools in Ghana, basic schools have been tasked to deliver teaching and learning using e-learning. This study seeks to explore the readiness of teachers in Ghanaian basic schools to undertake e-learning. Using an online questionnaire, data was collected from 108 teachers in both private and public basic schools in Ghana. A factor analysis was conducted to identify the challenges that influenced the ability of basic school teachers to teach using e-learning. The study findings indicated that a majority of the teacher participants preferred face-to-face teaching as compared to online teaching. The study recommends that basic schools adopt a blended approach to teaching where teachers can combine both face-to-face methods with e-learning methods. The study contributes to discussions on the transition from conventional teaching methods to E-learning methods in educational institutions across Ghana.

COVID-19 and education: The digital gender divide among adolescents in sub Saharan Africa - Amaro, D.; Pandolfelli, L.; Sanchez-Tapia, I.; Brossard, M. (UNICEF, 2020)
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Maintaining learning continuity during school closure: Community Health Volunteer support for marginalised girls in Kenya - Amenya, Donvan; Fitzpatrick, Rachael; Page, Ella; Naylor, Ruth; Jones, Charlotte; McAleavy, Tony (Education Development Trust, 2020)

Emergency remote-oriented learning and assessment in teacher education (EROLA) - Anamuah-Mensah, Jophus; Ananga, Eric; Noble-Rogers, Bea; Awuku, Samuel; Fletcher, Jonathan (2020)

Loss of brick-and-mortar schooling: How elementary educators respond - Anderson, Emma; Hira, Avneet (Information and Learning Science, 2020)
Purpose: This paper aims to understand how elementary school educators who teach subjects that traditionally require hands-on work in schools are rising to the challenge of losing brick-and-mortar facilities in the wake of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis. Design/methodology/approach: The authors interviewed six elementary school educators and developed iterative grounded codes from the interviews to understand how the teachers are rising to the challenge of teaching online, what supports they need, and how they are viewing their roles and student learning in the present landscape. Findings: In response to losing brick-and-mortar schools, teachers are rising to the challenge by creating creative assignments and communicating with students and parents via multiple platforms. They are learning to use technology to create meaningful, socially distant learning experiences and, in the process, blurring their own boundaries between work and life. They exercise compassion for their students while providing the best education they can in these circumstances. Practical implications: This work provides administrators, educators, policymakers and technology developers insight into the challenges teachers are facing. Originality/value: In addition to the timeliness of this study in light of the COVID 19 crisis, the focus on elementary school students, who often need support from parents or guardians to use Web technologies, and subjects traditionally requiring face-to-face interactions and hands-on work contribute to the originality of the study.
Keywords: COVID-19; Compassionate teachers; Educational technology; Elementary school; Hands-on learning; Pandemic; Social distance learning

Human Capital Accumulation and Disasters: Evidence from the Pakistan Earthquake of 2005 - Andrabi, Tahir; Daniels, Benjamin; Das, Jishnu (UKAID, Australian Aid, Gates Foundation, and Oxford Policy Management, 2020)
We trace the effects of a devastating earthquake that occurred in Northern Pakistan in 2005. Using a new dataset from a survey conducted four years after the earthquake, we first show that the distance of the household from the fault line was not correlated with pre-existing household characteristics, while it was strongly predictive of earthquake-related damage and mortality. Through emergency relief aid, households living close to the fault line reported receiving substantial cash compensation that amounted to as much as 150 percent of their annual household consumption expenditure. Four years after the earthquake, there were no differences in public infrastructure, household or adult outcomes between areas close to and far from the fault line. However, children in their critical first thousand days at the time of the earthquake accumulated large height deficits, with the youngest the most affected. Children aged 3 through 15 at the time of the earthquake did not suffer growth shortfalls, but scored significantly worse on academic tests if they lived close to the fault line. Finally, children whose mothers completed primary education were fully protected against the emergence of a test score gap. We estimate that if these deficits continue to adult life, the affected children could stand to lose 15 percent of their lifetime earnings. Even when disasters are heavily compensated, human capital accumulation can be critically interrupted, with greater losses for already disadvantaged populations

Limiting Learning Loss using Phone-based Programming during Covid-19 in Botswana - Angrist, Noam; Bergman, Peter; Brewstar, Caton; Matsheng, Moitshepi (The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), 2020)
Working in Botswana, researchers rapidly evaluated a phone-based remote learning program aimed at keeping children engaged with math during the Covid-19 pandemic. Students who received weekly SMS messages and phone calls to review math exercises increased their math skills after twelve weeks, while students who received only SMS messages did not.

