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Every learner matters: Unpacking the learning crisis for children with disabilities

McCLAIN-NHLAPO, Charlotte
et al
June 2019

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This paper was developed by the World Bank in partnership with Leonard Cheshire and Inclusion International. It is an attempt to add knowledge to the current understanding of the importance of learning achievements, with a focus on children with disabilities. While the premise is that inclusive education refers to the inclusion of all children, the focus of this paper is on children with disabilities.

The aim of the paper is to:

  • Provide an evidence-based review of educational participation of children with disabilities.
  • Establish a case for focusing on learning achievements for students with disabilities.
  • Take stock of current mechanisms of measurement of learning outcomes and review their inclusivity.
  • Explore evidence of practice and systems which promote disability-inclusive learning for all. 

Four case studies are provided - from Pakistan, South Africa, Canada and UK.

Counting on communication : the Uganda Nutrition and Early Childhood Development Project

VERZOSA, Cecilia
April 2005

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This publication presents the activities and lessons learned from a project which sought to halve malnutrition among preschool children, raise primary school enrollment, reduce dropout and repetition rates, improve psycho-social and cognitive development, and increase the number of mothers practicing appropriate childcare. A strategic communication programme was designed to help mothers and other caregivers adopt new behaviours needed to achieve project outcomes. It helped the project team identify necessary changes in behaviour, knowledge or attitude for all target audiences; frame project-related issues relevant to different stakeholders, such as parliamentarians, mothers, community leaders, educators, and local government administrators; craft persuasive messages according to their needs, concerns and perceptions; and use the most appropriate communication channels. The communication strategy included a: national advocacy effort aimed at parliamentarians, health and education ministry officials, district and community leaders; multi-media campaign that emphasized three behaviour change interventions; training programme for health workers and pre-school teachers on their role; and monitoring and evaluation component to ensure that materials were disseminated via cost-effective channels of communication and that messages reached target audiences. Lessons learned emphasize the value of developing a comprehensive communication strategy during project design.

Ten steps to a results-based monitoring and evaluation system : a handbook for development practitioners

ZALL, Jody Kusek
RIST, Ray C
2004

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This is a comprehensive introduction to results-based monitoring and evaluation, illustrating ten essential steps to designing, building and sustaining an effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system. The ten steps are: conducting a readiness assessment, agreeing on outcomes to monitor and evaluate, selecting key indicators to monitor outcomes, baseline data on indicators, selecting results targets, monitoring for results, role of evaluations, reporting findings, using findings and sustaining the M&E system within the organisation. Properly implemented, this model will provide essential information feedback for policymakers but also help project managers to assess the effectiveness of their organisations and their programmes

Monitoring and evaluation : some tools, methods and approaches

WORLD BANK
2004

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An introductory guide to methods and approaches for monitoring and evaluation. Provides an overview of key tools, with essential information about their use, advantages and disadvantages, costs, skills and time required. Types of evaluation discussed include: performance indicators, logical framework approach, theory-based evaluation, formal surveys, rapid appraisal methods, participatory methods, public expenditure tracking surveys, cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis and impact evaluation

Efficiency in reaching the millennium development goals

JAYASURIYA, Ruwan
WODON, Quentin
June 2003

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This study deals with the MDG-related topic of increasing the efficiency of countries in producing good outcomes with their available resources. The first two papers use country-level data to look at the efficiency of countries in improving health, education, and GDP outcomes. The last two use within-country data on health and education in Argentina and Mexico to look at the same issues. The analysis helps quantify how much progress could be achieved through better efficiency, and to some extent, how efficiency itself could be improved

Understanding and measuring social capital : a multi-disciplinary tool for practitioners

GROOTART, Christiaan
VON BASTELAER, Thierry
2002

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This book provides a conceptual review of social capital and measurement tools in a form readily accessible to development practitioners. It discusses the value of quantitative and qualitative approaches to the analysis of social capital, illustrating the discussion with examples, and case studies from many countries. It also presents the Social Capital Assessment Tool, which combines quantitative and qualitative instruments to measure social capital at the level of household, community, and organisation, drawing on multidisciplinary, empirical experiences, an application which can provide project managers with valuable baseline, and monitoring information about social capital in its different dimensions. The Social Capital Assessment Tool can be downloaded from a CD-ROM which is included with this book

A survey of health reform in Central Asia

KLUGMAN, Jeni G
SCHIEBER, George
et al
1996

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This paper surveys health reform in the former Soviet republics of Central Asia, in the aftermath of their independence and transition from the Soviet command economy. Socio-economic, epidomiological and institutional realities face the countries. Section 2 sets out demographic and epidemiological trends, which suggest the scope and priorities for health services. The next section analyzes recent economic performance, highlighting worsening financial constraints. The existing health systems are evaluated in Section 4, centering on their primary strengths and weaknesses. Section 5 addresses critical institutional elements of the reform process, including decentralization and staffing issues. The reform agenda facing health policymakers in Central Asia is then investigated in Section 6, focusing upon empirical and descriptive aspects, in order to provide a reliable basis for discussing future options. Section 7 concludes that the large declines in real health spending signal that each country will have to do more with less. Consequently, current public health programs like maternal and child health programs will need to be restructured; improvement incentives to induce consumers and providors to behave more efficiently will have to be issued; and modorn management and quality assurance systems will have to be introduced. Although the reform debate focuses on financial sustainability, particularly attempts to bring in additional non-budget revenues, equally important is the need to focus on basic public health activities and delivery system restructuring.

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