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Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial of Impact Network’s eSchool 360 Program in Rural Zambia

Project

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Learn more about AIR's social responsibility projects >>

Low- and middle-income countries have made significant progress toward placing children into schools, but student learning and achievement are often dreadfully low. Globally, approximately 387 million children of primary school age are not acquiring basic reading and mathematics skills, even though about two-thirds are in school and will complete primary school. Zambia faces many common educational challenges.

Read the midline report from this project  >>

View the inception and baseline reports >>

Impact Network’s eSchool 360 program represents a promising approach to improving educational outcomes in rural Zambia by incorporating three potentially high-impact components that could create important synergies. Each component could, on its own, have positive impacts on student outcomes by engaging the three main actors in the education system: students, teachers, and parents, respectively. However, combining these elements into a single program may be particularly impactful by working to align all three actors towards improving the educational outcomes of the students. Earlier research has suggested that these complementarities may be substantial with higher impacts from educational technology programs that include a strong focus on pedagogical practices.

The multifaceted program comprises an e-learning technology component, ongoing teacher training and professional development, and community ownership among students in community schools in rural Zambia. The e-learning component includes electricity via solar power, projectors, and tablets loaded with materials in the local language that are structured around a curriculum approved by the Zambian government.

The Evaluation

AIR has designed, and is implementing, a two-stage mixed-methods evaluation to measure the effect of Impact Network’s eSchool 360 program on learning outcomes among students in community schools in rural Zambia as well as the cost-effectiveness of any measured impacts. The use of cost-effectiveness analyses will aid in estimating the cost of achieving certain benefits, such as improvements in learning outcomes. These estimates will in turn guide policymakers in assessing the value for money of investing in the eSchool 360 program. 

The evaluation uses a cluster-randomized controlled trial in which 63 eligible schools were randomly assigned to either receive Impact Network’s eSchool 360 program (“treatment schools”) or not receive the program (“control schools”). The evaluation design began with quantitative baseline data collection and then follows with quantitative and qualitative data collection to inform the scale-up of the program one year and three years after the start of the baseline, by measuring aggregate scores on the early grade reading assessment (EGRA), early grade math assessment (EGMA), and Zambian achievement tests, and the secondary outcomes are the EGRA, EGMA, and Zambian achievement test subtasks as well as measures of oral reading fluency.

In addition to the EGRA, EGMA, Zambian achievement test, and oral reading fluency measures, we will also estimate the program impacts on school attendance and enrollment, parents’ perceptions of school and education quality, student-level aspirations, and parent-level aspirations. Using these outcome measures will enable us to determine impacts along the causal chain of the theory of change and let us examine the mechanisms underlying the program impacts.

Related Work

20 Feb 2020
Report

Midline Report for the Mixed-Methods Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial of Impact Network’s eSchool 360 Model in Rural Zambia

The eSchool 360 model implemented by Impact Network represents a promising approach to improving educational outcomes in Zambia by incorporating three potentially high-impact components that could create important synergies. This report presents the midline results of the cluster-randomized controlled trial used to determine the impact of the model.
30 Apr 2018
Report

Baseline Report for the Mixed-Methods Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial of Impact Network’s eSchool 360 Model in Rural Zambia

Impact Network’s eSchool 360 program is a multifaceted program comprising an e-learning technology component, ongoing teacher training and professional development, and community ownership among students in community schools in rural Zambia. This report presents the baseline results of the cluster-randomized control trial used to determine the impact of the eSchool 360 model.
26 Sep 2017
Report

Inception Report for the Mixed- Methods Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial of Impact Network’s eSchool 360 Model in Rural Zambia

Although the use of technology in education shows a lot of promise for improving learning outcomes in low-and middle-income countries, the evidence on its impacts is underwhelming. Its effectiveness could, however, be improved if technology were combined with a strong focus on pedagogical practices. This study focuses on the effects and cost-effectiveness of Impact Network’s eSchool 360 program in producing improvements in learning outcomes among students in community schools in rural Zambia.
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Thomas De Hoop

Principal Economist
Hannah Ring

Hannah Ring

Senior Researcher

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International
International Education
International Standards and Assessment

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19 Oct 2020
Event

Webinar: Results and Policy Implications of an Impact Evaluation of an Multifaceted e-Learning Program in Zambia

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Related Projects

Zambia eSchool 360 Expansion Project

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