Stemming Learning Loss During the Pandemic: A Rapid Randomized Trial of a Low-Tech Intervention in Botswana - Angrist, Noam; Bergman, Peter; Brewster, Caton; Matsheng, Moitshepi (SSRN Electronic Journal, 2020)
The COVID-19 pandemic has closed schools for over 1.6 billion children, with potentially long-term consequences. This paper provides some of the ﬁrst experimental evidence on strategies to minimize the fallout of the pandemic on education outcomes. We evaluate two low-technology interventions to substitute schooling during this period: SMS text messages and direct phone calls. We conduct a rapid trial in Botswana to inform real-time policy responses collecting data at four- to six-week intervals. We present results from the ﬁrst wave. We ﬁnd early evidence that both interventions result in cost-eﬀective learning gains of 0.16 to 0.29 standard deviations. This translates to a reduction in innumeracy of up to 52 percent. We ﬁnd increased parental engagement in their child’s education and more accurate parent perceptions of their child’s learning. In a second wave of the trial, we provide targeted instruction, customizing text messages to the child's learning level using data from the ﬁrst wave. The low-tech interventions tested have immediate policy relevance and could have long-run implications for the role of technology and parents as substitutes or complements to the traditional education system.
Keywords: Education; Human Capital; Technology; _COVID_DEAA-List; __C:filed:1; ___working_potential_duplicate

How to Improve Education Outcomes Most Efficiently? A Comparison of 150 Interventions Using the New Learning-Adjusted Years of Schooling Metric - Angrist, Noam; Evans, David K.; Filmer, Deon; Glennerster, Rachel; Rogers, F. Halsey; Sabarwal, Shwetlena (Policy Research Working Papers, 2020)
Many low- and middle-income countries lag far behind high-income countries in educational access and student learning. Limited resources mean that policymakers must make tough choices about which investments to make to improve education. Although hundreds of education interventions have been rigorously evaluated, making comparisons between the results is challenging. Some studies report changes in years of schooling; others report changes in learning. Standard deviations, the metric typically used to report learning gains, measure gains relative to a local distribution of test scores. This metric makes it hard to judge if the gain is worth the cost in absolute terms. This paper proposes using learning-adjusted years of schooling (LAYS)—which combines access and quality and compares gains to an absolute, cross-country standard—as a new metric for reporting gains from education interventions. The paper applies LAYS to compare the effectiveness (and cost-effectiveness, where cost is available) of interventions from 150 impact evaluations across 46 countries. The results show that some of the most cost-effective programs deliver the equivalent of three additional years of high-quality schooling (that is, schooling at quality comparable to the highest-performing education systems) for just $100 per child—compared with zero years for other classes of interventions.
Keywords: Cost-Benefit Analysis; Education Outcomes; Government Policy; Impact Evaluation; Learning Loss; Learning-Adjusted Years of Schooling; Public Expenditure; Years of Schooling; ___working_potential_duplicate; ⛔ No DOI found

Impact Evaluation of Funda Wande Coaching Intervention Midline Findings: Midline I - Ardington, Cally; Meiring, Tiaan (SALDRU, 2020)

Análisis comparativo de las prácticas educativas implementadas en Chile y México durante la pandemia de COVID-19 | Guayana Moderna - Arizmendi Loredo, Karla Fabiola; Fernández Hidalgo, Mariana; Núñez Rivadeneira, Scott (2020)

Coronavirus Outbreak, Schooling and Learning: Study on Secondary School Students in Bangladesh - Asadullah, N; Bhattacharjee, A; Tasnim, M; Mumtahena, F (2020)

COVID-19, schooling and learning - Asadullah, Niaz (BRAC, 2020)
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate; ⛔ No DOI found

Remote-learning, Time-Use, and Mental Health of Ecuadorian High-School Students during the COVID-19 Quarantine - Asanov, Igor; Flores, Francisco; McKenzie, David; Mensmann, Mona; Schulte, Mathis (World Bank, 2020)

