Un programme de Rattrapage – Initiative pour des Assistants Scolaires Communautaires

A project with:Ghana Education ServiceGhana National Association of TeachersAbdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)

• Education Quality: Evidence from elsewhere• The problem • Remedial Education in India• Extra Teachers in Kenya• Key Insights

• Teaching Community Assistant Initiative Ghana• Context• Program Design• Research Design• Research design

Low Quality of Education

• Des progres en taux de participation, mais pas en qualite

• Pratham-JPAL 2005:– 15 % des enfants 7 -14 and

ne reconnaissent pas les lettres

– 61 % ne peuvent pas lire et comprendre une histoire

– 38% ne reconnaissent pas les nombres

• Pratham: “tous les enfants a l ecole, et apprenant”

Evidence from Elsewhere

4

Intervention Impact on Basic Skills

Providing free textbooks

Marginal (high achievers only)

Add other supplies, inputs, e.g. flipcharts

No

Ameliorer la qualite des “entrants” sans autres reformes n aident pas forcement les enfants si ils n ont pas acquis les connaissances de base

• Education Quality: Evidence from elsewhere• The problem • Remedial Education in India• Extra Teachers in Kenya• Key Insights

• Teaching Community Assistant Initiative Ghana• The context• Program Design• Research Design• Next steps

Classes de rattrapage en Inde

Balsakhi (“friend of the child”)

• Enseigner les enfants en difficulte 2h separement pendant la classe

• Classe enseignee par des enseignants communautaires (niveau lycee)

Project Design and phases

• Sample frame: toutes les ecoles in Vadodara, India– 122 Schools– Approx 6,000

children

• Tests preliminaires:– Math et langue

Baseline Comparison of Students

BAL NO BAL DifferenceSTANDARD 3Math 0.039 0.000 0.039

(0.074)Verbal 0.025 0.000 0.025

(0.082)STANDARD 4Math 0.441 0.452 -0.011

(0.019)Verbal 0.340 0.353 -0.013

(0.017)

Project Design and phases

9

122 schools

61 schools 61 schools

Program

G3 Yes

G4 No (Control)

Program

G3 No (Control)

G4 Yes

Randomization

Project design and phases

• Implementation and monitoring • Implementation by Pratham• Researchers worked with Pratham to provide

monitoring (Directly monitored attendance reports)

• Test final– Test a nouveau les connaissances en math et

language– Important: Test tous les enfants du test

preliminaire

• Impacts important: 0.25 std dev en moyenne; au moins 0.6 pour les enfants en difficulte (= 38% to 50% NEA) 10

Follow-Up Comparison

Treatment Control DifferenceSTANDARD 3Math 1.698 1.259 0.439

(0.116)Verbal 1.245 0.998 0.247

(0.103)STANDARD 4Math 1.197 0.869 0.329

(0.087)Verbal 0.916 0.621 0.295

(0.089)

• Education Quality: Evidence from elsewhere• The problem • Remedial Education in India• Extra Teachers in Kenya• Key Insights

• Teaching Community Assistant Initiative Ghana• Program Design• Research Design

Extra teacher in Kenya

• Primary Education in Kenya• Defis

– Taille des classes– Absenteeisme des professeurs– Classes heterogenes– Peu de materiaux– Taux de completion bas

• Program “Extra Professeur)– Recrutes et contrat renouvelles par les

commites des ecoles– Dans certaines classes, classe divisee par

niveau des connaissances

Research design

14

210 schools

121 schools:Extra Teacher Program

89 schoolsNo ETP

Randomization

60 schools:Spilt by ability

61 schools:Split randomly

Randomization

Tracking and Extra Teachers

• Diviser la classe par le niveau des connaissances est efficace – les resultats sont meilleurs pour tous les enfants (deux groupes)– Apres 18 mois, difference de 0.14 sd in test

scores– Un an apres la fin du programme, difference de

0.16 standard deviations

• Pourquoi?– Peut etre que les etudiants benefient d’une

instruction mieux dirigee a leur niveau, et de plus d’efforts de la part des professors

• Education Quality: Evidence from elsewhere• The problem • Remedial Education in India• Extra Teachers in Kenya• Key Insights

• Teaching Community Assistant Initiative Ghana• Program Design• Research Design

Key Insights

• Il est relativement facile d’enseigner a lire et compter aux enfants, dans une periode relativement courte, avec des materiaux simples et peu chers (Inde)

• Il est important de diriger l instruction au bon niveau. E.x en separant la classe par niveau de connaissances (Inde, Kenya)

• Il est important donc d avoir une methode simple pour identifier le niveau de connaissance de chaque enfant (Inde)

• Des individus peu qualifies peuvent etre formes dans une periode relativement courte (4 to 15 days) a enseigner les connaissances de bases en langue et maths (Inde).

