Project Abstract

This project will adapt and scale a UNICEF-led proven innovation on data use in the education sector, known as Data Must Speak. The project responds to the need to address a global learning crisis in which many children do not reach expected standards, even when attending school. It aims to generate knowledge and improved practices on how best to unlock and use increasingly available education data to expand access and elevate school-level performance.

The research incorporates the concept of “positive deviance”: how in similar contexts, some schools achieve better results than others and how that can be leveraged to advance learning outcomes across the board by using available data within the education system.

The project will use a mixed-methods approach and will focus on testing and implementing national adaptations of the methodology, harmonizing and linking datasets, identifying best practices and enhancing the capacity of public officials and other stakeholders to exploit data.

The project will be simultaneously implemented in eight countries across Africa and Asia (Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Togo, Madagascar, Niger, Zambia, Lao PDR and Nepal), which have identified the need for better data management, both at the central and local levels, as a critical element of their Education Sector Plans. It is expected that the project will strengthen education systems and enhance education sector governance and social accountability to improve access and quality of education. 

Project Stats

Project Leader:Matt Brossard and Renaud Comba
Implementing Countries: Ethiopia, Zambia, Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Niger, Togo, Lao PDR, Nepal
Main Theme: Data Systems
Duration: 36 months