Publication: What Matters Most for Equity and Inclusion in Education Systems: A Framework Paper
Loading...
Published
2016-02
ISSN
Date
2017-08-29
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
The purpose of systems approach for better education results (SABER) - equity and inclusion (E and I) is to help countries ensure that all children go to school and learn. This paper is part of a suite of what matters papers published under the SABER initiative. SABER was launched by the World Bank to help governments systematically examine and strengthen the performance of their education systems so that all children and youth can be equipped with knowledge and skills for life. SABER is organized around a dozen different domains that collect data on country policies in education. This paper is about E and I in education systems. The paper first provides a quick diagnostic of where countries stand in terms of E and I; why E and I matters for the eradication of extreme poverty, shared prosperity, and development; and how the SABER E and I domain is structured. Three policy goals are then emphasized for E and I in education and discussed in subsequent respective chapters: (1) establishing an enabling environment and providing resources needed for an education system to be equitable and inclusive; (2) providing general conditions that enable all children to start school ready to learn and remain in school; and (3) ensuring that all children, especially vulnerable groups of children, learn in school.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Wodon, Quentin. 2016. What Matters Most for Equity and Inclusion in Education Systems: A Framework Paper. Systems Approach for Better Education Results Working Paper;No. 10. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/28094 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Digital Object Identifier
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication What Matters Most for Education Management Information Systems : A Framework Paper(World Bank Group, Washington, DC, 2014-06)The main objective of this paper is to outline what matters most for an effective education management information system (EMIS). It presents the conceptual background and operational tools for the Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER)-EMIS domain. These tools are intended for use by government education policy makers to assess policy areas of relevance to a country s EMIS against international best practices. This paper begins with an introduction of the domain and the rationale for an EMIS benchmarking tool. Chapter 1 then provides an overview of current data-related demands to improve education, explains how an EMIS meets those data demands, and highlights examples of specific system s in action. Chapter 2 outlines what matters in an EMIS, starting with an explanation of what comprises the construct validity and theoretical underpinnings for benchmarking an EMIS. This chapter shows that the guiding principles behind an EMIS drive actionable policies. A detailed description of four policy areas specifically, the enabling environment, system soundness, data quality, and utilization for decision making then follows in chapter 3. The chapter describes the rubric for the SABER-EMIS Tool and gives a brief overview of an EMIS benchmarking pilot, which demonstrated the feasibility of the concept. The last chapter describes how an EMIS is benchmarked, scored, and subsequently leads to a situation analysis. This assessment sequence provides an understanding of the strength and weaknesses of an EMIS system for fuller, more comprehensive depiction of its status. Overall, this paper evaluates whether a management information system is set up to use the information it generates for improving operational efficiency and educational quality.Publication What Matters Most for Engaging the Private Sector in Education(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2014-07)This paper provides an overview of what matters most for engaging the private sector in basic education. In many countries, private schools educate a substantial and growing share of the student population. The goal of this paper is not to advocate for private schooling, but to outline the most effective evidence based policies that governments can use to orient these non-state providers toward promoting learning for all children and youth. Systems approach for better education results (SABER) engaging the private sector (EPS) builds upon the framework for effective service delivery outlined in the World Bank's World Development Report 2004, making services work for the poor, as well as in the World Bank's education sector strategy 2020, learning for all. To assist countries in improving their policy frameworks for private education, SABER EPS analyzes and benchmarks four policy goals that, according to the global evidence, can strengthen provider accountability and promote learning for all. These policy goals are: (1) encouraging innovation by providers; (2) holding schools accountable; (3) empowering all parents, students, and communities; and (4) promoting diversity of supply. Each of these policy goals is benchmarked across four common models of private service delivery: (a) independent private schools, (b) government funded private schools, (c) privately managed schools, and (d) voucher schools. In its country level application of the framework and tools, SABER EPS assesses only the modes of private delivery that already exist in each country.Publication What Matters Most for Student Assessment Systems : A Framework Paper(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012-04)The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of