Strengthening Education Measurement, Data, and Evaluation Systems in Colombia and Peru: Towards Greater Coherence

• In Event: Strengthening holistic learning outcome measurement systems in Colombia and Peru: From frameworks to strategies for coherence and inclusion

Proposal

Background: Systems change has been defined as “an intentional process designed to alter the status quo by shifting and realigning the form and function of a targeted system” (Foster-Fishman, Nowell, & Yang, 2007). Efforts to strengthen education systems are increasingly popular globally based on theories and emergent evidence that the impact of any individual program, strategy, or intervention is uncertain unless said program is aligned with key elements of the education system within and across stakeholders (Pritchett, 2015). However, many efforts tend to focus on supporting change in one distinct area of the system, without recognizing that concurrent changes in other parts of the system are needed to lead to the desired change. Building on the results of the mixed-methods studies undertaken to map and bound the system, in this paper we present a process for collaboratively designing strategies for strengthening education measurement, data, and evaluation systems in Colombia and Peru.

Step 1: Team-led Strategy Generation and Finalization: The research team first leveraged their expertise in education and public policy and the results of the mixed-methods studies to generate a list of strategies based on 4 criteria: (i) responsivity to key findings; (ii) potential effectiveness in facilitating alignment within the education system; (iii) feasibility; (iv) alignment with strategic partnerships. Four initial strategies were developed in Peru and five in Colombia,

Step 2: Participatory Workshop with Steering Committees: Participatory workshops were held with the steering committees, during which the integrated framework, preliminary analyses, and main takeaways were presented. Members individually brainstormed strategies to support the measurement, data, and evaluation system, and then worked collaboratively to cluster and prioritize strategies according to the same above criteria.

Step 3: Integration and Additional Information-Gathering Approach: Building upon Steps 1 and 2, the research team identified common patterns across both sets of inputs. They recognized the need for further information-gathering to support the strategy-building process, especially with sub-national policymakers and front-line service providers, including teachers and principals. These additional measures were taken to ensure that the strategies developed were well-informed and limited the likelihood of unintended negative consequences.

Step 4: Final Strategies: While all strategies were relevant within each context, one strategy was prioritized for each country based on contextual considerations, resource availability, and likelihood of positive impact. In Peru, the selected strategy aims to improve the ability to align and use social and emotional skills assessments and data at various levels through activities including: mapping assessments using a common taxonomy; working with sub-national policymakers to develop tailored assessments for use in schools serving host-country and Venezuelan refugee children; publicizing assessments and guidance materials; and advocating with stakeholders to provide school-level supports to ensure the information is useful and usable. In Colombia, the selected strategy aims to support nascent efforts to develop a national network of universities around educational research, monitoring, and evaluation. The network would partner with practice and policy organizations to generate and curate research and data in a way that allows for regional contextualization and specificity while promoting alignment and cohesion.

Authors

• Lucero ramirez, New York University

• Evelyn Seminario, NYU Global TIES for Children

• Lucia Gonzalez, University of Los Andes

• Camilo O Moreno Romero, Universidad de los Andes

• Roxane Caires, New York University