Implementation science in action: Improving fidelity and impact of differentiated learning in Ghana

• In Event: Beyond RCTs: Developing and implementing right fit rigorous evaluation approaches toward improving children's foundational learning at scale

Proposal

The government of Ghana is scaling-up Differentiated Learning (DL) to 16,000 schools in a phased way to improve foundational learning in reading and math. DL instruction: (i) groups students by level based on assessments for four hours (weekly) of targeted instruction and (ii) breaks free of "chalk and talk" and uses engaging, fun class activities. It also includes coaching and mentoring support for teachers. The World Bank is supporting Government of Ghana in the scale-up and in using Implementation Science to address implementation barriers, enhance implementation fidelity, and maximize impact. In this paper, we will discuss the approach, insights, and implementation enhancements undertaken as a part of this work. The team began with an implementation assessment, a school-level data collection structured to surface political, managerial, and technical barriers to DL success, as well as collect student learning outcomes data. These results showcase the high buy-in and ownership of the DL program at the school level, but also the gap between what teachers claim is happening vs. what classroom observations show is happening. They also help identify three key domains with big fidelity gaps: lesson preparation, use of group activities, and assessing/tracking student progress. As DL is scaled to more schools, these results are being used to inform adjustments to training, design, and implementation planning. This paper will include a discussion on how best to use this approach to maximize impacts in Ghana and elsewhere.

Authors

• Marla Spivack, The World Bank Group

• Shwetlena Sabarwal, World Bank

• Ama Blankson-Anaman, The World Bank Group