Understanding What Works in Education Outcomes Funds: Mixed-Methods Evidence from SLEIC

• In Event: Beyond the Pilot: Mainstreaming Outcomes-Based Financing (OBF) to Drive Systemic Education Reform

Proposal

As education systems increasingly prioritize accountability and measurable impact, outcomes-based financing (OBF) has emerged as a compelling mechanism for driving results. The Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge (SLEIC) is one of the most extensive applications of OBF in the education sector to date. Jointly designed by the Government of Sierra Leone and the Education Outcomes Fund (EOF), this three-year, $18 million initiative (2022–2025) aims to improve foundational literacy and numeracy for over 134,000 students across 325 primary schools. Five implementing partners (IPs) are engaged in delivering interventions aligned with national education priorities.

Unlike traditional input-based funding models, SLEIC ties disbursements to verified improvements in student outcomes. This structure incentivizes IPs to continuously refine their approaches, fostering a dynamic environment for innovation and adaptation. This presentation draws on findings from two complementary studies conducted by the What Works Hub for Global Education (WWHGE) and Ecorys. Together, these studies seek to:

- Identify which interventions most effectively support national education goals, including student retention, gender equity, and learning outcomes.
- Examine how OBF influences stakeholder behavior, and assess its implications for program implementation and performance.


WWHGE Outcomes Fund Study: Sierra Leone

Drawing on the full 650 SLEIC school sample, this study examines the impact of implementing partner activities on intermediate outcomes (student time-off task in the classroom, teacher absence from school, student engagement in educational activities outside of school, and teacher numeracy) and final outcomes (student foundational literacy and numeracy on low-stakes assessments and non-cognitive skills such as grit and growth mindset). Complementing these quantitative measures, qualitative evidence from in-depth interviews provides insights into how IPs adapt their practices, as well as their successes and challenges. Together, this research provides evidence on not only what changes occur under an OBF mechanism but also offers insights into how and why these changes take place. 

The Effects of Outcomes-Based Financing on Stakeholder Relationships, Values, and Capabilities

Ecorys conducted three waves of qualitative data collection over the course of the program, including interviews with key stakeholders and site visits to schools. These visits involved consultations with teachers, parents, community members, and students. Findings from the data reveal three domains in which OBF has influenced stakeholder behavior:

- Relationships: Increased collaboration has been observed across most stakeholder groups, with evidence suggesting that this is largely driven by OBF. OBF has introduced new modes of engagement, both among IPs and between partners and investors.

- Values, perceptions, beliefs: By the second year of implementation, stakeholders showed a stronger emphasis on outcomes and accountability. This shift appears to be influenced by the incentive structures embedded in the financing model.

- Technical capabilities: There is strong evidence of improved performance management systems. There is also good evidence that SLEIC supported innovative and improved adaptive management and course correction among IPs. Stakeholders attributed innovation and adaptive management to OBF.

Together, these complementary studies provide a nuanced understanding of how OBF mechanisms influence both educational outcomes and the institutional behaviors that underpin program success.

Authors

• James Ronicle, Ecorys

• Abdulai Benedict Conteh, The Education Outcomes Fund

• Jennifer Opare-Kumi, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford

• Clare Leaver, RISE Programme, University of Oxford