Education Monitoring and Evaluation Training Course

Participants can build a testable theory of change and logical framework for an education intervention.

• Theory of Change pathways from intervention activities to learner outcomes
• Assumptions, risks and external factors affecting education programme results
• Logical framework hierarchy: goal, outcome, output, activity and input
• Causal pathways for teacher development, learning materials and school grants
• Testing plausibility of programme assumptions with available education evidence
• Aligning theories of change with national education sector priorities

Participants can select and define indicators that measure education results accurately.

• SMART indicators for access, quality, learning, equity and system capacity
• Indicator reference sheets specifying definition, numerator, denominator, source and frequency
• Selecting output indicators without mistaking delivery for educational outcomes
• Learning outcome measures: literacy, numeracy, progression, completion and transition
• Disaggregating indicators by sex, disability, geography, wealth and language
• Proxy indicators and their limitations when direct measurement remains impractical

Participants can establish credible baselines and set realistic education programme targets.

• Baseline studies establishing starting conditions before programme implementation begins
• Target-setting methods using historical trends, benchmarks and implementation capacity
• Cohort analysis for enrolment, attendance, repetition, completion and transition
• National education statistics as contextual benchmarks for programme performance
• Seasonality effects on attendance, assessments and school-level data collection
• Documenting target assumptions, calculation methods and revision procedures

Participants can design an operational monitoring system with clear data flows and responsibilities.

• Monitoring plans connecting indicators, sources, collection schedules and responsible roles
• Data flow mapping from classrooms and schools to programme management
• School visits structured around observation protocols and verification questions
• Reporting calendars aligned with implementation milestones, reviews and donor requirements
• Escalation procedures for delayed data, data anomalies and safeguarding concerns
• Integrating routine monitoring with education management information systems

Participants can select suitable data collection methods for different education questions.

• Questionnaire design for learners, teachers, caregivers and school leaders
• Structured classroom observation using defined behaviours and rating scales
• Administrative records for enrolment, attendance, staffing and school resources
• Document review methods for lesson plans, grants and training records
• Mobile data collection workflows using validation rules and skip logic
• Matching collection methods to indicators, respondents and decision requirements

Participants can assess and improve the quality of education monitoring data.

• Data quality dimensions: validity, reliability, precision, integrity and timeliness
• Data verification comparing reported figures with registers and source documents
• Range checks, duplicate checks and missing-value review procedures
• Inter-rater reliability for classroom observation and school inspection scores
• Data quality assessment plans assigning checks, thresholds and corrective actions
• Audit trails documenting corrections, approvals and changes to reported data

Participants can summarise and interpret quantitative education data for management decisions.

• Frequency distributions for learner attendance, assessment scores and school characteristics
• Means, medians and percentages interpreted for education performance reporting
• Cross-tabulations comparing results across learner groups and school types
• Trend analysis tracking progress against baselines, targets and prior reporting periods
• Rates and ratios for dropout, completion, transition and teacher deployment
• Charts and tables selected for accurate management communication

Participants can prepare a defensible sampling approach for education monitoring and evaluation studies.

• Population, sampling frame and unit of analysis in education studies
• Probability sampling methods: simple random, systematic, stratified and cluster
• Purposive sampling for qualitative education inquiry and stakeholder perspectives
• Sample size considerations: precision, resources, design effects and nonresponse
• School and classroom clustering effects on learner-level data interpretation
• Sampling plans documenting inclusion criteria, selection procedures and replacements

Participants can interpret learning assessment evidence without overstating programme effects.

• Assessment frameworks defining constructs, grade expectations and item coverage
• Item difficulty, discrimination and distractors in basic learning assessments
• Interpreting mean scores, proficiency levels and distributional changes
• Ceiling and floor effects affecting early-grade literacy and numeracy results
• Comparability risks across languages, grades, assessment forms and testing conditions
• Using assessment findings alongside classroom observation and teacher evidence

Participants can plan qualitative inquiry that explains education programme results and implementation barriers.

• Key informant interviews with officials, headteachers, teachers and community leaders
• Focus group discussions with learners, caregivers and teacher groups
• Semi-structured interview guides aligned with evaluation questions and assumptions
• Purposive participant selection capturing contrasting experiences and implementation conditions
• Field notes recording context, non-verbal evidence and researcher reflections
• Qualitative saturation assessed against question coverage and emerging themes

Participants can analyse qualitative findings systematically and triangulate them with quantitative evidence.

