developing human capital for economic growth emiliana vegas the world bank may 14, 2007
TRANSCRIPT
Developing Human Capital for Economic Growth
Emiliana VegasThe World Bank
May 14, 2007
Contents
1. Introduction, Motivation and Background2. Why does student learning matter?3. Why focus on student learning in Latin America and the
Caribbean?4. Methodological approach5. How is student learning achieved?
a) Economic, social and political conditions b) Student-side factorsc) School-side factorsd) Institutional factors
6. Ensuring that all students learn7. Conclusions, Next Steps
1. Introduction, Motivation and Background
Human capital is a necessary condition for economic growth
While in the past, much effort focused on expanding access, we now understand that human capital is much more than educational attainment
Skills acquisition and the capacity to continue learning throughout the lifecycle are needed to develop individuals and to foster the rise in productivity needed for economic growth
Latin America & the Caribbean has achieved progress in developing human capital
Access to basic education is mostly universal Institutional capacity to assess student
learning has improved Important innovations and pilot programs Strengthened research capacity in education Stronger partnerships with the private sector
and donor community
But important challenges remain for the development of the HC needed for sustained growth
Increase access in higher and early childhood education, and reduce gaps across groups
Improve completion rates in basic education Raise student learning outcomes Reduce gaps in student learning between Latin
America and the Caribbean and OECD, East Asia
Improve the relevance of education in a changing world
Raising student learning
Is, arguably, the key challenge for the region in the 21st century
We have recently completed a study on this topic (Vegas and Petrow, forthcoming), Raising Student Learning in Latin America: The Challenge for the 21st Century
2. Why does student learning matter?
Education was established as a human right in 1948 and is viewed as such in Jomtien and Dakar
Learning and cognitive skills:
Have greater returns in the labor market than years of education
Have important effects on economic growth and competitiveness
Also affect individuals’ health, fertility, political participation, and risky behaviors
Education quality can reduce (or perpetuate) income and social inequalities
3. Why focus on student learning in Latin America and the
Caribbean? Educational performance indicators are exceedingly
low and exhibit high inequalities within some Latin American countries
Inequalities in learning outcomes within countries are often related to socioeconomic differences
Ethnic and racial inequalities also exist, especially in ethnically diverse countries
Few Latin American students in the region enjoy an education of high quality
PISA 2003
Pisa 2003
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
PERU
BRAZIL
MEXIC
O
CHILE
ARGENTINA
URUGUAY
TURKEY
UNITED S
TATES
SPAIN
HUNGARY
IRELA
ND
AUSTRIA
HONG KONG
FRANCE
NEW Z
EALAND
AUSTRALIA
CANADA
JAPAN
KOREA
FINLA
ND
Mea
n
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Stan
dard
Dev
iati
on
Mean reading S.D. reading
PISA math scores by student background
Source: PISA 2003
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
1 2 3 4
Socio-economic quartile
Average PISA Score in Mathematics 2003
Mexico
Brazil
Uruguay
OECD
Average achievement gap between indigenous and non-indigenous students
in rural schools in Guatemala
Source: McEwan 2006
-1.4
-1.2
-1
-0.8
-0.6
-0.4
-0.2
0
1997 1999 2000 2001
Ave
rag
e d
iffe
ren
ce,
by
stan
dar
d
dev
iati
on
, b
etw
een
in
dig
eno
us
and
n
on
-in
dig
eno
us
stu
den
ts
Third grade Spanish Third grade Math Sixth grade Spanish Sixth grade Math
Percentage of students by reading level in PISA 2003
30%
28%
20%
17%
5%
1%
Chile
4,6%
1,1%
31,7%
Finland
14,6%
33,4%
14,7%
Source: PISA 2003
4. Methodological approach Develop a conceptual approach for analyzing factors
and policies that affect student learning outcomes Identify gaps in knowledge and conduct new research
to fill those gaps Synthesize findings from new and existing research
on factors and policies that affect student learning outcomes in Latin America and the Caribbean and the rest of the world
Intended audience: education policy makers, researchers, opinion-makers, and Bank staff involved in education operations
