Title: : Scaling teacher performance pay contracts in Rwanda 

Co-authored with with Owen Ozier, Pieter Serneels, and Andrew Zeitlin

Abstract: 

This study evaluates potential scale-up of a teacher performance pay system in Rwanda. Working under the mandate of a Ministry of Education task force on the incorporation of learning outcomes in teachers' "imihigo" contracts, the study A/B tests design alternatives and evaluates impacts relative to control. It draws on evidence from the Supporting Teacher Achievement in Rwandan Schools (STARS) trial (Leaver et al., 2021) but innovates by working entirely within government systems. Over the course of three years, the study is undertaking an adaptive approach, winnowing an initial set of five alternatives down to a single, leading design.

The presentation will begin with a brief review of the original STARS trial, including unpublished results relating to equity concerns. It will then summarise results from Year 1 of the new study. Echoing the original trial, all five designs had positive impacts on teacher inputs but there was no evidence of first year impacts on student learning. It will then describe adaptations for Year 2, emphasising how this process had to balance statistical, logistical, and political considerations. The presentation will conclude with preliminary results from Year 2 and initial thoughts on adaptation moving into Year 3.

Bio:

https://www.bsg.ox.ac.uk/people/clare-leaver