Resources for Designing and Implementing Education Programs, Evidence Summaries, and Systematic Reviews
The information, evidence, and guidance needed to effectively promote good education practices often come in the form of “good practice” documents. These include documents labeled as how-to notes, technical notes, and toolkits that cover a range of technical or functional areas.
USAID-relevant good practice documents can be accessed through searching and browsing EducationLinks, the Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC), ProgramNet (internal), YouthPower, and the USAID Learning Lab. A select number of good practice documents that are foundational to USAID education programming and the program cycle are listed below. This list however is not comprehensive of all of the information and resources that are available for support in implementing the USAID Education Policy. These resources serve as a starting point and should complement context-specific evidence generated in-country, and other relevant evidence.
Click the links below to access corresponding subsector resources, evidence summaries, and systematic reviews.
Resources
Pre-Primary Education
Resources for Designing and Implementing Education Programs
- BUILD TO LAST: A framework in support of universal quality pre-primary education (UNICEF)
- ECE Accelerator (including the Early Childhood Accelerator Simulation Model)
- Guidance for How To Develop High-Quality Pre-Primary Programs (USAID)
- USAID Pre-Primary Framework: All Children Learning
- What Works in Pre-Primary Education: Pedagogical Practices
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Evidence Summaries and Systematic Reviews
- Disability Inclusive Pre-Primary Education Landscape Review (USAID)
- K. Akyeampong, T. Andrabi, A. Banerjee, R. Banerji, S. Dynarski, R. Glennerster, S. Grantham-McGregor, K. Muralidharan, B. Piper, S. Ruto, J. Saavedra, S. Schmelkes, H. Yoshikawa, “2023 Cost-Effective Approaches to Improve Global Learning - What does recent evidence tell us are “Smart Buys” for improving learning in low- and middle-income countries?” London, Washington D.C., New York. FCDO, the World Bank, UNICEF, and USAID, 2023.
- Rao, Nirmala, Jin Sun, Jessie M.S. Wong, et al., “Early Childhood Development and Cognitive Development in Developing Countries: A Rigorous Literature Review,” Department for International Development, 2014.
- Tanner, Jeffery C., Tara Candland, and Whitney S. Odden, “Later Impacts of Early Childhood Interventions: A Systematic Review,” IEG Working Paper 2015/3, World Bank Group, 2015.
- United Nations Children’s Fund, A World Ready to Learn: Prioritizing quality early childhood education, UNICEF, New York, April 2019.
Primary Education
Resources for Designing and Implementing Education Programs
- Comprehensive Approach to Integrated Programming in Literacy and Numeracy
- Global Proficiency Framework: Reading and Mathematics
- How to Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into USAID Basic Education Programs
- Policy Linking for Measuring Global Learning Outcomes
- Universal Design for Learning to Help All Children Read: Promoting Literacy for Learners with Disabilities (Toolkit)
- USAID Reading MATTERS Conceptual Framework
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Evidence Summaries and Systematic Reviews
- Kim, Young-Suk Grace, Helen N. Boyle, Stephanie Simmons Zuilkowski, and Pooja Nakamura, “Landscape Report on Early Grade Literacy,” USAID Global Reading Network, 2017.
- Kim, Young-Suk Grace, and Marcia Davidson, “Assessment to Inform Instruction: Formative Assessment,” USAID Global Reading Network, 2019.
- Kim, Young-Suk Grace, and Marcia Davidson, “Promoting Successful Literacy Acquisition through Structured Pedagogy,” USAID Global Reading Network, 2019.
- Mulcahy-Dunn, A., Alvares de Azevedo, T., “Ten Years of Early Grade Reading Programming: A Retrospective,” USAID, 2023.
- Stern, Jonathan, Matthew Jukes, et al., “Learning at Scale Interim Report,” Research Triangle Institute, 2021.
