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Three Big Players Try to Play Together: Context Lessons From a Needs Assessment in Four African Countries
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| Presenter(s):
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| Mary Crave, University of Wisconsin-Extension, crave@conted.uwex.edu
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| Abstract:
All eyes were on an assessment to explore linking small farmers with school feeding programs in four African countries. Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, managed by the US Department of Agriculture, and with assistance from the World Food Program, this collaboration was a first. Many aid organizations were interested in the outcomes. The assessment sites of Mali, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda each had distinctive political cultures and histories. While there were common goals for the assessment, each organization also had some unique goals as well as a strong organizational culture that influenced how the assessment was organized, led and carried out. This session will review the distinct agendas of each of the collaborators, how the assessment was carried out and lessons learned on how the project was influenced by the context of the site and collaborating organizations.
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Fulfilling the Promise of Education for All (EFA) for Developing Countries: Building Decision-makers Awareness and Buy-in
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| Presenter(s):
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| Edward Kissam, JBS International Inc, ekissam@jbsinternational.com
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| Thomaz Alvares de Azevedo, JBS International Inc, talvares@jbsinternational.com
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| Jo Ann Intili, JBS International Inc, jintili@jbsinternational.com
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| Abstract:
Decision-makers buy-in to monitoring and evaluation of education systems in developing countries is crucial. It affects willingness to secure sound data, analyze it meaningfully, and use the results to guide planning. However, adoption and reporting of standard indicators of education system functioning (e.g. GER, GPI, school-survival) are often seen as more a ceremonial exercise required by funders than as a tool for improvement. We explore the conditions necessary to make the EFA indicators practically useful with particular attention to the emerging research regarding the need for reliable and relevant assessment of student learning quality to supplement the operational indicators now used. We then examine strategies for building system-wide buy-in, including: analyzing and sharing information on performance at the sub-national and local level, collaborative inquiry regarding factors contributing to observed patterns, and using analyses to formulate, pilot, and refine strategies to address the most pressing problems.
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