Scaling educational innovation: strategies for developing institutional collaboration in Senegal

• In Event: Scaling and systems change in international education development: perspectives of funders and implementers (Part 2)

Proposal

Implementing and scaling pedagogical innovations within the Senegalese education system requires contextually situated technical and political strategies. Associates in Research and Education for Development (ARED) is a Senegalese NGO with 30 years of experience that is currently scaling a remediation program for math and literacy. The program uses structured pedagogy, leveled instructional groups, and instruction in languages children know to support children who are at high risk of grade repetition and dropout. In scaling this program, ARED is extending and reinforcing long standing organizational strategies including Technical Working Groups (TWGs), the production and sharing of evidence, and the mobilization of champions while introducing new strategies based on process evaluations and behavioral science research.

Education systems in West Africa are rooted in global models and focused on the formalistic implementation of long standing curricula. The introduction of pedagogical innovations, while crucial to addressing low learning levels, regularly faces fierce institutional resistance as actors struggle to break out of familiar, socially and culturally sanctioned frameworks; ideas about “Real School” (Haywood Metz, 1989) that have proven almost impossible to change. ARED’s twenty years of experience in the non formal adult literacy sector and ten years of experience working in after school programs provided space to develop innovations, design tools, and test hypotheses, to promote innovation at scale. The success of this approach to date relies heavily on ARED’s ability to convince technical staff within ministries of education and on the depth and strength of ARED’s relationships with technical and political leaders.

This presentation will address ARED’s approaches to the challenges of scaling and sustaining educational innovation in the financially and politically constrained environments of Senegal and neighboring countries. This presentation will analyze institutional barriers to educational innovation, focusing on the causes of resistance to change; share strategies for collaborating with governments to develop innovative pedagogical tools through TWGs, bringing together local and international experts; highlight the importance of evaluation and research evidence in convincing technicians and decision makers; and explore the financial challenges involved in scaling and discuss options when donors cannot guarantee long-term support.

The presentation will provide the audience with a conceptual framework and operational strategies for those seeking to introduce innovations into formalistic educational systems and their research partners. Key outcomes for participants will include a clear understanding of institutional obstacles to innovation within these systems and strategies to overcome them; practical examples of co-creation of innovations with educational authorities through TWGs, in order to smooth the pathway to scale; suggestions for overcoming financial challenges and ensuring sustainable scaling; and tools, including evaluation approaches and important research questions, for mobilizing key players and creating a collaborative, learning-focused and dynamic environment conducive to innovation adoption.

Innovating in education systems is a complex task that requires patience, contextually appropriate strategies, and a commitment to collaborating with institutional players. By sharing concrete examples and proven strategies, this presentation will provide participants with ideas and tools to effectively navigate these environments and ensure that innovations bring about lasting and meaningful change.

Author

• Mamadou Ly, Associates in Research and Education for Development