Secondary Education
Resources for Designing and Implementing Education Programs
- Innovative Secondary Education for Skills Enhancement
- Project-Based Learning: Equipping Youth with Agripreneurship by Linking Secondary Agricultural Education to Communities
- Skills at Scale: Transferable Skills in Secondary and Vocational Education in Africa
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Evidence Summaries and Systematic Reviews
- Abhijit Banerjee, Paul Glewwe, Shawn Powers, and Melanie Wasserman, “Expanding Access and Increasing Student Learning in Post-Primary Education in Developing Countries: A Review of the Evidence,” Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), 2013.
- International Initiative for Impact Evaluation, “Primary and Secondary Education Evidence Gap Map,” 2018.
- Josephson, Kimberly, Robert Francis, and Shubha Jayaram, “Promoting Secondary School Retention in Latin America and the Caribbean: Lessons from Mexico and Chile,” CAF- Development Bank of Latin America, 2018.
- Null, Clair, Clemencia Cosentino, Swetha Sridharan, and Laura Meyer, “Policies and Programs to Improve Secondary Education in Developing Countries: A Review of the Evidence,” Mathematica Policy Research, 2016.
Higher Education
Resources for Designing and Implementing Education Programs
- Agency-wide Higher Education Learning Agenda
- Higher Education and Industry Collaborations: A Primer
- Higher Education and Innovation Ecosystem: A Primer
- Higher Education Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Discussion Note
- Primer on Expanding Women's Access to Higher Education
- Soft Skills Development to Advance Student-Centered Higher Education
- USAID Higher Education Program Framework
- USAID Higher Education Scholarship Toolkit
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Evidence Summaries and Systematic Reviews
- Clifford, Megan, Trey Miller, Cathy Stasz, et al., “How Effective are Different Approaches to Higher Education Provision in Increasing Access, Quality and Completion for Students in Developing Countries? Does this Differ by Gender of Students? A Systematic Review,” RAND Corporation, 2013.
- di Gropello, Emanuela, Prateek Tandon, and Shahid Yusuf, “Putting Higher Education to Work: Skills and Research for Growth in East Asia,” The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank, 2012.
- Kraybill, David, and Amy Holloway, “Evidence Summary: What Works in Online Learning in Higher Education,” USAID, 2022.
- Lebron, Jennifer, Dr. Anne Griffin, and Dr. Robin DePietro-Jurand, “USAID Higher Education Landscape Analysis 2014-2018,” USAID, 2019.
- Marmolejo, Francisco. “What Matters Most for Tertiary Education: A Framework Paper,” World Bank, 2016.
- Martel, Mirka, and Rajika Bhandari, “Social Justice and Sustainable Change: The Impacts of Higher Education,” Institute of International Education, 2016.
- Oketch, Moses, Tristan McCowan, and Rebecca Schendel, “The Impact of Tertiary Education on Development: A Rigorous Literature Review,” Department for International Development, 2014.
- Streitwieser, B., Loo, B., Ohorodnik, M. & Jeong, J. “Access to Higher Education for Refugees,” The George Washington University, 2018.
Youth Workforce Development
Resources for Designing and Implementing Education Programs
- Approaches to Increasing Employment and Quality of Employment Among Youth with Disabilities
- From Learning to Earning: A New Guide to Design Employment Solutions That Respond to Youth Needs
- How to Measure Skills for Youth Workforce Development
- Interactive Labor Market Assessment Guide
- State of the Evidence: Youth Workforce Development
- Youth Skills: The Whole Picture
- Youth Workforce Development 101 Fact Sheet
- YP2LE Youth Assessments 101
- USAID Employment Framework Playbook
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Evidence Summaries and Systematic Reviews
- Blattman, Christopher, Nathan Fiala, and Sebastian Martinez, “The Long Term Impacts of Grants on Poverty: 9-Year Evidence from Uganda's Youth Opportunities Program,” SSRN, 2018.
- Building Better Formal TVET Systems - Principles and Practice in Low- and Middle-income Countries
- International Initiative for Impact Evaluation, “Youth & Transferable Skills Evidence Gap Map,” 2018.
