Evaluating the Impact of Education Programming on Marginalized Adolescents Girls – A Reflection on the Nuances of Inequality

• In Event: Girls at School: Inequality and Educational Access

Proposal

In Sub-Saharan Africa, girls represent 55% of the out of school children and 52% of the out of school adolescents (UNESCO Institute of Statistics, 2015). It is widely acknowledged that marginalized girls face multiple barriers to succeed in education, particularly after they reach adolescence. Many of these barriers are rooted in traditional gender norms and power relationships, which foster and perpetuate inequality. This paper will reflect on the findings from longitudinal studies conducted by CARE under the Patsy Collins Trust Fund Initiative and DFID-funded Girls’ Education Challenge to discuss how evaluations of education programming may assess the effect of interventions on gender and social norms, and on their intersections with poverty, climate change, migration and governance. The paper will also reflect on the barriers to using complex analysis to identify nuances of inequality, ranging from data quality to the acceptance of ‘hidden’ levels of marginalization by programmers and government officials.

CARE uses its Common Indicator Framework to inform evaluation designs, looking at how girl-centered processes are being affected in four domains: attainment in school, equality, quality and empowerment. The selection of the four domains is based on emerging findings from CARE’s global programming, particularly the 10-year longitudinal studies conducted through the Patsy Collins Trust Fund Initiative. Ultimately, evaluation designs are incorporating multi-layered analysis frameworks, seeking to assess how education programming is affecting gender and social norms at the (1) school level (access, attendance, performance and retention); (2) individual level, influencing girls’ agency and ability to participate equally at the household, school and community; (3) structural level, changing school and community systems to ensure safe, secure and nurturing environments for girls and boys, and strengthening social accountability mechanisms to improve quality delivery; (5) relationships level, creating networks of support to address cultural and religious barriers to education, generating a ‘critical mass’ to transform gender norms and enable graduates to apply their skills in employment and self-employment, contributing to long-term development.

The application of multi-layered analysis frameworks resulted in an in-depth understanding of the nuances of the impact of education programming among marginalized groups, and showed a less homogeneous picture of results on learning outcomes, attendance and retention. The analysis allowed CARE to identify emerging pockets of marginalization, defined by age, household condition and vulnerability to climate change. On the other hand, the application of sophisticated analytical procedures allowed programmers to identify sub-trends in areas of progress and persistent barriers, which were used to support efforts in community engagement and advocacy with host governments on policy development and budget allocation.

Finally, the paper will reflect on the importance of better understanding changes in underlying causes of exclusion during evaluation processes, and consequently, of investing in complex analytical procedures. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the complexity of the Sustainable Development Goals requires an equally complex understanding of the intersection of barriers faced by boys and girls, and of the underlying causes related to them. It is expected that the findings may inform the investment needed to address persistent barriers to quality education and girls’ empowerment.

Authors

• Lotte Renault, CARE International

• Amanda Moll, CARE USA