Improving the Mouse Skills of Basic School Learners Using the Optical Mouse and Self Instructional Software. A Case of a Ghanaian Basic School - Asare, Samuel; Leticia, Agyemang (Innovation The European Journal of Social Science Research, 2020)
The study came about as a result of poor performance showed by Bosofour R\C primary 6 learners' during practical sessions. The general objective of the study is to examine the causes of learner's poor mouse skills and provide an immediate solution to it. The research was conducted at Bosofour R\C primary school from the month of December, 2019 to June, 2020. The study was critically analyzed, though ICT is a core subject offered by all learners' in the school, but due to time constraint, nature of the research and inadequate financial support, all the classes could not be covered but few were sampled to represent the whole school. The study adopted a random sampling technique for its appropriateness in reaching out to a large representative sample and generalization of the findings. The target population included five hundred and twenty (520) learners, comprising of two hundred and forty-eight (248) boys and two hundred and seventy-two (272) girls. Random sampling techniques was used to select twenty (20) learners'. Test, interview and observation were the main instruments used for data collection. The main design for the study was action research. The collected data was analyzed with the help of frequency distribution table, using pre-test and post-test as a method of obtaining data. The challenges of the study include; insufficient time for practical activity lessons, abstract methods of teaching, inadequate teaching\ learning resources and teachers' pedagogical knowledge about the course. The results of the study showed that learners' mouse skills may be improved by the use of optical mouse, self-instructional software and giving students enough time during practical sessions. It is therefore recommended that, Ghana Education Service should equip all Basic schools across the country with several types of educational software's, in addition in-service training on ICT should be provided for all teachers, and finally, much time should be allotted for ICT practical activity lessons.
Keywords: ⛔ No DOI found

How equitable are South-North partnerships in education research? Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa - Asare, Samuel; Mitchell, Rafael; Rose, Pauline (Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 2020)
This article explores equity with respect to South-North partnerships in the context of education research involving scholars based in sub-Saharan Africa. Drawing on large-scale bibliometric analysis of over 1,000 publications published in English between 2010 and 2018, it finds that participation in such partnerships favours a relatively small number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa. These collaborations appear to be reproducing gender imbalances in authorship. Complemented by interviews with 31 researchers based in the region, it further identifies examples of asymmetrical relationships alongside more positive partnerships and practices. Scholars based in sub-Saharan Africa were more likely to view partnerships initiated by researchers based in the region as equitable.
Keywords: Education; South-North research partnerships; sub-Saharan Africa; sustainable development goals

Annual Status of Education Report: ASER-Pakistan 2019 (National) - ASER (2020)

Annual Status of Education Report ASER-PAKISTAN 2019 Urban - ASER (2020)

Annual Status of Education Report 2019 - ASER Pakistan (2020)

Atlassian Team Playbook - Build strong teams with Plays - Atlassian (Atlassian, 2020)
Plays are free workshop resources for addressing common team challenges and starting important conversations.

System (In)Coherence: Quantifying the Alignment of Primary Education Curriculum Standards, Examinations, and Instruction in Two East African Countries - Atuhurra, Julius; Kaffenburger, Michelle (RISE Programme Working Paper Series, 2020)

Check GES Ghana Learning TV (GLTV) Timetable For JHS, Primary, KG: How To Scan For GLTV - Avenuegh Online Portal (2020)
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has officially released the Ghana Learning TV (GLTV) timetable for

How could COVID-19 hinder progress with Learning Poverty? Some initial simulations - Azevedo, João Pedro (2020)

Learning poverty in the time of COVID-19: a crisis within a crisis - Azevedo, Joao Pedro (World Bank, 2020)

Learning Poverty: Measures and Simulations - Azevedo, João Pedro (World Bank Group, 2020)

Adolescence in the Time of Covid-19: Evidence from Bangladesh - Baird, Sarah; Seager, Jennifer; Sabarwal, Shwetlena; Guglielmi, Silvia; Sultan, Maheen (2020)
This note examines the effects of COVID-19 and subsequent economic and educational disruptions on adolescent well-being in Bangladesh. The analysis is based on data from 2,095 in-school adolescents aged 10–18 collected preCOVID-19 (February–March 2020) through a field survey for an ongoing impact evaluation, and a follow-up virtual survey undertaken early in the pandemic (May–June 2020). Findings show large household-level economic impacts associated with increased food insecurity, anxiety, and mental health issues among adolescents. In addition, school closures have decreased adolescents’ access to learning, increased time spent on household chores, and affected future job aspirations. The impacts are particularly large for girls and for adolescents from more vulnerable households. Policy makers need to consider policies that facilitate school return, targeting girls and the most vulnerable. They also need creative school-based programming to address the likely long-run physical and mental health effects of COVID-19 on young people.