• Coding frameworks derived from evaluation questions, theories and emergent findings
• Thematic analysis identifying patterns in interviews, groups and observations
• Matrices comparing stakeholder accounts across schools, districts and learner groups
• Negative case analysis testing explanations against contradictory participant evidence
• Triangulation across administrative records, surveys, observations and interviews
• Evidence claims distinguished from interpretation, inference and recommendation

Participants can formulate evaluation questions and select proportionate mixed-methods designs.

• Evaluation questions addressing relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability
• Process evaluations examining implementation fidelity, reach and delivery quality
• Outcome evaluations testing changes in learner, teacher and school results
• Mixed-methods designs combining measurement, explanation and contextual interpretation
• Before-and-after comparisons and threats to credible causal inference
• Evaluation design choices matched to decisions, budget, timing and available data

Participants can recognise common causal inference methods and their limitations in education evaluations.

• Counterfactual reasoning separating programme effects from external changes
• Difference-in-differences designs comparing trends between intervention and comparison groups
• Propensity score matching for constructing comparable learner or school groups
• Regression discontinuity designs using eligibility thresholds and assignment rules
• Selection bias, confounding and attrition in education programme evaluations
• Randomised controlled trials: appropriate uses, constraints and ethical considerations

Participants can integrate equity, inclusion and safeguarding requirements into monitoring and evaluation designs.

• Equity analysis identifying barriers faced by marginalised learners and households
• Washington Group Questions for disability-disaggregated education data collection
• Gender-responsive indicators examining participation, safety, learning and leadership
• Child safeguarding protocols for interviews, observations and learner assessments
• Informed consent, assent and confidentiality with children and caregivers
• Referral procedures for protection disclosures identified during fieldwork

Participants can establish ethical data handling procedures for education monitoring and evaluation.

• Data protection principles for learner records, assessment data and household information
• Data minimisation limiting collection to necessary monitoring and evaluation variables
• Role-based access controls for identifiable school and learner information
• Anonymisation and pseudonymisation methods for analysis files and published reports
• Data retention schedules covering storage, archiving, deletion and destruction
• Ethics review considerations for sensitive education research and evaluations

Participants can communicate education evidence clearly to technical and non-technical decision-makers.

• Results dashboards presenting indicators, trends, disaggregation and implementation status
• Narrative reporting linking evidence, interpretation, decisions and follow-up actions
• Traffic-light ratings used carefully with defined thresholds and supporting evidence
• Data visualisation choices for learning outcomes, participation gaps and geographic variation
• Management review meetings structured around exceptions, risks and corrective actions
• Learning briefs translating evaluation findings into programme improvement priorities

Participants can commission and manage an education evaluation through clear terms of reference.

• Terms of reference defining purpose, scope, questions, methods and deliverables
• Evaluator selection criteria covering independence, technical expertise and contextual knowledge
• Inception reports refining evaluation matrices, sampling and fieldwork plans
• Quality assurance review of methods, evidence trails and draft findings
• Management responses assigning actions, owners, deadlines and verification measures
• Evaluation budgets covering personnel, travel, translation, assessment and dissemination

Participants can use monitoring and evaluation evidence to guide timely programme adaptation.

• Adaptive management cycles linking evidence review, decisions, action and reassessment
• Decision logs documenting evidence considered, choices made and responsible owners
• Programme learning agendas prioritising uncertainties with material implementation consequences
• After-action reviews following school disruptions, delayed delivery or weak uptake
• Feedback loops returning findings to teachers, schools and community representatives
• Change control procedures updating indicators, targets and implementation assumptions

Participants can build, review and present a complete monitoring and evaluation package for an education programme.

• Programme theory of change linking intervention components to intended learner results
• Results framework with indicators, baselines, targets and disaggregation requirements
• Monitoring plan specifying data sources, responsibilities, schedules and quality controls
• Mixed-methods evaluation matrix connecting questions, methods, samples and evidence
• Equity, safeguarding, ethics and data protection risk assessment
• Management reporting format linking findings, decisions, actions and follow-up
• Peer review against feasibility, validity, usefulness and accountability criteria