Examining mid-level government decision-making and support for scaling education impact in El Salvador, Kyrgyz Republic, Malawi, and Nepal

• In Event: Reimagining the middle tier part I: Activating potential for implementing and scaling education innovations - Investigating roles and structures

Proposal

In 2024-25, the ongoing global-research-and-support initiative from which this research comes undertook a study on the role of the middle tier in scaling innovations in El Salvador, the Kyrgyz Republic, Malawi, and Nepal. This study built on previous research into education decision-making with respect to central-level governments in LMICs (Author, 2022; Author, 2023; Author et al. 2024), and pursued two research questions: What roles do mid-level actors and their professional cultures play in decision-making about adopting, adapting, and scaling of education innovations? And what are the contours and effects of their work related to scaling sustainable impact?

Four rounds of 30- to 60-minute, semi-structured interviews in each country were conducted–two rounds in the capital city and two rounds in a rural region–for a total of 90 interviews. Interviews included government officials at the middle and central levels as well as community or private-sector representatives, technical experts, and funder and NGO personnel in order to widen the boundaries of what constitutes the middle tier.

The study found that mid-level offices and actors are mostly uninvolved in policy making or developing, adopting, and adapting innovations and leading scaling work. While this is not the only, or even primary, role of the middle tier, it is the conclusion of this study that such a situation neglects the powerful contributions that the middle tier is capable of providing. Its knowledge of local needs and contextual details, its proximity to schools and teachers, its inherent commitment to its jurisdiction, and its ‘in-between' positioning (connecting or mediating central government with local communities and municipalities) point to promising, untapped potential. The paper presents the current situations in each country with respect to middle level governance and offers recommendations for tapping into the potential of the middle tier for leveraging scaling success. The analysis and recommendations are organized around four interrelated dimensions: the political context, system structures and resources, individuals and social relationships, and external influences. The central takeaway is that finding ways to restructure, strengthen, and make improved use of the middle tier will yield exponential gains for countries wishing to transform their education systems for improved functionality and better learning outcomes.

Authors

• Brad Olsen, The Brookings Institution

• Molly Curtiss Wyss, Brookings Institution