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Identifying the essential ingredients to literacy and numeracy improvement: Teacher professional development and coaching, student textbooks, and structured teachers’ guides

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  • Piper, Benjamin
  • Simmons Zuilkowski, Stephanie
  • Dubeck, Margaret
  • Jepkemei, Evelyn
  • King, Simon J.

Abstract

Several rigorously evaluated programs have recently shown positive effects on early literacy and numeracy outcomes in developing countries. However, these programs have not been designed to evaluate which ingredients of the interventions are most essential to improve literacy outcomes. Policy makers therefore lack evidence as to whether program ingredients such as teacher professional development (PD), instructional coaching, learner materials, teachers’ guides, community support, or technology are required for program impact. The Kenya Primary Math and Reading Initiative was a randomized controlled trial that compared three treatment groups with specific ingredients and a control group. Using literacy and numeracy outcome measures for grades 1 and 2, we evaluated the benefits of the following ingredients: (1) teacher PD and teacher instructional support and coaching; (2) revised student books in literacy and numeracy, at a 1:1 ratio, added to PD and instructional support; and (3) structured teacher lesson plans added to student books, PD, and instructional support. We found that two of the three combinations of ingredients had statistically significant positive impacts on learning outcomes. The results showed that the third combination—PD, teacher instructional support and coaching, 1:1 student books, and structured teacher lesson plans—was most effective. A cost-effectiveness analysis on the ingredients showed that the option of PD and instructional support, 1:1 revised books, and teachers’ guides was the most expensive, but that the additional impact on learning made this the most cost-effective intervention. This study rigorously analyzes which ingredients for literacy and numeracy improvement would be most effective for overall impact, and suggests to policy makers that careful decisions regarding program ingredients will lead to more effectively designed and implemented interventions to improve learning in developing countries.

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  • Piper, Benjamin & Simmons Zuilkowski, Stephanie & Dubeck, Margaret & Jepkemei, Evelyn & King, Simon J., 2018. "Identifying the essential ingredients to literacy and numeracy improvement: Teacher professional development and coaching, student textbooks, and structured teachers’ guides," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 324-336.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:106:y:2018:i:c:p:324-336
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.01.018
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    1. Jason T. Kerwin & Rebecca L. Thornton, 2021. "Making the Grade: The Sensitivity of Education Program Effectiveness to Input Choices and Outcome Measures," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 103(2), pages 251-264, May.
    2. Álvarez Marinelli, Horacio & Berlinski, Samuel & Busso, Matías & Martínez Correa, Julián, 2022. "Improving Early Literacy through Teacher Professional Development: Experimental Evidence from Colombia," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 12473, Inter-American Development Bank.
    3. Derksen, Laura & Michaud-Leclerc, Catherine & Souza, Pedro C.L., 2022. "Restricted access: How the internet can be used to promote reading and learning," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    4. Fujii, Tomoki & Nakajima, Maki & Xu, Sijia, 2021. "Teaching in the Right Context: Textbook Supply Program, Language, and Vocabulary Ability in Vietnam," Economics and Statistics Working Papers 2-2021, Singapore Management University, School of Economics.
    5. Rodriguez-Segura, Daniel & Campton, Cole & Crouch, Luis & Slade, Timothy S., 2021. "Looking beyond changes in averages in evaluating foundational learning: Some inequality measures," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    6. Bellue, Suzanne & Bouguen, Adrien & Gurgand, Marc & Munier, Valerie & Tricot, André, 2024. "When Effective teacher training falls short in the classroom: Evidence from an experiment in primary schools," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    7. Jacobus Cilliers & Brahm Fleisch & Cas Prinsloo & Stephen Taylor, 2020. "How to Improve Teaching Practice?: An Experimental Comparison of Centralized Training and In-Classroom Coaching," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 55(3), pages 926-962.
    8. Cilliers, Jacobus & Fleisch, Brahm & Kotze, Janeli & Mohohlwane, Mpumi & Taylor, Stephen, 2022. "The Challenge of Sustaining Effective Teaching: Spillovers, Fade-out, and the Cost-effectiveness of Teacher Development Programs," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    9. Kotze, Janeli & Fleisch, Brahm & Taylor, Stephen, 2019. "Alternative forms of early grade instructional coaching: Emerging evidence from field experiments in South Africa," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 203-213.
    10. Schaffner, Julie & Glewwe, Paul & Sharma, Uttam, 2021. "Why Programs Fail: Lessons for Improving Public Service Quality from a Mixed-Methods Evaluation of an Unsuccessful Teacher Training Program in Nepal," Staff Papers 316663, University of Minnesota, Department of Applied Economics.
    11. Hoadley, Ursula, 2024. "How do structured pedagogy programmes affect reading instruction in African early grade classrooms?," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    12. Angrist, Noam & de Barros, Andreas & Bhula, Radhika & Chakera, Shiraz & Cummiskey, Chris & DeStefano, Joseph & Floretta, John & Kaffenberger, Michelle & Piper, Benjamin & Stern, Jonathan, 2021. "Building back better to avert a learning catastrophe: Estimating learning loss from COVID-19 school shutdowns in Africa and facilitating short-term and long-term learning recovery," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    13. Hong,Seo Yeon & Cao,Xiaonan & Mupuwaliywa,Mupuwaliywa, 2020. "Impact of Financial Incentives and the Role of Information and Communication in Last-Mile Delivery of Textbooks in Zambia," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9305, The World Bank.
    14. B. Haßler, 2022. "Reaching SDG4 By 2030: characteristics of interventions that can accelerate progress in the lowest-income countries," DECISION: Official Journal of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Springer;Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, vol. 49(2), pages 189-194, June.
    15. Fleisch, Brahm & Schöer, Volker, 2023. "Storybooks in hand: A randomised control trial of a classroom library model," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).

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