International Education: Research, Evaluation, and Assessment
Photo Credit: USAID/Haiti Tout Timoun Ap Li (ToTAL) Applied Research Activity
Photo Credit: USAID/Haiti Tout Timoun Ap Li (ToTAL) Applied Research Activity
Our global team of research, evaluation, and assessment experts develops innovative and sustainable monitoring methods; designs educational assessments; collects and analyzes high-quality, actionable data; measures the impact of education programs and capacity of education systems; and conducts ground-breaking research that promotes learning.
As we work to adapt and improve program implementation to advance the field of international education, we build the capacity of local governmental and non-governmental partners by working collaboratively through and with them.
Data and research are used to improve program and system performance when:
We have developed, adapted, validated, and implemented a wide range of tools to help gather data to fill gaps in learning, including:
Beginning with national EGRA and EGMA surveys and a randomized control trial pilot evaluation, RTI has a long history of educational measurement in Jordan. Based on the evidence from these activities, the Ministry of Education (MoE) has taken RTI’s intervention to national scale as part of the USAID-funded Early Grade Reading and Mathematics Initiative (RAMP). Most recently, RTI developed a biannual, nationally representative school monitoring approach (based on LEMA), which has been fully adopted by the MoE.
Actionable data from RTI-led national EGRA and EGMA surveys in Tanzania have been used to inform nationwide teacher and curriculum reforms. Under the USAID-funded Jifunze Uelewe program, RTI is using a “Feedback School” approach to test and evaluate implementation and research activities prior to scaling. In combination with operational research studies, these efforts have spurred continuous data-driven adjustments in training activities, learning support materials, and government-provided pedagogic support to teachers in more than 3,000 schools in five regions.
As a response to COVID-related school closures, RTI designed the Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment (CRLA) for teachers to classify learners according to reading profiles and identify those in need of additional support. The success of the approach led the Philippines’ Department of Education to scale up the CRLA beyond project regions. ABC+ has also incorporated rigorous quantitative evaluations of pilot initiatives, supplemented with in-depth qualitative research, to inform data-driven adaptations in the program’s implementation approach.
RTI leads a study that examines 14 of the most effective, large-scale early grade reading and mathematics programs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We developed quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments—used along with secondary reviews of program data—to explore what makes these programs successful. The findings are being used to inform and guide policy makers on the instructional practice, instructional support, and system support needed for successfully improving learning outcomes at scale across LMICs.
RTI serves as the research partner and external evaluator for five intervention programs focused on improving LtP pedagogies in five countries (Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, and Vietnam). We have conducted longitudinal, quasi-experimental impact evaluations for each program and used the findings to highlight key areas for improvement and recommendations for partners to incorporate into their planning and implementation. We also lead the initiative’s community of practice, which is designed around disseminating research and supporting partners to improve their evidence-based programming.