Education system strengthening across Asia: a systematic review of USAID activities and critical discussion

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

The purpose of this formal group panel presentation is to hold an in-depth discussion on USAID’s investments into system strengthening across Asia over the past decade and how these efforts are situated within the broader global move to focus more intentionally and coherently on education system strengthening. The panel will discuss a 2022 empirical research study (the USAID System Strengthening Review, hereafter “the Review”) conducted by two international research organizations for the USAID Asia Bureau which reviews USAID system strengthening work in 11 Asian countries. This Review offers a qualitative evidence-based analysis relevant to the field of comparative and international education (CIE) and analyzes new data collected from a desk review of relevant project documents, reports, and evaluations, key informant interviews, multi-stakeholder survey, and three deep-dive case studies in Nepal, Cambodia, and the Philippines. The group panel will include three presentations on different aspects of the Review and include discussant commentary and critique to elicit group and audience discussion. The first panel presentation discusses a theoretical framework drawn from the RISE Programme (Pritchett 2015 and Spivak 2021) and recent analysis from the Brookings Institution’s Center for Universal Education. The Review’s central research questions are guided by these broader global trends, as well as its own analysis framework developed specifically for this study, discussed in Presentation 3. Conclusions are drawn based on this framework, and the overall discussion in Presentations 2 and 3 considers the context of USAID programming in Asia and how new knowledge provides new insights.
This group panel presentation is situated in the ongoing dialogue and investment in recent years in education system strengthening as actors are acknowledging that a piecemeal approach to reform does not yield the results they want to see. Leaders in Ministries of Education around the world and key development institutions are refocusing to think about how they can fundamentally shift all components of the system to coherently contribute to a shared purpose. Indeed, this shift has become the central focus of many initiatives: the Millions Learning initiative at the Center for Universal Education at Brookings, the RISE program, Global Partnership for Education’s 2025 Strategy (GPE, 2025), and other multilateral and bilateral investments in partner countries, including USAID.
Further, as countries try to recover from the worst effects of COVID on the education sector and other ongoing crises like regional conflict, economic downturn, and climate change, system strengthening work becomes only more important. There is a unique opportunity to shape how governments, civil society, the private sector, communities, and citizens themselves all work together: how we together undertake development of education policies, data informed decision making, capacity building, community engagement, and technology–supported dissemination of information. There are, however, gaps in the literature. While there has been significant recent research evaluating the impact of specific education interventions at a country level, and additional regional work evaluating the impact of teaching and learning reforms, there has been less work evaluating the impact specifically of USAID systems interventions. The Review will help address this gap and contribute to the thinking about how USAID programs address system strengthening and how major donors can further position their investments to enhance systems.
The Review explores how a portfolio of 20 USAID-funded Activities to improve learning outcomes for students, implemented over the past decade across 11 countries in Asia, have helped to strengthen education systems in their respective countries. The Review identifies best practices, common challenges, and gaps from across the portfolio of Activities and provides recommendations on how to improve future system strengthening support that leads to improved educational outcomes. It is a rare opportunity to examine work across one diverse region and distill key learnings from different contexts. Additionally, the Review will provide useful data and analysis to inform future programming. The Review has gathered evidence from three key data sources: a desk review, online survey, and key informant interviews. By the time the Review is complete in September 2022, it will also include data collected through three “deep-dive case studies” in Nepal, Cambodia, and the Philippines. The Review asks four key research questions regarding system strengthening:
1. What did the Activities set out to do?
2. What have the Activities accomplished?
3. What were the conditions for success?
4. What are the main learnings for future USAID Activities?
This panel presentation aligns with CIES 2023’s Sub-Theme IV: Critical Reflection on the Society and the Field of Comparative and International Education (CIE), as we will ask critical reflective questions about the role of a key donor in supporting education system strengthening, improving education for a more equitable world, and how the broader field of CIE can continue advancing the systems agenda. The panel discussion will include the broader context of education system strengthening; the history and context of USAID’s focus on systems; and the Review’s methodology, analysis framework, findings, and reflections. After the presentations, the discussant of the panel will raise critical reflective questions to further apply the findings, question assumptions, and invite audience participation.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Chair

• Meredith McCormac, RTI International

Individual Presentations

• Discussion of the overall context of systems thinking in the education sector - Meredith McCormac, RTI International

• Overview, history and context of USAID’s work in system strengthening - Mitch Kirby, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

• The USAID system strengthening review - Richard Eyre, Delivery Associates

Discussant

• Joseph DeStefano, RTI International