Designing and Implementing EiE Research for Uptake and Use: Emerging outputs from the E-Cubed Research Fund

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

Dubai Cares committed at least 10% of all its funding for education in emergencies to research at the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit. This research envelope titled, Evidence for Education in Emergencies (E-Cubed), is coordinated by INEE and aims to strengthen the evidence base in EiE, by supporting contextually relevant and usable research, and disseminating global public goods. The E-Cubed research envelope contains $10 million USD, dispersed over a period of 5 years. Each year a new call for proposals is announced with a funding pool of roughly $2 million USD. This research envelope is unique as a global fund given that it does not designate specific thematic or geographic priorities but rather emphasizes the creation of Global Public Goods, and research that is led by or inclusive of voices local to the research context throughout the research process. The fund aims to support evidence that is “usable” from both academic and practitioner inquiries. In its fifth year (2021), E-Cubed has now funded 14 studies and is beginning to see the outputs of this research.

The COVID-19 pandemic, global struggles for racial justice and against societal inequalities, and the intensification of climate change's impacts in recent years have highlighted the importance of ALL countries understanding how to maintain quality, inclusive educational opportunities in the midst of such crises. However, there remains a lack of evidence as to what works, why, and how to promote children and youth’s learning in these challenging contexts. While donors and agencies alike have recently adopted a push for evidence-based policies, understanding that as a sector we must ensure that the little funding available supports interventions that are grounded in evidence, EiE still lags behind other sectors in evidence production.

As the EiE knowledge base grows it is imperative that we focus on how to disseminate research findings, encourage uptake, and support application of research findings across policy and practice. Despite increased demand for evidence-based policy and practice, current research and knowledge efforts are for the most part restricted to academic circles and funder-led, project specific evaluations. This creates a situation where evidence for EiE struggles to reach the majority of stakeholders that are actively engaged in EiE policy and practice, let alone the populations affected by crisis and conflict. If it does reach them, it is often not accessible, or responsive to their needs and priorities. Those who are most critical to supporting education in crisis-affected contexts end up restricted from accessing the tools, resources, or insights that they require.

A recent whitepaper from Education.org notes urgent action is needed to close the “knowing-doing” gap. The paper outlines a number of modalities through which we can design and implement EiE research for uptake and use. These recommendations include:
Promoting generation of user-oriented research focusing on evidence gaps in highest areas of need;
Building capacity for sector-wide synthesis;
Creating actionable guidance for policymakers to seize;
Working with policymakers and practitioners to turn guidance into policies and practices;
Building a culture of evidence use in education.

These recommendations build on lessons from the Regional INEE Learning Agenda Consultations, including:
Promoting research in all languages;
Promoting research across all types of emergency;
Encouraging locally-led research from design through dissemination.

This panel will provide an opportunity for a selection of E-Cubed grantees to share their emerging research findings while also discussing learnings from and innovations in structuring and designing research to inform policy and practice. Each of these projects represent a different EiE context, thematic area of inquiry, and population. They each demonstrate cases of how research projects can be structured in a way that emphasizes informing and influencing policy across different contexts, thematic areas, and populations, as well as throughout different phases of the research cycle, from the beginning stages of research design, through current research, to final dissemination and wrap up. The panel will offer a space for these projects as well as panel attendees to discuss learnings, opportunities, and challenges for designing and implementing EiE research for uptake and use.

Sub Unit

• Education, Conflict, and Emergencies SIG

Chair

• Nadeen Alalami, Dubai Cares

Individual Presentations

• The politics of educational opportunity for out-of-school children and youth: The case of accelerated education programmes (AEPs) - Ritesh Shah, University of Auckland

• Ensuring the Effective Management of Teachers in Refugee Settings: Promising policies and practices from Kenya and Uganda - Stephanie E Bengtsson, UNESCO IIEP; Helen West, Education Development Trust

• Sector-Wide Early Childhood Development and Education in Emergencies Assessment: Identifying Trends and Strategies to Strengthen Access, Equity and Quality - Liliana Ponguta, Yale University

Discussant

• Sonja H Anderson, INEE