5. How is student learning achieved?
SchoolsEndowments and
Behaviors of
Teachers
Schools
Authorities
StudentsEndowments and
Behaviors of
Students
Parents
Families
Education Policy
Policy actions
Specific programs
Systemic reforms
The Education System
Its organization and institutionality
Learning
(a). How do economic, political and social conditions affect student
learning? A country’s economic resources can determine potential
education investment that may affect achievement levels: Public investment in education in Latin American has
increased in recent years but is still below OECD norms
There is no obvious relationship between expenditure and standardized test achievement, but low-performing countries tend to be low-spending countries
How resources are invested in education matters more than how much
Political commitment to student learning outcomes impacts not only funding, but also policies
Social inequalities are reflected in learning. Countries with higher income inequality tend to have larger differences in test scores across students
A positive relationship exists between earnings and education
inequality
Spain
Hungary
CanadaIreland
KoreaFinland
Hong Kong
Turkey Peru Mexico
Chile
AustraliaFrance
United States of AmericaAustria
New ZealandJapan
BrazilArgentina
Uruguay
80
85
90
95
100
105
110
115
120
125
20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0 40.0 45.0 50.0 55.0 60.0 65.0
GINI coefficient of income
PIS
A s
tan
da
rd d
ev
iati
on
(b) Students’ endowments and behaviors affect their learning
¿What do students bring with them to school?
age
pre-primary schooling-
cognitive development
natural ability
time for homework/work
What kind of support do they receive in the home?
socioeconomic statuscosts
values
parents’ education
income
books in the home
Learning
time for homework
What do students bring with them to school?
Previous research has found that most of the variation in learning outcomes is explained by student-side factors
A child’s age when entering primary school can affect her trajectory through the education system
The preparation a child receives before entering primary school has a strong effect on later learning
A child’s access to pre-primary schooling can also greatly help improve the quality of and reduce inequalities in primary and secondary education
A child’s health can also affect how well s/he learns
Policies affecting children’s endowments and behaviors
¿What do students bring with them to school?
age
pre-primary schooling-
cognitive development
natural ability
time for homework/work
What kind of support do they receive in the home?
socioeconomic status
costs
values
parents’ education
income
books in the home
Learning
time for homework
Early Childhood Education
CCTs
Education Policy
(c.) Schools’ endowments and behaviors also affect student learning
Learning
What are the characteristics of schools?
time students spend in the classroom
peer group and school climate
class size
materials and textbooks
infrastructure
How effective are teachers?
rotation and turnover
knowledge
pedagogy
time in the profession
professional calling
motivation
How effective are teachers?
The characteristics and behaviors of school staff, especially teachers, have a huge impact on student learning
Evidence of the impact of teachers’ observable characteristics, such as years of education and experience, on student learning is scant and inconclusive
Policies addressing teachers and teaching
Education Policy
Incentives
Assignment
Professional Development
How effective are teachers?
rotation and turnover
knowledge
pedagogy
time in the profession
professional calling
motivation
Learning
How teachers are paid, both in absolute levels and relative to comparable workers, can affect teaching quality
There is also limited evidence that salary level can have a beneficial impact on student outcomes
Salary structure also affects teachers and the work teachers do
Recent evidence from Uruguay shows that the country’s system of teacher assignment may be contributing to inequality between schools
Teacher education and professional development can also act as an incentive to teachers, although evidence of their impact on student learning is scarce
Policies addressing teachers and teaching
Teachers’ Salary Structures are Different than those of Non-teachers
Experience or education
Salary
Teachers
Other workers
Source: Vegas and Umansky (2005)
Pay Incentives are in Place in Few Countries
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Chile Bolivia
Base pay/years ofserviceEducation
Difficult conditions
Administration
Individual incentives
Master teacher
SNED
Some implications for teacher policy
Many teachers should have a real possibility of earning additional pay based on performance
Incentives should be targeted to classrooms that can benefit most from improved teaching
Performance-based pay bonuses should be large enough to merit the extra effort
Incentives should reward actual or sustained improvements in teaching and learning
Teacher assignment policies should ensure that all schools, and especially schools serving disadvantaged students, have effective teachers
Teacher education and professional development need to be improved, systematized and transformed to address new priorities
What school characteristics affect student learning?
