Drawing from research across 33 African countries involving over 167,000 schools and thousands of education stakeholders, the paper identifies four key elements for effective policy implementation:
Clear Implementation Planning: Beyond evidence-based policy design, education reforms need detailed implementation plans that specify roles, resources and monitoring approaches from the outset.
Well-Defined Mandates: Local education officials, school leaders and community members need clear understanding of their responsibilities and how they should work together to improve teaching and learning.
Context-Responsive Resources: Implementation support must be tailored to local conditions, considering factors like school location, community characteristics, and existing capacity levels.
Data-Driven Improvement: Education systems should use data not just for monitoring, but for continuously adapting implementation approaches based on what works in different contexts.
The paper is part of a three-part series examining how African education systems can better use data, optimize investments, and strengthen implementation to improve learning outcomes for all children.
