From learning to adapting: How do we get to learning, and where do we go from there?

On Thursday, May 17, RTI International hosted distinguished panelists for a discussion on harnessing learning to improve programming in the development sector.

USAID's Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) approach challenges development practitioners to go beyond simply collecting and reporting monitoring & evaluation (M&E) and research data; it sets up a framework in which practitioners advance toward critically evaluating the evidence to inform key decisions for improving programs. What is working? What isn't working? Why? And what next?

This symposium encouraged the audience to think critically about moving beyond traditional M&E practices to a more dynamic learning and adapting model, thereby maximizing programmatic outcomes and impact. Panelists focused on the importance of learning through effective M&E and research, and on adapting that learning for programmatic and policy decision making.

Read this blog for key takeaways from the event, or watch the full event recording below.

Keynote Speaker​

Heidi Reynolds, Project Deputy Director and Director for Evaluation, MEASURE Evaluation, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Panelists

Easter Dasmarinas, Chief of Party, USAID/Philippines LuzonHealth project, RTI International

Tara Sullivan, Director, K4Health Project & Director, Knowledge Management, Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Stacey Young, Senior Learning Advisor and CLA Team Lead, USAID

Moderators

Molly Chen, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Learning and Adapting Specialist, RTI International

Rajeev Colaco, Senior Manager, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Learning and Adapating, RTI International