Governance of student data - Barrett, Lindsey (UNICEF, 2020)
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Pivot Stories: BEC Members Continue to Meet New Learner Needs during COVID-19 - Basic Education Coalition (Basic Education Coalition, 2020)
The Basic Education Coalition (BEC) developed this document to highlight how international education programs are adapting to meet new learner needs that have emerged due to the COVID-19 crisis. This new, updated version of the document includes even more examples of adaptations from implementers.

Transition to online education in schools during a SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Georgia - Basilaia, Giorgi; Kvavadze, David (Pedagogical Research, 2020)
The situation in general education in Georgia has changed in the spring semester of 2020, when the first case of coronavirus COVID-19 infection was detected rising to 211 local and more than 1,5 million infection cases worldwide by the Apr. 8. 2020. Georgia became one of 188 countries worldwide that has suspended the education process. The paper studies the capacities ofthe country and its population to continue the education process atthe schools in the online form of distance learning, study reviews the different available platforms and indicates the ones that were used by the support of the government, such as online portal, TV School and Microsoft teams for public schools and the alternatives like Zoom, Slack and Google Meet, EduPage platform that can be used for online education and live communication and gives examples of their usage. Authors made a case study, where the Google Meet platform was implemented for online education in a private school with 950 students, shows the usage statistics generated by the system for the first week of the online education process. Results confirm that the quick transition to the online form of education went successful and gained experience can be used in the future. The experience and studies can be useful for other countries that have not found the ways of transition yet. The lesson learned from the pandemic of 2020 will force a generation of new laws, regulations, platforms and solutions for future cases, when the countries, government and population will be more prepared than today.

What does Tanzania’s move to lower-middle income status mean? - Battaile, William G. (World Bank Blogs, 2020)
On July 1, 2020, the World Bank announced that the Tanzanian economy had been upgraded from low to lower-middle income status. So, what does that mean? Below, we answer some of the most frequently asked questions about this global exercise and what it means for Tanzania.

Coronavirus: John Magufuli declares Tanzania free of Covid-19 - BBC (BBC News, 2020)
President John Magufuli says prayers have helped eliminate the deadly virus from the country.

Modelling the learning process #1: What is a pedagogical production function—and how does it help us understand student learning? - Belafi, Carmen (RISE Programme, 2020)

Escasez de docentes en Latinoamérica: ¿Cómo se puede medir y que políticas están implementando los países para resolverlo? - Bertoni, Eleonora; Elacqua, Gregory; Marotta, Luana; Martínez, Matias; Méndez, Carolina; Montalva, Veronica; Olsen, Anne Sofie; Santos, Humberto; Soares, Sammara (Inter-American Development Bank, 2020)

Supporting teachers during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic - Beteille, Tara (2020)
Supporting teachers during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic

Three Principles to Support Teacher Effectiveness During COVID-19 - Beteille, Tara; Ding, Elaine; Molina, Ezequiel; Pushparatnam, Adelle; Wilichowski, Tracy (World Bank, 2020)
Keywords: ___working_potential_duplicate

