TheSchoolQualityEnhancementProgramatTheSouthDelhiMunicipalCorporation

ProgressReport:2016-2017

BackgroundandModel

TheEducationAlliancehasbeenworkingcloselywith the South Delhi Municipal Corporation tointroduce the Government-Partnership Schoolmodel intoitsprimaryschoolsystem.TheSDMCformally launched the School QualityEnhancement Program in 2016, to improveenrolment and enhance the quality ofeducation delivered in primary schoolsthroughtheG-PSmodel.

Under the SQEP, the SDMC partners withrigorouslyselectednon-profitorganizationswithanextensivetrackrecordintheeducationsectortoensurethathighquality,innovativeandchild-friendly teachingmethods are introduced in thepartnership schools. The partners take onaccountabilityfordelivering improvedoutcomes(enrolment, attendance, student learning) inthese G-PS Schools. The SQEP is adapted frombestpracticesfromCharterschoolsystemsintheUSandAcademiesintheUK,andiscustomizedtothe education policy environment prevailing inDelhi.

Thepartnerorganizationsareresponsiblefortheacademic management of the school and aregiven the freedom to deploy any resourceteachers,teachingandlearningmaterialrequiredto support the proposed academic curriculum.They are subject to a rigorous performancemonitoring framework with KPIs that areregularlytracked.

ThefollowingreportdiscussesgoalsoftheSQEPin its first year of operations, key achievementsandtheroadaheadfortheprogram.

SQEPPartnershipSchoolsInputs

SDMC

AccessToSchoolBuilding

Teachers

SupportStaff

Utilities

Maintenance

StudentEntitlements

Non-ProTitPartner

Curriculum

AcademicLeadership

TeacherTraining

Co-CurricularPrograms

CommunityEngagement

Accountabilityforoutcomes

GoalsandObjectives

OuroverarchinggoalinthefirstyearofimplementationwastomaketheSQEPaflagshipprogramintheSDMC,andmovethegovernmenttobeinga‘truebeliever’inthepartnershipmodel.Tothisend,wehadthefollowingspecificobjectives:

KeyActivities

Government

• Workedwithgovernmentofficialsacrosslevelstoidentifyandshortlistschoolsandmatchthemwiththerightorganisations

• Pilotedworkingwithgovernment teachersandstaff, inorder to improvesustainabilityofthemodel

• Collaboratedwith senior government officials to push for greater financial support fromgovernmentfortheproject

• Workedtobuildcapacitywithinthegovernmenttostartholdingpartnersaccountable• Liaised with the relevant officials to ensure timely allocation of teachers, completion of

repairsandmaintenance,andresolutionofothercommonissuesfacedbypartners

PartnerPipeline

• Generatedapipelineof35+organisations,conductedarigorousduediligenceandselectedmission-aligned partners for the program. Expanded this pool further during the year,creating interest locally and from several prominent organisations outside Delhi, whoappliedforthesubsequentyear

• Supportedselectedpartnersonapplicationsubmission,governmentliaisonandfundraising• Workedwith interestedseed funders to identifya suitable fundmanagementpartner, for

fundingtheoperatinggapinschools• Organisedregularopportunitiesforpartnerstoshareandlearnfromeachother

Government

•  Implementtheprogramin10schools

• Prepareforexpansionto25schoolsinthesubsequentyear

• Createasustainablemodelforthelong-term

PartnerPipeline

•  Identify5-7highqualitypartnerstorun10schools

• Expandpipelinetosupportgrowthto25schools

• Createasupportiveecosystemforpartnerstothrive(government,funders,capacitybuilding)

Evidence

• Establishaframeworktoholdpartnersaccountableforperformance

•  Institutionalisestudentassessmentasakeyperformancemeasure

• Establishamechanismtotrackkeymetrics

• Supportedpartnerstoplanandprioritise,inordertomaximisetangibleimpactinthefirstyear.Asaresult,enrolmentininterventiongradeswentupfrom585to1020students,anincreaseof74%

Evidence

• CreatedaKPIframeworkfortrackingperformance,andalignedgovernment,partnersandfundersonthesame

• Ensured regular visits to each school to track performance, identify strenghts, supportrequiredfromgovenrment,andareasforimprovement

• Collaborated with partners to create a framework to assess schools against MinimumQualityStandards

• Identified a research partner for student assessments, and conducted the baselineassessmentstoestablishthestartinglevelofstudents.Thedataisgivenbelow-asexpected,baseline levels in SQEPare similar at a aggregate level to the government average.Goingforward, we will facilitate annual assessments every July to assess growth and trackperformance.

