A Global Compact on Learning - Brookings Institution

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parity in enrollment may not be an adequate measure to see whether men and women have acquired the requisite knowledge and skills for better health, quality of life, work productivity, and full participation in decisionmaking. 58 A recent study found that there has been relatively little research or programmatic attention to those aspects of a high-quality education that have a differential impact on boys and girls—and particularly those approaches that might be most beneficial for girls. 59 For example, a recent review of 39 studies looking at the impact of female teachers on test scores found only one that disaggregated findings by sex. 60 Meanwhile, studies in Kenya and Malawi have shown that girls’ learning is disproportionately affected by school-related factors, such as gender bias in classrooms and large student/teacher ratios. 61 In developed countries, large-scale assessments reveal that girls significantly outperform boys in reading. This disparity calls for policy initiatives to address male underachievement. However, in lowincome countries or poorer regions, girls often lose this advantage or perform below boys in reading, the reasons for which should be explored in greater detail (see figure 1.4 and box 1.1). This requires understanding which policies, classroom practices, and household and community-level factors, including differential treatment of girls in home as well as in school, contribute to gender differences in learning outcomes. 62 For example, in Liberia, anecdotal evidence found that the simple act of calling on children randomly increased girls’ participation and, as a result, their reading scores. 63 What Is Needed to Ensure Learning for All? Given that there is a learning crisis for those currently both in and out of school, the question is how to ensure that all children and youth have access to high-quality learning opportunities that build relevant skills and knowledge to enable them to live healthy, productive lives and adapt to a rapidly changing world. Although there is no one-sizefits-all approach, and education reforms are most successful when embedded within system-wide efforts, this report identifies three main priorities and Box 1.1. Girls’ Low Learning Levels In September and October 2010, an early grade reading baseline assessment was completed for the PAQUED project in three provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which was funded by the US Agency for International Development and sponsored by the Education Development Center. Girls’ results, in comparison with boys’ results, were alarmingly low for all grades assessed (2, 4, and 6). The gender gap is statistically significant for every subtest when looking at zero scores, meaning that a child was not able to respond to one item correctly (e.g., when asked to name a letter or read a word). As an example, for children in grades 2 and 4 reading familiar words, nearly 30 percent of males and 40 percent of females could not read a word (the first of these words, “tu,” meaning “you,” is very common). Reading comprehension results were even more starkly disparate, with two in three males and more than three in four females unable to answer a single question. As early as grade 2, girls were showing statistically significant differences in content measures, such as letter knowledge. In countries where girls are more equitably treated, results on early reading assessments match or surpass boys. Results for girls in the DRC are the tragic outcome of their context. These reading results begin to paint the picture of at best neglect, and at worse, systematic abuse. If girls fall behind—whether due to barriers such as chores, being ignored by teachers, or for any other reason—they will also be more likely to drop out. This double jeopardy for girls is particularly concerning given the significant benefits that accrue to girls and their families when girls finish primary school. Source: B. Piper, C. da Silva, and E. Miksic, Democratic Republic of Congo Early Grade Reading Assessment: PAQUED Baseline Report, 2011, prepared for US Agency for International Development and Education Development Center, Inc., under the Projet d’Amélioration de la Qualité de l’Education, Contract AID-623-A-09-00010 (Washington: RTI International, 2011). A <strong>Global</strong> Compa c t on Learning: Taking Action on Educat i o n in Developing Countries C e n t e r for Universal Educat i o n at Brookings 12
Figure 1.4. Gender Differences in Reading Scores in Grade 2 (negative numbers indicate where girls are lagging behind boys) Guyana English** Liberia English*** Honduras Spanish Uganda Central Luganda Ethiopia Somali Somali Ethiopia Benishangu Amharic Uganda Central English Mali Bamanakan Ethiopia Harari Hararigna Nicaragua Atlantic Coast SpanishI Ethiopia Tigrary Tigrigna Ethiopia Amhara Amharic Gambia English Nicaragua Atlantic Coast Kreol Mali French Nicaragua Spanish Ethiopia Addis Ababa Amharic Kenya Central English* Mali Bomu Uganda Lango English Kenya Central Gikuyu Ethiopia Oromiya Oromiffa Mali Fulfulde Nicaragua Atlantic Coast Miskito Uganda Lango Lango* Kenya Central Kiswahili Mali Songhoi Kenya Nyanza Kiswahili* Kenya Nyanza English* Nicaragua Atlantic Coast Panamaska Kenya Nyanza Dholuo* Ethiopia SNNPR Sidamu Afoo** -20 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 Percentage Points Source: Data provided from various early grade reading assessments conducted by RTI International (2008-2010). Note: Statistically significant differences between boys and girls are indicated for each country, region, and language as follows: p
Page 2 and 3: A GLOBAL COMPACT ON LEARNING TAKING
Page 4 and 5: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report was wr
Page 6 and 7: put in place the national education
Page 8 and 9: which are necessary but not suffici
Page 10 and 11: competencies, both cognitive and no
Page 12 and 13: hundreds of millions of young peopl
Page 14 and 15: Figure 1.1. Disparities Related to
Page 18 and 19: need for their future lives and liv
Page 20 and 21: Specific actions to advance learnin
Page 22 and 23: oys, which are detailed in this cha
Page 24 and 25: planning and finance—working on i
Page 26 and 27: The first needed action is to encou
Page 28 and 29: Figure 3.1. Strategies and Actions
Page 30 and 31: how children learn to read and mani
Page 32 and 33: important for girls, who often have
Page 34 and 35: 4 PRIORITY 3: Providing post-primar
Page 36 and 37: Strategy 3A: Reduce Barriers That P
Page 38 and 39: Box 4.2. Lower and Upper Secondary
Page 40 and 41: do not necessarily translate into h
Page 42 and 43: learning facilities. For example, i
Page 44 and 45: Girls must be encouraged to take sc
Page 46 and 47: 5 Strategies common to all three pr
Page 48 and 49: teaching; and focus on specific ski
Page 50 and 51: location, disability, and gender, a
Page 52 and 53: 6 Conclusions and Policy RECOMMENDA
Page 54 and 55: y supporting promising and proven a
Page 56 and 57: donors spent at least 60 percent of
Page 58 and 59: APPENDIX A: CHART SUMMARIZING PRIOR
Page 60 and 61: 26 Save the Children, “Last in Li
Page 62 and 63: 87 M. A. Rihani, Keeping the Promis
Page 64 and 65: 144 R. Dumatog and D. Dekker, “Fi
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212 Shell communication, March 10,
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BIBLIOGRAPHY Abadzi, H. Absenteeism
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Crouch, L., M. Korda, and D. Mumo.
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Holter, Ø.,et al. Gender Equality
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Lonigan, C. J., and T. Shanahan. Ex
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Sabates, R., et al. School Drop Out
Page 78 and 79:
———. “Partnership, Particip
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