1. By: Alice Ndidde, Ward Heneveld, Lina Rajonhson and Fulgence Swai 29th March 2006 Characteristics of Effective Primary Schools in Sub Saharan Africa A Synthesis of studies in Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda.

2. Problem Statement  Investments in primary education have NOT been very effective in influencing student learning outcomes  They have emphasized policy recommendations and national programs  Most do not take into account the wide variations in realities among schools  Usually local educators’ do NOT organize and reflect on their own experience and use these reflections to improve student learning outcomes ADEA 2006 Biennial Meeting (Libreville, Gabon, March 27-31, 2006)

3. Contd..  local empowerment and financing for improvement activities are beginning to take root  These can be reinforced with a structured approach that helps local educators analyze and reflect on their schools’ realities But ADEA 2006 Biennial Meeting (Libreville, Gabon, March 27-31, 2006)

4.  Study one region/province/smaller unit at a time  Form a research team of about 20 local Inspectors of schools, pedagogical supervisors, teacher trainers, and Heads of primary schools  Team to be assisted by an experienced qualitative researcher  Select 30 schools to study, 15 with high student results and 15 with weak results One Structured Approach has been tried ADEA 2006 Biennial Meeting (Libreville, Gabon, March 27-31, 2006)

5. Contd...  Develop research design: hypothesized characteristics and indicators of an effective local school  Collect data: two researchers in each school for two days  Analyze the data: summarize for findings; analyze for priority characteristics, formulate recommendations  Prepare and disseminate a written report Carry out a four step process: ADEA 2006 Biennial Meeting (Libreville, Gabon, March 27-31, 2006)

6. This approach has been tested in four countries: Rwenzori Region in Uganda (the pilot) Toamasina Province in Madagascar Cabo Delgado Province in Mozambique Singida Region in Tanzania ADEA 2006 Biennial Meeting (Libreville, Gabon, March 27-31, 2006)

7. Research Results:  Oversight of teachers is largely perfunctory  Very little observation of teachers in the classroom  When Head pays attention to teacher preparation and student evaluation, this may influence learning  Overall, the school’s administration is not as significant for learning as hypothesized On school admin. and head teachers: ADEA 2006 Biennial Meeting (Libreville, Gabon, March 27-31, 2006)

8. Contd.  Very little variation in teaching methods: –Teachers talk –Students are engaged passively –Textbooks are available but poorly utilized  No significant difference in teaching methods between trained and untrained teachers On teachers and their teaching methods: ADEA 2006 Biennial Meeting (Libreville, Gabon, March 27-31, 2006)

9.  Teachers who prepare lessons and evaluate students regularly have better student results  Language of instruction and related issues was not studied Contd. On teachers and their teaching methods: ADEA 2006 Biennial Meeting (Libreville, Gabon, March 27-31, 2006)

10.  Learning materials, especially textbooks, are available in schools compared to ten years ago  However, classroom observations showed that:  When textbooks are used in class, they are used very formalistically Contd. On Learning Materials ADEA 2006 Biennial Meeting (Libreville, Gabon, March 27-31, 2006)

11. Contd. …  Overall, physical infrastructure is inadequate to house all students comfortably in classrooms.  While Mozambique and Tanzania, found classroom availability to be a significant characteristic,  Madagascar and Uganda did not support this conclusion (less-crowded schools)  Different conclusions suggest that there may be a threshold of crowdedness beyond which students’ results are influenced On Physical Infrastructure: ADEA 2006 Biennial Meeting (Libreville, Gabon, March 27-31, 2006)

12. Contd...  Not associated with whether the students do well on school leaving examinations, despite supervision visits being as frequent as resources probably allow. Why weak association? - Frequency of visits, breadth of purpose and topics for them - Lack of regular follow-up - Uncertainty of roles between school heads and external supervisors  Retained as a priority issue and made recommendations to strengthen local supervision. On External Monitoring and Supervision: ADEA 2006 Biennial Meeting (Libreville, Gabon, March 27-31, 2006)

13. On Community Involvement and Support:  Community involvement was found to be significantly related to students results in Madagascar and Uganda.  Reflected in larger financial contributions compared to Mozambique and Tanzania  Students’ achievement could be influenced by the general community’s collective expectations for its children’s education when economic opportunities are greater. ADEA 2006 Biennial Meeting (Libreville, Gabon, March 27-31, 2006)

14. Principle Observations from these studies  What goes on in the classroom is key  In-school professional leadership influences teachers, particularly their preparation and evaluation of students  The resources in a school are often underutilized (textbooks, teaching materials, teacher training) ADEA 2006 Biennial Meeting (Libreville, Gabon, March 27-31, 2006)

15. Contd...  Physical infrastructure may only influence learning negatively at high levels of crowdedness  Communities’ financial and in-kind help to schools may reflect their aspirations for their children, thus influencing learning  BUT priorities among characteristics that influence learning are probably unique to sub-national units: ADEA 2006 Biennial Meeting (Libreville, Gabon, March 27-31, 2006)

16. Uganda ADEA 2006 Biennial Meeting (Libreville, Gabon, March 27-31, 2006)

17. Madagascar ADEA 2006 Biennial Meeting (Libreville, Gabon, March 27-31, 2006)

18. Implications for future action: The studies reinforce the conditions for improving learning that were recognized at the last ADEA conference:  Political commitment: emphasize the focus on the classroom  Select and Sequence priorities: Assess any action for what it will do to improve what goes on between teachers and students. ADEA 2006 Biennial Meeting (Libreville, Gabon, March 27-31, 2006)

19. Contd...  Capacity building: focus on those closest to the schools.  Partnerships: Involve more public and private people from the sub-national and school levels  Learning from experience: Use strategies and activities that are based on evidence, both local and non- local ADEA 2006 Biennial Meeting (Libreville, Gabon, March 27-31, 2006)

20. Contd.. And they suggest one more condition: Recognizing potential understanding and expertise embodied in local experience  Respect that experience and those who have it  Provide training and opportunities for local educators to study their schools objectively ADEA 2006 Biennial Meeting (Libreville, Gabon, March 27-31, 2006)

21. Contd...  Expect local educators to identify, plan, and implement changes that use the evidence they have collected and analyzed  Provide funding so that local educators can use their analyses to plan and implement improvements in learning  Assess them on how much student performance improves ADEA 2006 Biennial Meeting (Libreville, Gabon, March 27-31, 2006)

22. THE END