Scaling impact and enabling systems change: perspectives from the Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange

• In Event: Scaling and systems change in international education development: perspectives of funders and implementers (Part 1)

Proposal

This presentation will examine the usefulness of the scaling impact framing (McLean & Gargani, 2019) in contributing to systems change through a scaling process, drawing on the experiences of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX), a joint endeavor between GPE and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). In contrast to the traditional focus on expanding the size of innovation, the focus on scaling impact can avoid potential pitfalls of working narrowly to scale specific innovations, which can unhelpfully focus so much on the innovation that we lose sight of strengthening the broader system to which the innovation aims to contribute. The focus on impact can also avoid the concern that ideas of systems change or system strengthening have sometimes started from fuzzy ideas about what systems are and what it takes to change them (Faul & Savage, 2023). Moreover, while much research offers evidence of effectiveness and factors influencing education outcomes, scaling processes have remained a black box (Kovalchuk & Gilchrist, 2022) and many efforts at scaling have been ineffective.

Drawing on its work on scaling science (McLean & Gargani, 2019), IDRC has brought the framing of scaling impact into GPE KIX-supported applied research projects that aim to generate research in support of scaling the impact of promising or proven innovations in low- and middle-income countries in order to contribute to addressing their education challenges. These projects have generated insights on how to scale, including how innovations needed to be adapted and contextualized for different settings and scales. They have also offered findings about impact, costs, and cost-effectiveness and insights on how to promote gender equality, equity, and inclusion within scaling processes. Moreover, research for scaling demands different processes for doing research. Research starts with mapping scaling systems and clarifying scaling strategies (Brookings, 2021). It needs to involve the users of the research, and innovation implementers, even while it is being conducted. This presentation will share some of the successes and challenges of doing scaling research, with co-creation approaches and embedded knowledge mobilization. It will also highlight efforts of IDRC and GPE to help link research to not only the immediate stakeholders around a research problematique, but also to those involved in broader policy dialogues nationally. This includes leveraging national structures and processes related to GPE financing. In all, this presentation will share findings regarding the process and results of this research, offering insights on how education research can contribute to scaling impact with a systems perspective.

Author

• Tricia Wind, International Development Research Centre