Primary and Secondary Education Evidence Gap Map

Enrolment

The number of students registered for education at the start of primary/secondary education or a given grade year.

Attendance

A measure of the proportion of total school days for which enrolled students are present during the period in which a school is in session.

Learning and achievement

Outcomes assessing children’s learning, whether based on test scores or other measures of skills and learning.

Dropout

The number of children that enrolled in school but at some point in the year ceased to attend.

Cognitive outcomes

Any measure of children's cognitive functioning or problem solving skills

Progression and completion

The number of students completing a given grade or primary/secondary education.

Teacher attendance

A measure of the proportion of total school days for which teachers are present.

Teacher performance

Any measure of teachers’ knowledge, practice, motivation or satisfaction.

Scholarships

Programmes providing scholarships and allowances to households aim to cover all or some of the costs associated with education, including school fees, uniforms and books.

School-based health interventions

School-based health programs include interventions to prevent or treat illness that are delivered to children at school.

School feeding interventions

School feeding programmes typically aim to improve the general health of children, provide a safety net for vulnerable and food insecure families, and improve children’s ability to learn. Such interventions fall into two categories: the traditional school feeding programme, where children are provided with meals in school, and take-home ration programmes where children are provided with food in school which they can take home to their family.

Providing information to children interventions

Interventions of this type will typically involve providing information to the students about the future potential returns to schooling.

Cash transfer interventions

Cash transfers are typically divided into Unconditional Cash Transfers (UCTs) and Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs). UCTs provide small cash sums to households to increase their income and the cash transfer is not conditional on any particular behaviour, such as school enrolment or attendance. CCTs, on the other hand, provide cash sums to households conditional on certain behaviours, such as attending school.

Reducing or eliminating user fees

Interventions to reduce or eliminate school user fees include removing all or some of the direct costs of schooling, for instance by providing school uniforms for free, or through the elimination of tuition fees

Providing information to parents interventions

Interventions providing information to parents aim to improve schooling outcomes by changing parents’ behaviour in some way, typically by providing parents with information about the benefits and future returns to education.

Instructional approach, content, time and organisation

Instructional approach, content, time and organisation interventions include a broad range of programmes that aim to adapt or improve educational content, the methods by which it is taught, or the time available for instruction.

New schools and infrastructure interventions

Providing materials interventions

Interventions include any intervention providing ‘traditional hardware’ material such as books, chalkboards or other classroom equipment.

Computer-assisted learning

Computer assisted learning interventions (CAL) use computers, either in the form of lap-tops or computer labs, to aid or support children’s learning.

Remedial education

Remedial classes or tutoring target those children seen to be most in need with tailored additional content.

Teacher incentives interventions

Interventions providing teacher incentives and promoting accountability seek to improve the working conditions in schools so that teachers are motivated to come to work and improve their performance. Such interventions take many forms, such as providing direct payments to teachers based on their attendance or based on the achievement of their students

Teacher hiring interventions

Teacher hiring interventions are designed to increase the number and the quality of teachers in schools.

Teacher training interventions

Training interventions vary widely and include initial training for under-qualified or untrained teachers, general professional development training (in-service) or wider training programmes designed to inform all teachers about changes to the curriculum

School-based management interventions

School-based management (SBM) interventions involve de-centralising authority to the school level to improve the quality of school administration and leadership.

Community-based monitoring and accountability interventions

Community based monitoring and accountability interventions seek to improve the representation of communities in which service providers, governments, or other public bodies operate.

Public-private partnerships and private provision of schooling

Public private partnerships and private provision of schooling may seek to increase parents’ and students’ choice, provide supply of schooling when there is none, or improve the quality of education provided.