Last month’s Global Partnership for Education replenishment conference demonstrated the international community’s resolve and collective action needed to ensure a quality education for all. The conference provided a chance to discuss experiences and lessons learned in improving access to school and quality of learning with education ministers, experts and leaders from civil society, business, donor and multilateral agencies and youth organizations from around the world.

Many of the discussions and presentations underscored the fact that the evidence base is growing as to what is working in getting more children into school and learning well.

But the question remains how do we move from effective small-scale projects to deliver these results affordably and widely to all those who need them?

This was the focus of a lunchtime panel that the Center for Universal Education (CUE) at Brookings hosted during the conference. The conversation focused on what we know and what we are still learning about designing, financing and delivering initiatives that fit the enormous needs for learning across the globe.

Scaling up learning

The panel included three unique perspectives on scaling up learning—from an implementing non-governmental organization, a bilateral aid agency and a foundation. Lucy Lake, CEO of Camfed International, discussed the rapid scale-up of Camfed’s post-primary education program for girls living in rural sub-Saharan Africa. Shinichiro Tanaka, Senior Advisor for Education with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), shared JICA’s experience partnering with the Punjabi government in Pakistan over the past ten years on a non-formal education program for out-of-school children and non-literate adults. And Vineet Nayar, former CEO of HCL Technologies and founder of Sampark Foundation in India, discussed how the foundation is applying business principles to identify new models of addressing social challenges. The panelists’ remarks underscore three important lessons for improving learning outcomes at scale, which are further reinforced by additional evidence and practice.

1. It is possible to increase impact without increasing the size of an organization

More than three million girls in the poorest areas of Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe have benefited from Camfed’s post-primary education programs.

Camfed’s scale-up strategy has been a deliberate decision not to expand the organization but rather work through existing local partners and networks in each country, including ministry of education officials.

This has allowed Camfed to tailor their programs to more effectively respond to girls’ needs in these communities while increasing the likelihood of the program’s sustainability by building local capacity. This approach is supported by a recent report by The Bridgespan Group that identifies one strategy for achieving transformative scale is to improve the performance of existing players already committed to the field.

2. Applying business-based principles to addressing social challenges at scale

Evidence suggests that there are market-based approaches for reaching scale that are transferable to the development sector.

One approach that the Sampark Foundation has adopted is an emphasis on problem-solving rather than problem-discussing—where the latter has received disproportionate attention in the development sector.

In the foundation’s efforts to improve academic outcomes for 50,000 primary school children in the Indian state of Punjab, Sampark is experimenting with simple, low-cost innovations in teaching aids that can be replicated and expanded to other areas throughout India. Another principle borrowed from the business sector is Sampark Foundation’s focus on engaging the children through gamification of pedagogy as they have found an enthusiasm for learning to be a critical success factor in their work. This is further supported by the Monitor Group’s research which finds that a common mistake among unsuccessful scaling efforts is to confuse what low-income customers presumably need with what they actually want.

3. Scaling up requires a long-term perspective

When it comes to donor financing, there is often tension between a desire to achieve systematic change and a need to deliver more immediate results. Traditionally, donor support for development activities has been characterized as short-term and risk adverse. A recent analysis of almost 20,000 aid interventions finds that the mean length of donor support is 618 days from start to finish with half occurring within a single year.

Donors’ emphasis on quick results can inadvertently undermine efforts to achieve scale, which often requires a long-term commitment (with many studies citing at least ten years).

JICA stands out as a welcome exception where they have been partnering for almost a decade with the regional government in Punjab, Pakistan to implement a non-formal education program for out-of-school children and literacy program for adults. Given its success, the Punjab government plans to expand the program to reach 1.5 million children and adults over the next 5 years.

Millions Learning: Documenting and Sharing Lessons about Scaling Up Learning

The evidence base on how to ensure more children are in school and learning continues to evolve, but important research gaps remain. Building on the work of Camfed, JICA, Sampark Foundation and many others, Millions Learning, a new initiative at CUE, will identify the factors and enabling conditions that contribute to successful scaling of learning.

As part of this process, CUE has launched a global call for case studies to identify examples of programs and policies, from early childhood development through post-primary education, that have contributed to large-scale gains in learning.

We hope that these collective efforts will help to deliver on the promises made in Brussels last month and ultimately lead to many more children and young people acquiring the relevant skills they need to lead healthy, safe and productive lives.