Purpose
The RISE Programme is an ambitious multi-country research project that seeks to understand how education systems in developing countries can overcome learning challenges. RISE aims to expand the evidence base around education reform and to drive systems-level change. The programme’s work in Tanzania is led by the Tanzania Country Research Team, who have been studying the impacts of recent education reforms in the country and working to test interventions that have the potential to improve education service delivery. This large-scale research endeavour is funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Action
EDI Global was contracted by Georgetown University to conduct a baseline, midline and endline survey in 400 primary schools across Tanzania as part of an impact evaluation for RISE. In addition to these data collection rounds, EDI Global also implemented a Remote Learning Parent Survey, which collected quantitative data from the parents of students who had previously been interviewed, as well as a follow-up round of in-person data collection. For each round, EDI Global led the preparation of the survey tools and the training of field teams, as well as the implementation and oversight of all field work and data quality. EDI Global was able to successfully track 95% of students and teachers between rounds and to re-interview 100% of those who were tracked. This was achieved through the collection of highly reliable data across each round, and the inclusion of necessary questions for tracking.
Impact
EDI Global conducted a vast number of interviews with a multitude of respondents across the five rounds of this school survey. This included the following:
head teacher interviews.
teacher interviews.
student interviews.
student tests.
phone surveys with parents.
interviews with education officials.
interviews with School Quality Assurance Officers.
classroom observations.
interviews with education officials. 92 interviews with School Quality Assurance Officers. 2,182 classroom observations. 9,800 school surveys focused on school infrastructure.
All of the RISE Tanzania Country Research Team research outputs are publicly available here. EDI Global’s team has also published several blogs relating to the implementation of the RISE school survey, including the following:
- Views from the Field No. 4 | Keep successfully on track: Utilising tracking tools in baseline surveys.
- Views from Research No. 16 | Implementing a school survey.
