The Indispensable Role of Education

The Indispensable Role of Education | (News and Research 383)

In South Africa, the Western Cape is using partnerships to improve education | David Maynier, Western Cape Minister of Education: Studies show a worrying gap between what pupils are learning and what employers need: “As we move forward we must redouble our efforts to forge closer partnerships with the private sector, particularly to expedite investment in school infrastructure in the province. Here in the Western Cape we are actively pursuing such collaborations. By supporting initiatives such as Wesgro’s Edu Invest initiative, which facilitates private sector investment into education, we are leveraging the strengths of both sectors to drive educational excellence while fortifying the regional economy. Corporate social investment (CSI) is another avenue for making a real difference. It’s no surprise that education garners significant attention from companies seeking to have a meaningful effect. Recent research conducted by CSI consulting firm Trialogue shows that CSI spending in SA experienced a real increase of 1% from 2022, reaching R11.8bn in 2023… To address these challenges it is crucial for all stakeholders to rally behind a shared vision for education, particularly in light of the fiscal pressures imposed by the national government. To this end we extend our gratitude to the numerous corporations, non-governmental organisations, and individuals who consistently champion educational initiatives across our province. Collaboration with the private sector and local communities is essential as we navigate these fiscal constraints. This endeavour demands a collective commitment, collaborative spirit and a readiness to embrace innovative approaches. We must assist the philanthropic endeavours of the private sector to reach areas of greatest need, while simultaneously leveraging emerging technologies to enhance accessibility and opportunity. As we do so, we must not lose sight of the indispensable role of education in propelling our growth narrative forward, and we must leverage all available resources to support quality education in the Western Cape.

Ensuring an Equal Start for All Pakistani Children: What Will It Cost? | Alam, Hasan, Hentschel | This paper estimates the cost of expanding access to early childhood education. Three packages are considered: (i) business-as-usual; (ii) core service delivery package; (iii) augmented service delivery package. It considers how these costs might vary using alternate delivery mechanisms, such as community construction and vouchers.

Early Learning in South Punjab, Pakistan: Investigating Child Development and Classroom Quality | Seiden, Hasan, Luna | This paper describes the state of classroom quality in 1,395 classrooms and the early childhood development status of 8,249 children in a representative sample of 894 public schools in South Punjab, using two measurement tools: The Teach ECE classroom observation tool, which describes the structural and process quality features of classrooms, and the Anchor Items for the Measurement of Early Childhood Development Direct Assessment which reports on early learning and developmental outcomes of children aged 4 to 6 years. The paper finds key gaps in the foundational skills of young children and areas for improvement in both the physical classroom and teaching practices.

Teacher-led innovations to improve education outcomes: Experimental evidence from Brazil | Piza,  Zwager, Ruzzante, Dantas, Loureiro | A program in Brazil that empowers public school teachers, through a combination of technical assistance and earmarked funding, to design and introduce locally adapted pedagogical innovations, improves learning and school progression.

Impacts of a Large-Scale Parenting Program: Experimental Evidence from Chile | Carneiro, Galasso, Lopez, Bedregal, Cordero | A large-scale experimental evaluation of a national parenting program in Chile finds children whose parents are offered the opportunity to participate in this program increase their vocabulary and socioemotional development scores by 0.1 standard deviations, mirrored by similar improvements in caregiver’s parenting behaviors and beliefs.

The effect of school grants on test scores: experimental evidence from Mexico | Romero, Bedoya, Yanez-Pagans, Silveyra, de Hoyos | A program in Mexico that provides schools with cash grants had no impact on student test scores.

Evidence-based teaching: effective teaching practices in primary school classrooms | Carter, Molina, Pushparatnam, Rimm-Kaufman, Tsapali, Wong | Using the Teach Primary framework, this article examines evidence regarding effective instructional practices in primary school classrooms, with highlighted examples from low- and middle-income countries.

Teaching for all? Measuring the quality of inclusive practices across eight countries | Molina, Carter, Luna, Pushparatnam, Singal | This article uses the Universal Design for Learning Framework and Teach observation tool to examine use of inclusive teaching practices across eight countries and their relationship to other teaching quality behaviors. Findings show that while teachers spent over 87% of class-time on task, most did not implement high-quality inclusive practices.

Study: Lengthy School Closures Were Especially Hard on High-Achieving Students | Wright | To gauge the magnitude of global learning loss during the pandemic, a team at the World Bank examined data from the Program for International Student Assessment, which tests 15-year-olds in math, reading and science, from 2018-22. Among the report’s many notable insights is a counterintuitive finding about outcomes: In countries with the longest closures, high-achieving students experienced larger learning losses than their low- and medium-achieving peers.