Ready to Learn: Before School, in School, and beyond School in South Asia - Béteille, Tara; Tognatta, Namrata; Riboud, Michelle; Nomura, Shinsaku; Ghorpade, Yashodhan (World Bank Publications, 2020)
Countries that have sustained rapid growth over decades have typically had a strong public commitment to expanding education as well as to improving learning outcomes. South Asian countries have made considerable progress in expanding access to primary and secondary schooling, with countries having achieved near-universal enrollment of the primary-school-age cohort (ages 6-11), except for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Secondary enrollment shows an upward trend as well. Beyond school, many more people have access to skill-improving opportunities and higher education today. Although governments have consistently pursued policies to expand access, a prominent feature of the region has been the role played by non-state actors, private nonprofit and for-profit entities, in expanding access at every level of education. Though learning levels remain low, countries in the region have shown a strong commitment to improving learning. All countries in South Asia have taken the first step, which is to assess learning outcomes regularly. Since 2010, there has been a rapid increase in the number of large-scale student learning assessments conducted in the region. But to use the findings of these assessments to improve schooling, countries must build their capacity to design assessments and analyze and use findings to inform policy.
Keywords: 21st Century Skills; Access to Education; Administrator Role; Barriers; Child Development; Child Health; Early Childhood Education; Educational Attainment; Educational Equity (Finance); Educational Finance; Educational Policy; Educational Quality; Elementary Secondary Education; Equal Education; Faculty Development; Foreign Countries; Gender Bias; Global Approach; Governance; Government Role; Higher Education; Inservice Teacher Education; Job Skills; Nutrition; Parenting Skills; Preschool Education; Preservice Teacher Education; Principals; Private Schools; Public Education; Public Policy; Readiness; Skill Development; Teacher Competencies; Teacher Qualifications; Teacher Salaries; Technology Integration; Technology Uses in Education

Does EdTech Substitute for Traditional Learning? Experimental Estimates of the Educational Production Function - Bettinger, Eric; Fairlie, Robert; Kapuza, Anastasia; Kardanova, Elena; Loyalka, Prashant; Zakharov, Andrey (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2020)
Experimental studies rarely consider the shape and nature of the education production function, which is useful for deriving optimal levels of input substitution in increasingly resource constrained environments. Because of the rapid expansion of EdTech as a substitute for traditional learning around the world and against the backdrop of full-scale temporary substitution due to the coronavirus pandemic, we explore the educational production function by using a large randomized controlled trial that varies dosage of computer-assisted learning (CAL) as a substitute for traditional learning. Results show production is concave in CAL. Moving from zero to a low level of CAL, the marginal rate of technical substitution (MRTS) of CAL for traditional learning is greater than one. Moving from a lower to a higher level of CAL, production remains on the same or a lower isoquant and the MRTS is equal to or less than one. The estimates are consistent with the general form of a Cobb-Douglas production function and imply that a blended approach of CAL and traditional learning is optimal. The findings have direct implications for the rapidly expanding use of educational technology worldwide and its continued substitution for traditional learning.

EdTech in Indonesia: Ready for Take-off? - Bhardwaj, Riaz; Yarrow, Noah; Calì, Massimiliano (World Bank Group, 2020)

E-readiness of senior secondary school learners to online learning transition amid COVID-19 lockdown - Bhaumik, Rikisha; Priyadarshini, Anita (Asian Journal of Distance Education, 2020)
In the backdrop of recent COVID-19 lockdown, the school learners across the country have had the opportunity to experience online mode of learning. This study attempts to find out e-readiness of senior secondary school learners for transition to online learning along with their views on this mode of learning transaction. Quantitative descriptive survey method was used for the purpose of this study. A questionnaire comprising 20 Likert-type items covering four dimensions, viz. access, digital literacy and e-readiness, delivery of online learning, and online load, was administered on a 100-student sample from different schools of Delhi using non-probability sampling. Access to online learning and online load on learners were found to be high. The study also revealed that only 35.2% learners found online classes as effective as face-to-face classes. The delivery of online learning by teachers and digital skills of learners were found lacking. The geographical scope of the study is limited to National Capital Region of Delhi which has better smartphone penetration and internet access as compared to other states in India. The study concludes that online pedagogy and digital skills of teachers and learners need to be strengthened for a possible roadmap ahead. The study may provide useful insights into the challenges of online learning and areas for further improvement. Keywords:
Keywords: covid-19; digital access; e-readiness; online delivery; online learning

Bolo Bhi’s Analysis of the Personal Data Protection Bill 2020 - Bhi, Bolo (Bolo Bhi, 2020)
On April 10, 2020, the Ministry of Information and Technology and Telecommunications (MOITT) invited input from stakeholders on a draft Personal Data Protection Bill 2020 via email by May 15, 2020. Putting up a draft seeking stakeholder input is certainly a good step towards transparency and a collaborative, consultative process, unlike the approach adopted with …