Paper 3: Scaling up Teacher Pay for Performance Contracts in Rwandan Schools

• In Event: From rigorous evidence to impact in the classroom: what it takes to bring evidence-based interventions to scale

Proposal

The second case study highlights the Rwanda STARS program, which builds on the success of the “Pay-for-Performance (P4P)” randomized controlled trial conducted between 2015 and 2018 (Leaver et al., 2021). The STARS program is an adaptive trial that aims to scale an evidence-informed approach to incorporating learning outcomes into teachers' performance contracts, known as imihigo. By linking teacher performance to student learning outcomes, the program seeks to create incentives for teachers to focus on improving learning results in their classrooms.

The STARS scale-up is designed as a four-year initiative that not only tests different imihigo contract models but also builds capacity for government-led implementation. This capacity-building component is essential for ensuring that the program can be sustained at scale. By piloting different approaches and collecting data on their effectiveness, the STARS program aims to refine its implementation model and adapt it to the specific needs and constraints of the Rwandan education system. The program emphasizes flexibility and iterative learning, allowing the government and its partners to adjust the program design as it scales.

Author

• Jean Leodomir HABARIMANA MFURA, Innovations for Poverty Action