- Kluve, Jochen, Susana Puerto, David Robalino, et al., “Interventions to Improve the Labour Market Outcomes of Youth: A Systematic Review of Training, Entrepreneurship Promotion, Employment Services and Subsidized Employment Interventions,” Campbell Collaboration, 2017.
Equity and Inclusion
Resources for Designing and Implementing Education Programs
- Addressing GBV through Education Programs
- Guidance for Promoting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Educational Materials
- How-To Note: Disability Inclusive Education
- Integrating LGBTQI+ Considerations into Education Programming
- Toward Transformative Gender Education Programming
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Evidence Summaries and Systematic Reviews
- Dombrowski, Eileen, Andrea Shettle, Valerie Karr, et al. “Disability Inclusive Pre-Primary Education Landscape Review,” United States Agency for International Development, Center for Education, 2022.
- Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE). “Mind the Gap 2: Seeking safe and sustainable solutions for girls’ education in crises,” INEE. New York, NY, 2022.
- Kaler-Jones, Cierra, “Equity, Inclusion, and Social-Emotional Learning,” United States Agency for International Development, 2022.
- Lamichhane, Kamal, Emma Venetis, Amy Mulcahy-Dunn, et al. “Approaches to Increasing Employment and Quality of Employment Among Youth with Disabilities,” United States Agency for International Development, Center for Education, 2022.
- Psaki, S., N. Haberland, M. Kozak, and L. Woyczynski. “Girls’ Education Roadmap: 2021 Report.” EGER Reports. New York: Population Council, 2021.
Education in Conflict and Crisis
Resources for Designing and Implementing Education Programs
- Checklist on Conflict Sensitivity in Education Programs
- Education and Resilience White Paper
- Rapid Education and Risk Analysis Toolkit
- Safe Learning Environments Toolkit
- USAID Education in Crisis and Conflict Learning Agenda
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Evidence Summaries and Systematic Reviews
- Burde, Dana, Ozen Guven, Jo Kelcey, et al., “What Works to Promote Children’s Educational Access, Quality of Learning, and Wellbeing in Crisis-Affected Contexts,” Education Rigorous Literature Review, Department for International Development, 2015.
- Hartwell, Ash “Local Institutional Capacity Development for Education in Crisis and Conflict-affected States: A Landscape Review,” USAID, 2019.
- USAID, “Education in Crisis and Conflict Gap Maps,” 2018.
- USAID, “Education in Crisis Interactive Evidence Pathways,” 2019.
Research, Evaluation, and Data
Resources for Designing and Implementing Education Programs
- Assessment of Study Quality (ASQ) Tool and Report Templates
- Cost Measurement Toolkit
- Disability Measurement Toolkit
- Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) Toolkit
- Education Reporting Toolkit
- Ethics in Research and Evaluation for the Education Sector
- Policy Linking for Measuring Global Learning Outcomes
- Target Setting Guidance for USAID Mission Education Offices
- USAID Education Learning Agendas
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Evidence Summaries and Systematic Reviews
- Evans, David K., and Anna Popova, “What really works to improve learning in developing countries? An analysis of divergent findings in systematic reviews,” World Bank Group, 2015.
- Muralidharan, Karthik, “Field Experiments in Education in Developing Countries,” Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), 2016.
Cross-Cutting Resources and General References
Resources for Designing and Implementing Education Programs
- Education Finance How-To Note
- Consider the Context: Why and How to Factor Environment in Measuring Social and Emotional Learning and Soft Skills
- Cost Analysis Guidance for USAID-Funded Education Activities
- Cost Reporting Guidance for USAID-Funded Education Activities
- Government-to-Government (G2G) Education Toolkit
- How-To Note: Addressing the Principles for Digital Development in Activity Design
- Information and Communication Technology for Education (ICT4E) How-To Note
- Non-State Actors in Education: Interactive Evidence Gap Map
- Private Sector Engagement in Education Plan
- SABER School Finance Reports Library
- Social and Emotional Learning and Soft Skills Toolkit
- The Role of Digital Financial Services in Accelerating USAID Education Goals
- Toolkit for Designing a Comprehensive Distance Learning Strategy
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Evidence Summaries and Systematic Reviews
- Altinok, Nadir, Noam Angrist, and Harry Anthony Patrinos, “Global Data Set on Education Quality (1965–2015),” World Bank Group, 2018.