what matters most for building a more effective student assessment system. The focus is on systems for assessing student learning and achievement at the primary and secondary levels. The paper extracts principles and guidelines from countries' experiences, professional testing standards, and the current research base. The goal is to provide national policy makers, education ministry officials, development organization staff, and other stakeholders with a framework and key indicators for diagnosis, discussion, and consensus building around how to construct a sound and sustainable student assessment system that will support improved education quality and learning for all.Publication Emerging Evidence on Vouchers and Faith-based Providers in Education : Case Studies from Africa, Latin America, and Asia(World Bank, 2009)The case studies in this book provide useful information on the characteristics of students and the performance of various types of schools that benefit from public-private partnerships. While these case studies are empirically grounded, their results are not necessarily of universal application, because context also matters. The authors are careful to point out that while one of the case studies is based on an experiment, the other case studies use instruments or matching methods that have their limitations. Yet a key result from this work is that sound analyses of existing data are feasible and can yield useful conclusions about the contribution that private service providers can offer to educational development. These case studies will encourage more researchers to undertake similar work to demonstrate the many options that developing countries have to reach their education goals.Publication System Approach for Better Education Results (SABER) : What Matters Most in Teacher Policies? A Framework for Building a More Effective Teaching Profession(Washington, DC, 2012-07)The document is organized as follows. Section one provides an overview of the general approach, main components and objectives of the framework, as well as an explanation of the evidence base that supported its development. Section two focuses on the first component of the framework, and describes the categories that are relevant to produce a comprehensive descriptive account of the teacher policies that are in place in a given education system. Section three, in turn, focuses on policy guidance. It reviews those policies that, based on the available evidence to date, are known to matter most to improve student outcomes. It describes in detail the evidence supporting each of these policies, as well as the ways in which high performing education systems combine them to ensure outstanding student outcomes. The document concludes presenting an account of how the framework is expected to evolve as new evidence on teacher policies becomes available.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Continental Drying: A Threat to Our Common Future(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-11-04)Grounded in new evidence from satellite data, “Continental Drying: A Threat to Our Common Future” presents the first global assessment of freshwater reserves over the past two decades. The findings expose an alarming trend of “continental drying,” a persistent long-term decline in freshwater availability across vast landmasses. Not only are droughts and deluges becoming more unpredictable, but the total amount of freshwater available for use has also significantly declined. Continental drying, driven by global warming, worsening droughts, and unsustainable water and land use, is a silent but accelerating crisis—largely unknown to the public—that reshapes the global water narrative. Continental drying raises profound risks. This report reveals new empirical evidence showing how freshwater depletion leads to major job losses, reduced incomes, wildfires, and biodiversity threats. In the long term, the combined effects of drying and warming could push societies toward a tipping point where damage accelerates rapidly and adaptation becomes increasingly difficult. Against the backdrop of continental drying, global water consumption rose by 25 percent between 2000 and 2019, with about a third of this increase occurring in regions already experiencing drying. Compounding the pressure, a substantial share of water use in drying regions remains inefficient. Continental Drying identifies hot spots where rising demand and declining supply converge and explores where and how water savings can be realized. This report recommends a three-pronged approach to address the crisis: managing demand, augmenting water supply, and improving water allocation. Five cross-cutting levers—strengthening institutions, reforming water tariffs and repurposing subsidies, adopting water accounting, leveraging data and technological innovations, and valuing water in trade—are essential for effective implementation and to attract private investment to finance the approach. Beyond water, addressing trade barriers, investing in education and skills development, and improving access to markets and financial services are critical for strengthening job and livelihood resilience amid a continental drying crisis.Publication Taxes, Spending, and Equity: International Patterns and Lessons for Developing Countries(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-11-17)Taxes and public spending underpin the basic administration of government and finance the human capital and infrastructure investments needed for economic growth. They can also have a significant and immediate impact on poverty and inequality. The question of how public finance