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Enrollment without learning: teacher effort, knowledge, and skill in primary schools in Africa

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Abstract

School enrollment has universally increased over the last 25 years in low-income countries. Enrolling in school, however, does not assure that children learn. A large share of children in low-income countries complete their primary education lacking even basic reading, writing, and arithmetic skills. Teacher quality is a key determinant of student learning, but not much is known about teacher quality in low-income countries. This paper discusses an ongoing research program intended to help fill this void. The authors use data collected through direct observations, unannounced visits, and tests from primary schools in seven sub-Saharan African countries to answer three questions: How much do teachers teach? What do teachers know? How well do teachers teach?

Author
Bold, Tessa
Filmer, Deon
Martin, Gayle
Molina, Ezequiel
Stacy, Brian
Rockmore, Christophe
Svensson, Jakob
Wane, Waly
Year of publication
2017
Pages
0
Series
Journal of Economic Perspectives
Level of education
Source database
library
Language