Core components of effective implementation: Unpacking successful educational interventions

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

There is now strong evidence for effective approaches for improving foundational learning in low- and middle-income countries, such as structured pedagogy and teaching at the right level approaches. Implementing such programmes in new contexts or at new levels of scale, however, typically requires adapting for new contextual, political, or budgetary factors. Understanding which programme components are critical for success, and which can be more readily adapted (such as to fit within a government's budget envelope), helps inform the adaptation and scaling process.
This panel will bring together innovative synthesis efforts and implementer insights on the core components of teaching at the right level and structured pedagogy programmes. Presentations will “unpack the black box” of how these interventions achieve their impact and provide findings and practical guidance on programme variations that have worked (and not worked) when scaling these programmes. The presentations bridge academic research and implementation knowledge (including from long-term collaborations in India and Ghana) to provide a rigorous and nuanced understanding of these approaches to improve foundational learning.
The first paper addresses the need for a systematic methodology to identify core components and causal principles in education interventions. While there is often focus on replicating “proven” models with fidelity, successful adaptation requires a deeper understanding of an intervention’s essential activities and the mechanisms by which these activities improve learning. Drawing on emerging approaches in building theories of how interventions work, and causal chain analysis in research synthesis, this paper presents a methodology for identifying the core components of education interventions as well as the causal principles that underly those components. The methodology is then applied specifically to teaching at the right level (TaRL) interventions. Through a detailed analysis of the evidence base on TaRL programs and interviews with TaRL implementers, the paper describes a causal model at classroom, teacher support, and operational levels for how TaRL achieves its impact. The findings further provide guidance for designing and implementing a TaRL programme in a new context or at a new level of scale.
The second paper focuses on structured pedagogy interventions, unpacking the elements that make these approaches both effective and scalable. This paper employs an innovative synthesis approach to unpack how effective structured pedagogy interventions achieve their impact, identifying essential core components that can be adapted without compromising effectiveness. To complement this analysis, the paper draws insights from implementation experiences of successfully scaled programs that have been integrated into existing government structures to identify key considerations for scaling structured pedagogy programs. The analysis also explores key challenges encountered when scaling structured pedagogy programs, including balancing fidelity and flexibility, leveraging existing systems while introducing necessary changes, and maintaining program quality amid cost pressures.
Building on these syntheses, the third paper presents a case study from a decade-long collaboration between Innovations for Poverty Action and Ghana's Ministry of Education on differentiated learning interventions. This paper demonstrates how evidence-based programs can be effectively designed, implemented, and scaled in partnership with government, exploring the progress from initial randomised control trials to a large-scale implementation in over 10,000 public schools. By sharing these experiences, we aim to demonstrate the potential for successful government-led implementation and scaling of differentiated learning interventions in sub-Saharan Africa, offering valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners in similar contexts.
The final paper describes the Scaling up Early Reading Program in India, demonstrating the implementation of a structured pedagogy approach at scale. This paper highlights how the key components of structured pedagogy, including a carefully planned scope and sequence, aligned instructional materials, and continuous teacher support, were adapted to meet diverse linguistic and cultural needs across four states in India. By examining the program's design, implementation, and outcomes, this paper offers practical insights into the challenges and successes of scaling up evidence-based literacy interventions in multilingual contexts, providing valuable lessons for governments and organisations planning similar large-scale educational initiatives.
These practical examples illustrate the application of core components of foundational learning interventions in real-world contexts, providing contextualised insights into what it takes to implement programs while also accounting for local needs. A core components framework guides the analysis across all presentations. This approach involves the review of intervention designs, implementation processes, and outcomes to identify ‘what works’ and build practical guidance for implementers. By focusing on core components for success rather than fixed program designs, the discussion offers both flexible and evidence-based guidance for adapting interventions to new contexts without compromising the potential impact of the interventions.
The discussions in this panel are framed within ongoing efforts develop a comprehensive synthesis framework for analysing and designing effective educational programs, with particular relevance for resource-constrained contexts. As such, it contributes valuable insights to the broader field of comparative and international education, aligning with CIES's mission to improve education quality worldwide.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Organizer

• Heather Leigh Kayton, What Works Hub for Global Education, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford

Chair

• Michelle Kaffenberger, What Works Hub for Global Education, Georgetown University

Individual Presentations

• The analysis of core components and causal principles in education programs: The case of teaching at the right level - Matthew Jukes, RTI International; Jonathan Stern, RTI International; Michelle Kaffenberger, What Works Hub for Global Education, Georgetown University; Yue-Yi Hwa, What Works Hub for Global Education, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford; Noam Angrist, Youth Impact; What Works Hub for Global Education, University of Oxford

• Scaling structured pedagogy programs: A synthesis of evidence - Heather Leigh Kayton, What Works Hub for Global Education, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford; Yue-Yi Hwa, What Works Hub for Global Education, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford; Michelle Kaffenberger, What Works Hub for Global Education, Georgetown University

• Implementing differentiated learning interventions in Ghana: The case of STARS - Kanan Dubal, Innovations for Poverty Action; Henry Atimone, Innovations For Poverty Action

• Taking structured pedagogy to scale: A case study of the scaling-up early literacy intervention in India - Saktibrata Sen, Room to Read india; Christabel Pinto, Room to Read