can support longer-term growth objectives while promoting equity has become even more important in recent years, given the high fiscal deficits and debt levels most countries emerged with in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. These included the increasing cost of debt and the need to restart environmentally sustainable growth while helping households address the learning losses and other social scars caused by the pandemic. This paper examines the global evidence on which households pay which taxes and who benefits from what spending, and critically, the net effect on different households across the income distribution. The aim is to identify the patterns and lessons that emerge for designing progressive fiscal policies. A global dataset of 96 countries is assembled, spanning all regions of the world and all national income levels, grounded in the Commitment to Equity (CEQ) approach to fiscal incidence.Publication Kyrgyz Republic Country Climate and Development Report(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-11-03)This Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) on the Kyrgyz Republic aims to support the country’s development goals amid a changing climate. The CCDR considers two policy scenarios up to 2050: the business-as-usual (BAU) and high-growth scenarios. As it quantifies the likely impacts of climate change on the Kyrgyz economy between now and 2050, the report highlights key government actions to best prepare for and adapt to climate impacts (referred to as “with adaptation” measures), with a particular focus on the time horizon up to 2030. The CCDR also outlines a path to net zero emissions by 2050 (referred to as “with mitigation” measures, “decarbonization,” or, simply, “net zero 2050”), highlighting associated development co-benefits.Publication Direct and Indirect Impacts of Transport Mobility on Access to Jobs: Evidence from South Africa(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-11-12)Access to jobs is essential for economic growth. In Africa, unemployment rates are notably high. This paper reexamines the relationship between transport mobility and labor market outcomes, with a particular focus on the direct and indirect effects of transport connectivity. As predicted by theory, wages are influenced by the level of commuting deterrence. Generally, higher earnings are associated with longer commute times and/or higher commuting costs. Local accessibility is also important, especially for individuals with time constraints. Both direct and indirect impacts are found to be significant in South Africa, where job accessibility has been challenging since the end of apartheid. For the direct impact, the wage elasticity associated with commuting costs is significant. Returns on commute are particularly high for women. Local accessibility to socioeconomic facilities, such as shops and health services, is also found to have a significant impact, consistent with the concept of mobility of care. To enhance employment, therefore, it is crucial to connect people not only to job locations but also to various socioeconomic points of interest, such as markets and hospitals, in an integrated manner. This integration will enable individuals to spend more time working and commuting longer distances.Publication Digital Africa(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-03-13)All African countries need better and more jobs for their growing populations. "Digital Africa: Technological Transformation for Jobs" shows that broader use of productivity-enhancing, digital technologies by enterprises and households is imperative to generate such jobs, including for lower-skilled people. At the same time, it can support not only countries’ short-term objective of postpandemic economic recovery but also their vision of economic transformation with more inclusive growth. These outcomes are not automatic, however. Mobile internet availability has increased throughout the continent in recent years, but Africa’s uptake gap is the highest in the world. Areas with at least 3G mobile internet service now cover 84 percent of Africa’s population, but only 22 percent uses such services. And the average African business lags in the use of smartphones and computers as well as more sophisticated digital technologies that catalyze further productivity gains. Two issues explain the usage gap: affordability of these new technologies and willingness to use them. For the 40 percent of Africans below the extreme poverty line, mobile data plans alone would cost one-third of their incomes—in addition to the price of access devices, apps, and electricity. Data plans for small- and medium-size businesses are also more expensive than in other regions. Moreover, shortcomings in the quality of internet services—and in the supply of attractive, skills-appropriate apps that promote entrepreneurship and raise earnings—dampen people’s willingness to use them. For those countries already using these technologies, the development payoffs are significant. New empirical studies for this report add to the rapidly growing evidence that mobile internet availability directly raises enterprise productivity, increases jobs, and reduces poverty throughout Africa. To realize these and other benefits more widely, Africa’s countries must implement complementary and mutually reinforcing policies to strengthen both consumers’ ability to pay and willingness to use digital technologies. These interventions must prioritize productive use to generate large numbers of inclusive jobs in a region poised to benefit from a massive, youthful workforce—one projected to become the world’s largest by the end of this century.