• Donner aux commites des ecoles l’ autorite de recruiter et de superviser des professeurs recruites sur une base contractuelle, est efficace. (Kenya).

• Education Quality: Evidence from elsewhere• The problem • Remedial Education in India• Extra Teachers in Kenya• Key Insights

• Teaching Community Assistant Initiative Ghana• The context• Program Design• Research Design

19

The Quality Gap in Ghana

• As enrollment has swelled, quality of primary education has fallen

• Less than 20% meet proficiency standards in Math and English in P3 (NEA)

• Large regional differences – proficiency in Greater Accra 33.5%, Upper East 6.3%

• General Situation:• Teachers coping with children at a wide range of levels• Disparities in PTR between urban-rural areas: from 38:1 to 57:1

• As a consequence:• Full classes being led by untrained teachers • High teacher absenteeism 21 to 27% • Only 39% of time spent in direct instruction

The Initiative

The context • Probleme de la qualite

rendu evident par un test national (NEA)

• Il existe des systemes pour recruter des individus peu qulifies dans le system

• Il y a deja des initiatives pour ameliorer la qualite

The Teaching Community Assistant Initiative• Recruiter des

“assistants” avec le Programe d Emploi pour les Jeunes

• Leur assigner une ecole

• Role: enseigner les connaissances basiques aux enfants les plus en difficulte

• 10 jours de formation, et materiaux simples

• Supervision par les SC20

• Education Quality: Evidence from elsewhere• The problem • Remedial Education in India• Extra Teachers in Kenya• Key Insights

• Teaching Community Assistant Initiative Ghana• The context• Program Design• Research Design

The intervention process

22

Recruitment Orientation andTraining

Children Identificationand class

Monitoring of intervention

Mainstreaming

NYEP, GES and SMCs

GES Teachers Colleges

GES and NYEPSMCs, GES, GNAT and NYEP

Assistants and Teachers

•SMC Training

•NYEPcollects

Applications

•SMCs identifiesqualified

Candidates

• GES tests andscreens (criteria)

• NYEP finalizes

• Assistants:10 days

• Teachers: 2 days

• 1 day orientation for Districts reps

• Using a simple5 scale oral test

•Simple materials based on NALAP

•Focusing on basic skills – Reading and Maths

• Regular testingA part of teaching

• SMC: daily Checks on attendance and assigned task

• GES Circuit Supervisors,NYEP Coord:as part of routine job

• GNAT Coordinators: regular checks; Feedback from teachers

• Training for NYEP “graduates”?

• Having been an assistant a condition?

•Facilitate entryIn Teachers Colleges

Pourquoi le program est interessant pour un gouvernement? • Focus sur la quality et les connaissances basiques

en P1,2,3• Collaboration entre le Syndicat, le Minister de l

Education et de la Jeunesse• Les concepts de “rattrapage” on ete testes

rigoureusement• Complementarities avec le the Strategic Plan et

autres initiatives– NALAP• Tester les enfants regulierement• Opportunites pour un point d entrée vers d autres

positions pour les jeunes• Rapport cout-impact

23

• Education Quality: Evidence from elsewhere• The problem • Remedial Education in India• Extra Teachers in Kenya• Key Insights

• Teaching Community Assistant Initiative Ghana• The context• Program Design• Research Design• Next Steps

National Pilot – Impact Evaluation

A.1

Lowest performers

A.2

Best performers

C

Add an assistant. Split Class randomly

D

Train teachers only in testing and teaching low performing

E

Control

Randomly allocate 440 schools into one of the following group:

A

TCAI: Remedial education during school

B

TCAI: Remedial education after school

Randomly allocate students to teacher or assistant.

CB.1

Students assigned to regular teacher

CB.2

Students assigned to the assistant

D.1

Lowest performers

D.2

Best performers

B.1

Lowest performers

B.2

Best performers

• Education Quality: Evidence from elsewhere• The problem • Remedial Education in India• Extra Teachers in Kenya• Key Insights

• Teaching Community Assistant Initiative Ghana• The context• Program Design• Research Design• Next Steps

Next Steps

• May-September: Logitsics Pilot• September-December: Preparations for

National Pilot• December onwards: National Pilot

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