Data-Driven School Improvement - Opportunities, Challenges, and Scalable Solutions

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Credit
GPE/Kelley Lynch

Project Abstract

This project explored how education systems in Pakistan and Nepal can better use school-level data to drive improvements in teaching, learning, and equity. It focused on scaling the School Improvement Framework (SIF)—an innovative, cost-effective tool built on existing Education Management Information Systems (EMIS)—to support school-level decision-making and system-wide reform.

The project demonstrated that when data is organized and interpreted effectively, it can empower schools to identify needs, take action, and improve outcomes for all students, especially those from marginalized groups.  

Project Details

Completed
Implementing Organization(s):

Implementing Countries:

Main Theme:

Duration:

24 months

End Date:

May 2024

Project Impacts: Policy and Practice

The project catalyzed policy and practice changes across multiple levels of government and education systems:

Pakistan

  • The Pakistan Institute of Education (PIE), under the Ministry of Federal Education, endorsed the use of project findings to improve data integration and standardization.
  • The Director of EMIS in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa urged adoption of the SIF model based on project findings.
  • Provincial governments in KP and Punjab began integrating SIF dashboards into school-level planning and monitoring.
  • The Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED) and Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS SOE) engaged in collaborative policy dialogues to explore scaling strategies.

Nepal

  • The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) and Center for Education and Human Resource Development expressed interest in adapting SIF-like innovations to Nepal’s decentralized education system.
  • Knowledge exchange sessions helped contextualize data-driven models for Nepal’s new 10-year School Education Sector Plan.

Cross-Country Learning

  • South-South knowledge exchange webinars and ROSIE conferences facilitated regional collaboration and shared learning on scaling education innovations. 
“The school status indices under SIF are an eye-opening and useful method of organizing and reporting data for school improvement.”
Government Official, Nepal MoEST

Updates and Activities

Research Outputs