1

Research on Post-Primary Education in Developing Countries

A recent review by J -PAL

Girls’ Secondary Education Initiative

Milena Novy-Marx

Making Cents Global Youth Employment Opportunities ConferenceSeptember 13, 2012

Outline

1. MacArthur Girls’ Secondary Education Initiative

2. J-PAL Research Review

3. Bridging Knowledge Gaps

2

• Access to quality, relevant secondary education

• Focus on girls

• India, Uganda, Nigeria

MacArthur Girls’ Secondary Ed

3

J-PAL Research Review

J-PAL Poverty Action Lab - MIT

•Team led by Abhijit Banerjee

•Reviewed 42 rigorous papers with experimental design

•Examined demand and supply side issues

4

Demand Side

• Households respond to cash incentives to attend school

• Cost of school matters

• Providing credit for school also increases enrollments

• Providing information about the benefits of education

raises enrollments

• Exposure to female role models increases educational

attainment for girls

5

Supply Side

• We know much less about what works in the classroom

• At a school management level

• And for vocational, technical and worker training

6

Knowledge Gaps

• Demand Side- How best to provide info on returns to education?- Can CCTs work where attendance hard to track?- Female teachers?

• Supply Side-Public vs. Private?-ICT? - Pedagogy?- Teacher performance incentives?- Mother tongue instruction?- Vocational, technical and workforce training?- Support for girls, disadvantaged, and dropouts?

7

Bridging the Gaps

• J-PAL PPE Initiative- $5 million fund over 3 to 5 years- 20-25 randomized evaluations- spur new generation of research

• “Strengthening Innovation & Practice in Secondary Ed”- MacArthur- MasterCard Foundation- Wellspring Advisors- Elma Philanthropies- Douglas B. Marshall Jr. Family Foundation

8

Please reach out

• Milena Novy-Marx, MacArthur Foundation- mnovymar@macfound.org- (312) 516 - 1654

• Shawn Powers, Policy Manager, J-PAL

- smpowers@MIT.edu

- (617) 324 - 4856

9