The organizational and political drivers of effective district support to teaching and learning: a study of Ghana’s education districts

• In Event: Improving teaching and learning in low- and middle- income countries – what works? Evidence from studies in Ghana, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Proposal

Despite low average learning outcomes in primary and secondary education in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), there often exists great variation in education performance at the subnational level (Local Burden of Disease Educational Attainment Collaborators 2020). Indeed, pockets of high educational outcomes exist which cannot be entirely accounted for by student background, levels of resources and other contextual features. The middle tier, understood as the sub-national actors responsible for education delivery below the national and above the school level, has attracted increased interest as a driver of, and potential solution to, these education gaps (Fasana et al. 2021; Honig 2012; Leithwood, Sun, and McCullough 2019; Leithwood et al. 2019). Yet relatively little is known about how middle-tier actors in LMICs influence education policy implementation and can best support schools to improve education outcomes (Anderson, Uribe, and Valenzuela 2021; Asim et al. 2021; Channa and Faguet 2016).
Existing research on districts points to two possible sources of variation in educational performance. First, it may be differences in organizational factors, such as management practices (Anderson et al. 2021; Asim et al. 2021). These include prioritization and targeting, accountability, monitoring, and collaborative problem-solving (Williams et al. 2020). Second, local political dynamics may support or inhibit district support to teaching and learning. Yet, relatively little research exists on the politics of education in LMICs overall and especially at sub-national level (Kingdon et al. 2014). Lastly, both management practices and politics may influence levels of relational trust in districts and schools (Bryk and Schneider 2004).
Inspired by Levy et. al (2018)’s research in South African provinces, this paper explores these themes in three Ghanaian district case studies. Ghana has a decentralized education system and wide variation in district-level educational performance. The research seeks to understand why some districts with similar contextual challenges outperform others in learning outcomes in basic education. Each case explores the influence of different management practices, political dynamics and relational trust with schools on district effectiveness to improve teaching and learning. Sixty-nine semi-structured interviews and focus groups, as well as key documents, were collected for the three district cases in two distinct regions (Central, Upper West). Interviews were conducted across two time periods (2021 and 2022). Participants were primarily district education officials (management, subject specialists and inspectors) and those in the wider education ecosystem: regional management, district political actors, school heads, and teachers.
Preliminary findings suggest that while all three districts operate with the same educational responsibilities and face significant resource constraints, they each adopted different management practices, had different levels of relational trust and local political support. The ‘positive deviant’ district adopted a hybrid model which blended some top-down accountability with strong problem-solving and professional accountability. This translated to improved teaching and learning outcomes. In another district, leadership issues, lack of prioritization and turnover resulted in ineffective support for schools and poor learning achievement. Overall, this study aims to shed light on the role districts play in teaching and learning and draw lessons for effective district practice in LMICs.

Author

• Sheena Bell, O.I.S.E. University of Toronto