Why local systems need a “policies manual” to sustain literacy gains

• In Event: Harmonizing Aid to Improve Literacy Outcomes: Making an impact in Zambian schools

Abstract

The panel will bring into focus the importance of building on existing ministry structures to sustain learning gains at the school level. Local systems depend more on “nudging and influencing” in the right places, right people and at the right times. In the case of STEP-Up Zambia project, which focuses on policy reforms to support improved primary school literacy, experience to date shows that in order to sustain school improvements for the long term, it is critical to focus on district leadership and management practices used to support their school district. Structural reforms, such as the introduction of an improved curriculum, require clear policies and practical guidelines to provide districts managers, school principals and local leaders with a road map to implement such reforms at the local level. However, in Zambia, we found that such reforms assumed an understanding of what a “good” school should look like and what a “good” school district manager does to manage his/her schools. During the first year of curriculum roll out, it became clear that the management structures at the zonal, district, and provincial levels were not prepared to properly support the reform in learning at the school level. While schools are making strides in early grade reading, local education managers are still catching up with a “manual of instructions” on how to manage this curricular reform. Policies and guidelines need to be put in place quickly in order for district managers, school principals, and parents to monitor the district’s performance. Successful reform lies in achieving a paradigm shift in how districts and provincial leaders measure success not just in inputs (i.e., enough teachers, enough books, acceptable pupil-teacher ratios) but by monitoring learning outcomes through continuous assessment in schools.

Author

• Sergio Ramirez, Chemonics International