Published Research Reports
Making external school review
effective
The findings from the 2012 Windsor International Conference on
School Improvement through Inspection and External Review, this
report sought to address the question of ‘How can inspection and
review improve learning outcomes?’
After a 2012 conference on school improvement through inspection
and external review, Richard Churches and Carol McBride compiled
this report which draws out the major conference themes alongside a
review of relevant literature.
Community-based accountability for
school improvement: A case study from rural India
A report of a research project which used
a novel approach to improve school standards: the training of
illiterate mothers to inspect and report on local school quality
using a simple traffic-light scorecard process.
The ‘short route of accountability’ (as described in a 2004
World Bank report) is one way in which schooling can become
accountable locally through assessment by the community it serves.
This report seeks to address some of these evidence gaps, looking
at the impact of the project on school accountability and school
quality, and exploring some of its success factors.
The
effectiveness of bilingual teaching and learning
This research report discusses the
bilingual approach used in schools supported by CfBT in partnership
with the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC).
It is based on research conducted in
eight schools in Abu Dhabi and suggests that a bilingual approach
provides a good environment for academic improvement, achievement
and enjoyment.
Lessons from abroad: International
review of primary languages
Lessons from abroad: international
review of primary languages provides an evidence base on language
learning within various primary curricula across the world.
The report’s findings challenge the
assumption that English-speakers do not need to learn other
languages, not only on economic grounds but also on educational
ones.
Impact evaluation of private
sector participation in education
This paper gives a high-level overview
of how impact evaluation can be used in the particular context of
government-funded privately provided schools. It also illustrates
how more generally impact evaluation can support evidence-based
policy making.
Engaging the private - non state
sector in education
This decision-making instrument is aimed at fostering greater
understanding on how the public and private sector (communities,
non-governmental organisations (NGOs), faith-based organisations,
trade unions, private companies, small scale informal providers and
individual practitioners) can collaborate in order to attain
education development goals. The online toolkit is a
collaboration between CfBT Education Trust and The World
Bank.
The impact of sector-wide
approaches
This research highlights key
historical trends, presents new findings from the global literature
and emerging good practice from the field. The publication analyses
the evolution of SWAps and their relationship with: (i) aid
effectiveness; (ii) planning and financing; (iii) education
outcomes; and (iv) fragility.
The report is also available in a series of four policy briefs
summarising the main findings.
Nurturing a thousand
flowers: International approaches to government funded, privately
provided schools
Schools that are government funded and
privately provided are growing in size and influence around the
world. From New York to Shanghai, and from London to Stockholm,
existing schools are being released from government control and new
schools are being run by nonstate providers. This paper seeks to
examine how policy makers and providers operate successfully within
the context of these supply-side reforms.
Choice, Competition and the Role of
Private Providers in the Malaysian School System
This project aimed to examine whether
or not choice and competition exist in the current system, to
describe models that utilise market competition, and to explore how
choice and competition can be strengthened. The five key research
questions asked if choice and competition exist; whether there are
any barriers to greater choice and competition; what models
currently exist; what can be learned from the various models; and
how Malaysia can bring more choice and competition into the school
system.
International comparative study in mathematics
teacher training
The aim of this research was to seek an understanding of good
practice in the training of (primary and secondary) teachers of
mathematics, based on evidence from a variety of mathematically
high performing countries around the world, and using a
longitudinal study to provide recommendations for effective
training.
Reflecting language diversity in children’s
schooling: moving from ‘Why multilingual education’ to
‘How?
This second report by Save the Children focuses on multi lingual
mother tongue education. By talking to NGO staff, teachers and
academics researchers found that the main recurring theme for
parents, school leaders and government was the fear that by
reducing the second language in schools young people would become
less skilled in languages. The study recommends that the
MTBMLE pre-school programme consider ways to support activity-based
learning and the use of the mother tongue in primary school.
The first report is available here.
Financial capability: Why is it
important and how can it be improved?
This report discusses initiatives being undertaken, both by
international organisations and at a national level, to promote
financial capability. The report makes a number of recommendations
on the future development of financial capability strategies and
programmes.
School Inspection: recent
experiences in high performing education systems
This report focuses on inspection practices in a range of
countries with developed education systems, including in
particular: England, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Scotland, Singapore
and the Netherlands. This report attempts to summarise the existing
literature in the field by looking at why education is inspected,
whether inspection systems should be self - or externally -
regulated (or a mixture of the two), who and what is inspected, and
the stakeholders in the processes and the products of
inspection.
What
lasting educational benefits can be created by ‘mega
events’?
This report reviews the educational benefits that can be created
from mega events: Olympic, Paralympic, Winter Games, World
Cups and Commonwealth Games . The report concludes that
projects arising from and created by mega events are not in
themselves the valuable lasting legacy for education. Rather
it is the changed attitudes, values and approaches, and the
increased opportunities that create a strong engagement with
education among the wider community.
Tackling childhood obesity within
schools: lessons learned from school-based
interventions (2010)
The purpose of this research was to review what is known
regarding childhood obesity internationally and investigate the
interventions that have been put in place to combat childhood
obesity. In order to investigate these issues, a comprehensive
literature review was conducted.
An international perspective on
integrated children's services (2010)
This study involves a review of the
international literature on, and policies relating to, the
integration of children's services. The report identifies British,
American and Norwegian evidence of the beneficial consequences of
an integrated approach to Early Years provision. The review
concludes that the task of ensuring a joined-up approach to
children's services remains work in progress, and questions whether
now, as children's services move to a more 'mature' phase', a more
locally-driven, but equally focused approach would be more likely
to yield increased results for children and families.
Financing for All: How to Include Fragile and
Conflict-Affected States in the Education FTI
'The Financing for All' outlines the specific
challenges for financing education in these countries within the
FTI. It provides concrete recommendations for the FTI, including
adopting a single process, using more flexible financing mechanisms
to meet individual country conditions, and expanding the scope of
the FTI to support the whole education sector.
Education’s Hardest Test: Scaling up Aid in Fragile and
Conflict-Affected States
'Education's Hardest Test' focuses on the fact that
donors have failed to provide sufficient resources to support the
education of children and youth in these fragile and
conflict-affected states. It outlines seven challenges that need to
be addressed and broad recommendations for a way forward for donors
and the international community.
In the summer of 2009, CfBT published four highly influential
books all on the topic of education in conflict, emergencies,
reconstruction and fragile states. The publications were the
culmination of a two-year partnership with the UNESCO International
Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP).
The research took place in Africa,
Asia and the Middle East during 2008 and contributed to Education
for All (EFA) goals through the development of knowledge on
specific interventions, strategies and methodologies that could be
used to improve access to quality education.
Alternative education: Filling the
gap in emergency and post-conflict situations
(2009)
Donor's engagement in education in
fragile and conflict-affected states (2009)
Promoting Participation
(2009)
Rapid response: Programming for
education needs (2009)