The World Bank’s SABER: critical analyses of assumptions, operations, and consequences

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

The World Bank initiated its Systems Approach for Better Educational Results (SABER) in 2011. SABER “consists of a set of tools to help operationalize the World Bank’s Education Strategy 2020 of Learning for All. … It produces data on education institutions, analyzes and evaluates their quality … [in order to] foster structured and informed policy dialogue on how to most effectively strengthen education policies and policy implementation that can improve learning outcomes” (World Bank, 2017, 1-3). SABER has become a massive effort, thus far covering 13 domains: Early Childhood Development, Education Management Information Systems, Education Resilience Approaches, Engaging the Private Sector, Equity and Inclusion, Information and Communication Technologies, School Autonomy and Accountability, School Finance, School Health and School Feeding, Student Assessment, Teachers, Tertiary Education, and Workforce Development. In all domains, SABER seeks to “assess and benchmark education systems against global best practices” (World Bank 2018, 8) and then to diffuse its recommendations for best practices in the focal countries and around the world. To date, there have been over 400 applications of SABER, producing over 190 country reports covering more than 130 countries.
Given the global reach and influence of SABER, and the almost total absence critical analysis of this initiative, the presenters in this proposed panel session will describe and offer a range of critiques of SABER. The overall critiques of SABER concern the central focus of SABER – identifying and transferring “best practice” in education. Specifically, we examine SABER in relation to what Steiner-Khamsi (2013) has termed the “façade of universality,” the “façade of rationality,” and the “façade of precision,” Panel members also critically review three of the specific SABER domains (Teachers, School Autonomy and Accountability, and Engaging the Private Sector).
It is anticipated that the panel session will include the participation of a discussant, TBD, who will represent staff involved in the SABER initiative at the World Bank. This person will respond to the critiques offered by other panel members.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Individual Presentations

• Introduction and the façade of universality in SABER - Mark Ginsburg, University of Maryland

• The façades of rationality and precision in SABER - Steven J. Klees, University of Maryland

• SABER’s domain of teachers: A critique - Melanie J Baker, University of Maryland

• SABER’s domain of school autonomy and accountability: A critique - Hang Minh Le, University of Maryland

• SABER’s domain of engaging the private sector: A critique - Brendan DeCoster, University of Maryland