• IdentifiedatechnologypartnerandimplementedtheK-12SchoolInformationSystem(SIS)totrackschool-leveldataonareal-timebasis

RecognitionandMediaCoverage

SQEP schools have received significant interest and attention from key government officialsincluding the Lt. Governor of Delhi, Senior BJP leaders in Delhi, and the SDMC Mayor andCommissioner.SQEPschoolshavealsoreceivedsignificantinterestfromwithintheSDMCprimaryschool system as teachers and principals from surrounding SDMC schools have visited them tounderstandthemethodsbywhichSQEPschoolshaveraisedenrolmentsandeducationquality.TheSQEPprogrammehasalsoreceivedextensivemediacoverageinitsfirstyear.WehaveincludedalistoflinkstomediareportsonSQEPschoolsinAppendix2.

89 8777 81

88 89 9095 96

Govt(2015Study)

SQEP School1 School2 School3 School4 School5 School6 School7

IPAS-Grade3Math

Achievements

Objective Achievement StatusGovernment Implementin10schools

• 12schoolsstarted• Raisedenrolmentto1020students

(74%rise)

Createsustainablemodel

• Successfullypilotedworkingwithgovernmentstaff

• GotanallotmentofINR1.5CroreasabudgetlineitemforSQEP

Expandto25schoolsinY2

• Expandedto28schools• Governmentrelaxedcriteriaforschool

selection,enablinglargerschoolstobeincluded

PartnerPipeline Find5-7partnersfor10schools

• Enlisted8partnerorganisationsfromapipelineof35+

Createasupportiveecosystemforpartners

• Supportedpartnersongovernmentliaisonandbuilttheircapacity

• EstablishedafundthroughVillgroforsingle-windowfundraising

Expandpipelinefor25schools

• Broughtin4additionalpartners(manyfromoutsideDelhi)

Evidence Createaccountabilityframework

• KPIframeworkcreated• MinimumQualityStandardsframework

created

Institutionaliseassessment

• Conductedbaselinestudentassessments

Establishtrackingmechanism

• ImplementedK12SIStotrackkeymetrics

InProgress Achieved ExceededExpectations

IntendedImpact

The vision of the School Quality Enhancement Program is to empower government schools tocreatethenextgenerationofleaders.Tothisend,theprogramhastwoprimarylong-termgoals:

We have already made significant progress on the first one – enrolment has gone upsignificantly, attendance is on an upward trend, and while it is early to assess student learningthrough external benchmarks, internal assessment data of operators is showing thatmanymorechildrenaremeetinggrade-levelexpectations.

Wehavealsostartedtakingsomestepstowardsthesecondgoal.Theprogramhasbroughtinpartners who have codified and replicable solutions, which once proved, can rapidly be scaledacross the system.We are also piloting a Resource Centremodel this year,wherebyprovenoperatorsbecomeprofessionaldevelopmenthubsforseveralneighbourhoodschoolsaroundthem.

Weare confident thatwith the supportof thegovernmentandour funders, SQEPwillbeable tosignificantlymovethequalityofeducationupward–andsetanexampleforothergovernmentstoemulate.

SigniIicantlyimproveoutcomes(enrolment,attendance,student

learning)inSQEPschoolsUselearningsfromSQEPtoimprovethebroadersystem

Appendix1:Before-AfterPhotographsofInfrastructureandTeachinginSQEPSchools

Before:

After:

Appendix2:MediaCoverageofSQEP

1. TimesofIndiahttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/South-Corpn-school-makes-a-turnaround/articleshow/55101930.cms

2. MillenniumPosthttp://millenniumpost.in/NewsContent.aspx?NID=330444

3. BusinessStandardhttp://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/lg-opens-smart-classrooms-sdmc-plans-proj-at-14-more-schools-116102701626_1.html

4. DainikBhaskarhttp://www.bhaskar.com/news/UT-DEL-HMU-NEW-MAT-latest-new-delhi-news-031504-1272519-NOR.html

5. AajTakDillihttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaK2k5y_g6g

6. ThreeMinuteStorieshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2gXU9sSB1Q

7. TheAsianAgehttp://www.asianage.com/delhi/sdmc-school-gets-smart-classrooms-cctvs-and-library-599

8. AajTakhttp://aajtak.intoday.in/story/lg-inaugurates-smart-classrooms-sdmc-plans-proj-at-14-more-schools-1-894568.html

9. DailyPioneerhttp://www.dailypioneer.com/city/now-digital-classroom-for-students-of-sdmc-schools.html

10. HindustanTimeshttp://www.hindustantimes.com/photos/cities/smart-learning-delhi-s-municipal-school-gets-digital/photo9-dRtFg5Gdo3esm9OvXYGswK.html