Research on the relationship between increased investment in school resources and improved student learning indicates a tenuous relationship at best
The time students spend in school can impact learning How time is used, in addition to how much, also
affects learning (Cerdán-Infantes and Vermeersch 2006) Evidence on the effects of class size and student-
teacher ratios is inconclusive Much of the difference in achievement between
indigenous and non-indigenous students can be explained by school-level factors (McEwan and Trowbridge 2006)
Policies affecting school characteristics that contribute to
student learning
What are the characteristics of schools?
time spent in the classroom
peer group and school climate
class size
materials and textbooks
infrastructure
Education Policy
Compensatory Policies
FTS
Multigrade School Reform
Learning
Policy implications
Students need adequate learning environments Children need adequate time and resources to learn
in schools Compensatory programs and extended school days
can improve student learning, reduce failure, repetition and dropout rates, and are especially effective for disadvantaged and indigenous students
How schools are chosen to take part in compensatory programs is important
Multigrade schools need to receive support to meet their special institutional needs, but reforms need to be properly implemented and evaluated
(d.) Institutional factors affect how much students learn
Learning
How are school systems administered?
parental/community participation
management capacity
level of administration
private/public provision
school choice
Policies affecting system organization and administration
The level of decision making matters Providing additional support to schools with little
institutional capacity can help offset disparities in a decentralized system, as can finance equalization reform
Devolving some responsibilities to schools, parents, and communities can contribute to student learning, but the design of school-based management programs affects their impact
The state plays an important role to ensure quality in a school choice system
6. How can Latin American countries ensure that all students learn?
Students Teachers
School Director
s
Schools
Local Governmen
t
State/Provincial
Government
Regional Governme
nt
National Governme
nt
Performance Standards
Performance Evaluation
Performance Reporting
Impact evaluation of policies and programs
Requirements to operate
Ensuring adequate and equitable resources
Autonomy, support, and intervention
Accountability and consequences
Four Instructional Visions along a School Autonomy – Central Government Control Continuum
Market System
Quality Contracts
Differentiated Instruction
Managed Instruction
Chile New Zealand
UKUS (MA, TX)FinlandSpain
N. Korea
The role of Government differs in each vision
Limited State
Central Government:•Sets operating requirements•Provides informacion to market•Finances
Schools: •Define performance standards, instructional model, and assessments
Market: •Determines the quantity, quality and distribution of schools
Managed instruction
Central Government: •Sets operating requirements•Defines one instructional model for all schools•Sets performance assessment and reporting rules•Provides information to participants to ensure quality•Finances•Authorizes and revokes licenses•Conducts performance evaluation/assessments•Intervenes differentially in schools to ensure quality•Inspects schools and intervenes to ensure adhesion to the instructional model
Differentiated instruction
Schools: •Define instructional model
Central Government: •Sets operating requirements•Sets performance assessment and reporting rules•Provides information to market•Finances•Authorizes and revokes licenses•Conducts performance evaluation/assessments•Intervenes differentially in schools to ensure quality
Quality contracts
Central Government: •Sets operating requirements•Sets performance assessment and reporting rules•Provides information to market•Finances•Authorizes and revokes licenses
Schools: •Define instructional model and conduct assessments
Market: •Determines the distribution of schools
The decision of which instructional vision should take into account historical context
Central Government
Schools
Model Axis
Control Axis
UniformModel
DiverseModels
Limited State
Quality Contracts
Differentiated Instruction
Managed Instruction
7. Conclusions, Next Steps
To raise student learning, there is no one “magic bullet”
A combination of policies are needed to influence students, schools, and institutions – and all participants
Importance of using empirical evidence to inform education policy making
Designing an evaluation strategy at the outset of an intervention improves the quality/reliability of impact evaluation findings