Key Education Quality Links & Resources
International Agencies and NGOs
Research Organisations
Consortium for Research on Educational Access, Transitions and Equity (CREATE)
A DFID-funded research programme consortium researching issues related to access to education in low income countries. Partners in the UK, Africa and South Asia.
Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and Development
CGECCD is an inter-agency consortium for international advocacy and knowledge generation and dissemination. Their web site includes a resources section and library.
The Digital Education Enhancement Project (DEEP)
A research & development programme investigating the use of ICT for teaching and learning in schools serving disadvantaged communities in different parts of the world.
Education in Small States Research Group
Research group focusing on education and human development in small groups throughout the Commonwealth, in Europe and elsewhere.
Gender, Education and Development: Beyond Access Project
A DFID-funded project critically examining knowledge about how to achieve gender equitable basic education, jointly run by the Institute of Education and Oxfam GB.
A DFID-funded research programme consortium researching how education contributes to poverty reduction. Partners in the UK, Africa and South Asia.
International review of curriculum and assessment (INCA)
Describes government policy on education, focused on curriculum, assessment and initial teacher training across 21 countries, including South Africa.
Research network cooperation focusing on ICT and learning and local knowledge forms, with partner organisations in the UK and sub-Saharan Africa.
Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa (TESSA)
A research and development consortium creating open educational resources and course design guidance for teachers and teacher educators in sub-Saharan Africa.
Young Lives is an innovative long-term international research project investigating the changing nature of childhood poverty.
International Agencies and NGOs
Information on work on education by ActionAid, an international anti-poverty agency.
African Network Campaign for Education for All (ANCEFA)
Working to promote, enable and build capacity of African civil society to advocate and campaign for access to free quality education for all.
Association for the Development of Education in Africa
A forum for dialogue on education policy, encouraging exchange and reinforcing links between ministries of education and development agencies.
Educational Quality Improvement Program (EQUIP)
A combination of USAID-funded programmes related to: (1) classrooms, schools, community, (2) policy, systems, management, (3) out-of-school youth, earning, learning.
Civil society movement aiming to ensure governments act to deliver the right of free quality public education to all.
The team within DFID which creates partnerships to deliver ICT-based activities supporting gender equality and universal primary education in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Completed 10-year project. Predecessor of EQUIP (see above).
International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP)
UNESCO centre for research and training in educational planning and management.
Information about work on education at the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development).
Information on work on education by Oxfam GB, an international NGO focused on fighting global poverty.
Save the Children UK - Education
Information on work on education by Save the Children UK, an independent children's charity focused on rights.
Information about the global Education for All movement which aims to meet the learning needs of all children, youth and adults by 2015.
UNESCO - Education publications
UNESCO produces a variety of publications and documents on education, most of which can be downloaded free of charge.
UNESCO - Languages in Education
UNESCO promotes mother tongue-based bilingual or multilingual approaches in education - an important factor for inclusion and quality in education.
United Nations Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI)
Partnership of organizations committed to narrowing the gender gap in primary and secondary education.
UNICEF - Basic education and gender equality
Information about UNICEF's work on basic education and gender equality.
Information about UNICEF's work in relation to early childhood.
Information about the World Bank's work on education.
Information Gateways
Provides web-based platforms and focuses on effective government, knowledge sharing and collaboration, and local partner programs.
Gateway to development information - link to education resources.
The Global Development Network (GDN)
GDN is worldwide network of research and policy institutes. Their web site has a library, knowledge base and publications section.
Resource for teachers and educators to search for educational materials and connect with colleagues from around the world. Features some research papers.
HIV/AIDS Impact on Education Clearinghouse
A platform for sharing research knowledge on the impact of HIV/AIDS on education.
A free on-line database containing information about research programmes supported by DFID, including news, case studies and details of current and past research.
Academic Journals
A database of journals published in Africa, covering the full range of academic disciplines.
Directory of Open Access Journals
Portal for open access journals.
Journal of Education for International Development
Publishes research, programme reviews, technical reports, policy briefs, project data, methods and examples of results-based management, new methodologies and tools.
Network for Policy Research, Review & Advice on Education & Training newsletter on education & skills, the politics of aid to education, international research cooperation.
Store of archived journal articles.
Research and Reports
Education for All Global Monitoring Reports 2002 to date
Education for All Global Monitoring Reports since 2002.This annual report assesses how well countries are doing in meeting the goals agreed at the 2000 World Education Forum. The site also makes available background papers prepared as part of preparing the overall report, as well as links to related publications.
From closed books to opened doors: West Africa’s literacy challenge (2009)
Joint research report by ANCEFA, Pamoja West Africa, African Platform for Adult Education, Oxfam International and ActionAid which examines the reasons behind West Africa’s literacy rates and makes recommendations for action. Available in French and English.
Education for All, the Quality Imperative and the Problem of Pedagogy (Alexander 2007) (1.3 MB)
This CREATE RPC research monograph contends that EFA discourse has moved from a commitment to quality to its measurement without adequate consideration of what quality entails, particularly in the vital domain of pedagogy.
What is a good school? Imagining beyond the limits of today to create a better tomorrow (Naker 2007) (768.9 kB)
A vision of good quality schools in sub-Saharan Africa that nurture the cognitive, social and ethical development of the child. Published by Raising Voices.
Advocacy kit for promoting multilingual education: Including the excluded (UNESCO 2007) (2.8 MB)
This kit advocates making education systems more responsive to cultural diversity. It provides important insights into the value of mother tongue-based multilingual education, which respects the rights of children and encourages readers to think about the importance of language issues.
Enhancing learning: From access to success - Report of the first experts’ meeting : Defining areas of action (UNESCO 2007) (3.6 MB)
This document is a summary of an experts’ meeting, including researchers, educators, educational planners, representatives of United Nations agencies and selected government officials, to discuss how to enhance learning and critically examine the internal and external factors influencing the learning process.
Quality Education and HIV & AIDS (IATT 2006) (4.6 MB)
This paper written for UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on Education presents a framework for quality education that demonstrates how education systems can and must change their operations in relation to HIV and AIDS.
From Schooling Access to Learning Outcomes: An unfinished agenda. An evaluation of World Bank support to Primary Education (IEG/World Bank 2006) (802.5 kB)
This report assesses World Bank assistance to countries in their efforts to improve their basic knowledge and skills base through the provision of quality primary education, particularly since the beginning of the EFA movement in 1990.
This comprehensive edited book, based on work presented in 2003, was published by ADEA (Association for the Development of Education in Africa). It includes chapters on cost-effective allocation of resources; relevant curriculum; teacher development; diversity; managing improvement; and assessment, amongst others.
Scaling Up by Focusing Down: Creating space to expand education reform (Samoff et al 2003) (301 kB)
Paper for publication resulting from the Biennial Meeting of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa, Arusha, 7–11 October 2001. Aims to contribute to resolving contested issues of education reform and scaling up by reporting findings, highlighting major themes, and framing issues for discussion and negotiation.
Reviews the concept of ‘education quality’ and examines its relationship to gender equality; examines modes of delivery, student performance assessment, and education system evaluation; reviews indicators for monitoring progress; details initiatives to improve education quality in different national settings.
Defining Quality in Education (Unicef 2000) (152.2 kB)
This paper examines research related to five dimensions of education quality: what learners bring, environments, content, processes, and outcomes.
