Leading from the middle: new evidence about the role of the middle tier of education systems to improve foundational learning outcomes

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

Current evidence about improving foundational learning outcomes indicates that many elements are required, including effective instruction, quality curricula that is supported by appropriate teaching and learning materials, sufficient instructional time, as well as effective school leadership and parental engagement. Additionally, research indicates that effective leadership and support from the middle tier of education systems is essential to create and sustain positive change in foundational learning outcomes.

Countries are making major investments in building the strength of the middle tier of education systems by updating policies and job descriptions, expanding roles and capacities, and shifting expectations and priorities from administrative functions to more active support of and engagement with schools to improve learning outcomes. Most policies acknowledge the middle tier as a pathway to scale and most technical assistance programs rely upon the middle tier to continue critical elements of programs, and yet the evidence indicates that instructional leadership and support from the middle tier is far from optimized and not sufficient to scale and sustain strong foundational learning outcomes.

There have been recent efforts to capture existing evidence about the role of the middle tier in improving learning outcomes in developing country contexts (for example, Asim et al (2023) Cilliers, J. and Oza, S. (2020), Crouch, L. (2020), Education Development Trust and UNESCO (2023), Honig, M. I. (2008)). Additionally, a range of international funders, researchers and implementing organizations are expanding their investments to build new evidence about how to build the middle tier’s effectiveness with respect to improving foundational learning instructional quality and learning outcomes. This field of research however is very nascent, and the evidence has not settled on a strong, well-tested theory of change that is generalizable across systems. Additionally, fundamental questions remain about the domains and lines of inquiry middle-tier research should focus on and how to measure the relevant domains.

This panel will address critical evidence and measurement gaps and bring new research from several countries in Africa as well as India to the fore. The first presentation draws on a mixed methods study of three district education directorates in Ghana and identifies how and why district education offices differ in their management and instructional support to schools. It utilized nationally-representative survey data on district management practices and 75 semi-structured sub-national interviews conducted over two years. This paper also proposes a new conceptual framework to understand how context, discretion and leadership interact with competing institutional logics to shape district management and instructional support practices and drive variation. This paper contributes to research and policy on how the middle tier in LMICs can play a stronger instructional leadership and support role with schools. Insights from this research can also contribute to improved policy design and implementation, as well as capacity building for district offices as leaders in supporting teaching and learning in schools.

The second presentation will share the findings of a mixed-method middle tier study in Rwanda that utilized a positive deviance design and explored new areas of measurement, including an adapted social network analysis and time use study. Nine different respondent types (e.g., political leadership, district technical staff, school staff) across two districts are included in the sample (twenty-three semi-structured interviews and seventy surveys in total), with an emphasis on the school-facing support staff. In keeping with a positive deviance approach, the study is exploratory in nature and utilized appreciative inquiry methods with a mix of qualitative and quantitative data collection.​ The study captured phenomena not previously identified in prevalent theories of change about strengthening the middle tier of education systems. To complement the exploratory stance, the study also measured domains commonly identified as relevant to improving the functioning of the middle tier, including Leadership & Management, Knowledge & Skills, Responsibilities & Norms, Accountability & Incentives, Influence & Decision Making, Engagement with Data and Resources & Time Use. This research fills important gaps at the sector and country level about what matters in terms of middle tier characteristics and actions to improve foundational learning outcomes. Findings from the study support improved policies and technical assistance to strengthen the middle tier’s contribution to improved learning outcomes.

The third paper is focused on applied research from three Indian states. Grounded in diagnostic data on the district structure and staff, an applied research study was conducted in three states across India. The study began with a detailed profiling of 878 Teacher Mentors, which included surveys of Teacher Mentors’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes as well as independent observations of training and coaching as delivered by Teacher Mentors. The results of the profiling led to a differentiated capacity building program for Teacher Mentors aiming to strengthen their capabilities through targeted interventions and professional development. The differentiated capacity building program included tailored behavior change strategies, soft skills development, FLN knowledge and pedagogical skills development, and capacity building for the analysis and use of data to inform instruction and support students. The paper presents the findings of an evaluation of the effectiveness of this differentiated capacity-building initiative.

The final presentation will offer a summary of the evidence and how the evidence maps to a provisional theory of change for the middle tier’s contribution to improved learning outcomes. The provisional theory of change reflects on the relative importance and strength of evidence for the major components of the theory and it is undergirded by case studies across four countries in Africa and Asia.. Additionally, this paper challenges the conventional approach to education system research that focuses on bureaucratic structures, job descriptions, and formally articulated policies and processes. Rather, this paper proposes the integration of social network analysis, informal influence mechanisms, and a functional lens into the conceptualization of and research on the middle tier of education systems.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Organizer

• Christine Beggs, Alternatives in Development

Chair

• Joseph DeStefano, Independent Consultant

Individual Presentations

• The middle tier and improving foundational literacy outcomes: new evidence from best practice districts in Rwanda - Christine Beggs, Alternatives in Development; Sheena Bell, O.I.S.E. University of Toronto

• What explains variation in district support to schools? The role of context, leadership and institutional logics. - Sheena Bell, O.I.S.E. University of Toronto

• Evaluating the effectiveness of differentiated capacity building for teacher mentors: insights from applied research across three Indian states. - Dhir Jhingran, Language and Learning Foundation; Shveta Lall, Language and Learning Foundation

• The middle-tier of education systems: what does good look like? Lessons from five interventions in Africa and Asia. - Clio Dintilhac, BMGF