Objective:

Schools2030 is a new globally informed, locally rooted, 10-year longitudinal action research and learning improvement program. The program works with 1,000 pioneering pre-schools, primary schools, and secondary schools across 10 countries, searching for and supporting positive deviance about what works to improve holistic, quality learning for all.

The overarching objective for the Schools2030 program is to support countries in achieving the targets set for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: “Quality Education for All”. Schools2030 uses a bottom-up school improvement model, which empowers teachers to: assess their learners on locally meaningful domains; design solutions to improve learning; use assessments to track and iterate those solutions; and then showcase the solutions to allow for broader adoption and systemic change.

In 2022, Khulisa was commissioned to design an impact evaluation of the Schools2030 program and collect the baseline data for this evaluation. Our work is divided into three components:

• The Finalized Impact Evaluation Strategy determines the impact evaluation methodology for the remaining eight years of the Schools2030 program, including sampling strategies, establishment of a counter-factual set of schools for comparison, and finalizing the key performance indicators.
• The Baseline Evaluation validates the M&E tools, collects baseline data, and analyzes these data to provide a summary of the status quo at baseline, thus forming a useful comparison at the time of the mid- and endline evaluations. In addition, the baseline evaluation serves as a guide for the program implementation, identifying where challenges are arising and adjusting the strategy as necessary.
• The Endline Impact Evaluation aims to ascertain the effect the program had on the target audience in relation to the goals and objectives set at project inception, and the extent to which Schools2030 achieved its outcomes. In addition, this final evaluation will determine what works, what does not work, and the reasons why.

Approach:

Impact Evaluation Strategy

Khulisa is committed to focusing on participatory, collaborative, and social justice agendas, recognizing and enabling donors, governments, and communities to bring their own experiences, perspectives, and characteristics to the evaluation design, implementation, and usability of the results. Our core values include utilization and quality, with clients often commenting on how helpful and participatory our work is.

Baseline Study

The baseline study will follow the finalization of the impact evaluation strategy. The baseline study, as a component of the impact evaluation, uses a modified difference-in-difference design, in which the difference between the intervention group and the comparison group is measured at three points: baseline (2023), midline (2026), and endline (2029). Our team will collect data from school principals, teachers, and education stakeholders in each country, as well as from learners through learning assessments and classroom observations developed by the Aga Khan Foundation.

Expected outcomes of the study

The baseline study is expected to demonstrate the relevance of Schools2030 in each country context and how this program has empowered teachers to innovate solutions for their learners. It is expected that teachers and principals in the Schools2030 program have greater agency and engagement in national education dialogue than teachers and principals not in the Schools2030 program. This improvement is also expected to reflect in the learning outcomes achieved by their students. The study will be used to improve the implementation of the Schools2030 program in each country, influence a generation of similar programs in other countries, and measure the impact of the Schools2030 program over time

Key Staff:

Margaret Roper

Jesse Webb

Zamo Thwala

Tamar Boddé-Kekana

Khulisa is mentioned as a global evaluation partner in the Schools2030 Annual Report: https://khulisa.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Schools2030-Annual-Report-2022-1.pdf