- Arcia, Gustavo. “Incentives and Accountability in Education: A Literature Review,” USAID, 2014.
- Ashley, Laura Day, and Joseph Wales, “The Impact of Non-State Schools in Developing Countries: A synthesis of the evidence from two rigorous reviews,” Education Rigorous Literature Review, Department for International Development, 2015.
- Aslam, Monazza, Shenila Rawal, and Sahar Saeed, “Public Private Partnerships in Education in Developing Countries: A Rigorous Review of the Evidence,” Ark Education Partnerships Group, 2017.
- Das, J., Härmä, J., Pritchett, L. and Silberstein, J. “Why and How the Public vs. Private Schooling Debate Needs to Change. Research on Improving Systems of Education,” Rise Forum, 2023.
- de Azevedo, Thomaz Alvares, Jeff Davis, Clare Ignatowski, et al., “Synthesis of Findings and Lessons Learned from USAID-Funded Evaluations: Education Sector, 2013-2016,” Management Systems International, 2018.
- Deitz, Rena, Heddy Lahmann, and Tressa Thompson. “Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Systematic Review,” USAID, 2021.
- Ganimian, Alejandro and Richard Murnane, “Improving Educational Outcomes in Developing Countries: Lessons from Rigorous Evaluations,” in NBER Working Paper Series, 2014.
- Glewwe, Paul, and Karthik Muralidharan, “Improving School Education Outcomes in Developing Countries: Evidence, Knowledge Gaps, and Policy Implications,” Research on Improving Systems of Education (RISE), 2015.
- Kingdon, Geeta Gandhi, Angela Little, Monazza Aslam, et al., “The Political Economy of Education Systems in Developing Countries,” Final Report. Education Rigorous Literature Review. Department for International Development, 2014.
- Muyoya, C., Brugha, M., Hollow, D. “Education Technology Evidence Map,” Jigsaw Consult, UK, 2016.
- Popova, Anna, David K. Evans, Mary E. Breeding, and Violeta Arancibia, “Teacher Professional Development around the World: The Gap between Evidence and Practice,” Policy Research Working Paper 8572, World Bank Group, 2018.
- Pritchett, Lant, “Creating Education Systems Coherent for Learning Outcomes: Making the Transition from Schooling to Learning,” Research on Improving Systems of Education (RISE), 2015.
- Results for Development, “Affordable Non-State Schools in Contexts of Crisis and Conflict,” R4D, 2018.
- Riddell, Abby, Miguel Niño-Zarazúa, “The Effectiveness of Foreign Aid to Education: What Can Be Learned?,” International Journal of Educational Development, Volume 48, Pages 23-36, 2016.
- Schleicher, A., “World Class: How to Build a 21st-Century School System,” Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education, OECD Publishing, Paris, 2018.
- Snilstveit, Birte, Jennifer Stevenson, Daniel Phillips, et al., “Interventions for improving learning outcomes and access to education in low- and middle-income countries,” International Initiative for Impact Evaluation, 2015.
- Snilstveit, Birte, Jennifer Stevenson, Radhika Menon, et al., “The impact of education programmes on learning and school participation in low- and middle-income countries,” International Initiative for Impact Evaluation, 2016.
- USAID, “Education Systems Strengthening Research in Sub-Saharan Africa,” 2018.
- Westbrook, Jo, Naureen Durrani, Rhona Brown, et al., “Pedagogy, Curriculum, Teaching Practices and Teacher Education in Developing Countries. Final Report,” Education Rigorous Literature Review, Department for International Development, 2013.