Synthesis of findings and lessons learned about cross-cutting issues

• In Event: Evaluations of USAID-Funded Education Projects: Quality Review and Synthesis of Findings (2-part panel, second part)

Proposal

As part of this study, the study team synthesized findings and lessons learned about cross-cutting questions related to gender, disability, innovative finance, information and communications technology (ICT), which are the focus of The Quality, Equity, and Sustainability (QUEST) cross-cutting team in the USAID’s Education Office. These cross-cutting questions were complemented by a synthesis of findings and lessons learned related to questions about sustainability and scaling. This review included 69 research studies, performance evaluations and impact evaluations funded by USAID and published between 2013 and 2016 that met minimum evaluation quality criteria for inclusion in the synthesis. For the sake of this study, the results about cross-cutting issues were organized in relation to each of the Education Strategy Goals.
This presentation will discuss the following results:
• For Goal 1, the review found that interventions related to gender issues were the most successful, particularly for improving gender equality in the classroom. Many project evaluations reported reducing gaps in learning between boys and girls. Other cross-cutting interventions were not as widely implemented, such as those targeted toward students with disabilities, innovative financing, or information technology. Scaling up and sustainability were frequently cited in the reports though most evaluations emphasized that more work should be done in these areas, particularly by focusing on sustainability early in project cycles and planning for scaling up of effective interventions.
• For Goal 2, the review found that less than half of the projects took the minimal step to collect gender-specific data; most programs that accomplished significant results for girls or women were not designed with gender as a consideration, but a select few incorporated gender-specific components or mainstreamed the concept throughout the design. Only one project contemplated disability with a curriculum for the deaf. While a few programs had private sector cost share, none of the programs had innovative financing mechanisms. ICT is most often employed for instructional purposes though programs have created online job platforms, education management information systems, a website for professional networking, and agriculture analysis tools that advanced academic research. Sustainability emphasizes partnerships with the private sector, acknowledging that shifts in host government priorities and donor funding for too short a time period undercut sustainability. Achieving systemic change remains a challenge when programs only reach a handful of stakeholders and certain.
• For Goal 3, the review found that the majority of the evaluations analyzed results with a gender lens but were not designed with a gender responsive theory of change or results framework. Few evaluations made reference to disabilities and innovative financing was mentioned to the extent of linking it to concerns about sustainability and future programming. A substantial number indicated the use of ICT to increase beneficiary engagement with the intervention. The majority of evaluations that mentioned sustainability discussed it in terms of barriers to sustainability and scalability due to the unstable, low-resource regions and at-risk target population addressed by the evaluated projects.

Author

• Marie-Louise Orsini, MSI