Systems Based Approaches to Improving Teaching

Improving student learning in developing countries not only involves identifying what works in the classroom, but also successfully implementing improvements in teaching at scale. This evaluation will use a 3-armed randomized controlled trial to test the impact of the World Bank Teach classroom observation tool on student learning, non-learning outcomes, the overall school climate, and teacher behavior when implemented in the existing schooling system in Andhra Pradesh, India. The first arm (“Teach”) will consist of evaluating the Teach tool as it is currently implemented in the state (N=267). A second arm (“Teach-Plus”) will add additional system-based coaching and mentoring on practices identified as deficient (N=167). The third arm (“Control”) will not receive any intervention (N=167). We evaluate whether the Teach tool as implemented improves learning, whether adding additional teacher coaching further improves learning, and cost effectiveness. We will conduct surveys with students, teachers, and headmasters, and conduct student exams.This ongoing evaluation began in 2024, when the observers were trained and began implementing the Teach or Teach- Plus intervention in schools. We will complement survey data with rich standardized test score data and administrative data on Teach evaluations.The findings of the study have the potential to influence the scale-up of the Teach tool state-wide in Andhra Pradesh (190,000 teachers and 4.6 million students), other Indian states, and an additional 30 countries that use the Teach tool.