Education Commons^™

Action Research Inquiry Cycle, Center For International Education

Leadership and Teacher Development (LTD)

No abstract provided.

Twaweza Evaluation Final Report, Gretchen Rossman, David R. Evans

Twaweza Initiative

This report covers the period October 1, 2009, through June 15, 2010, the effective date of the termination agreement. The sections of this report include: activities during this period; management, financial, and technical reports submitted; and a list of reports to be submitted.

Twaweza Independent Evaluation Overview Of Baseline And Other Surveys, Gretchen Rossman

Twaweza Initiative

As stipulated in the independent evaluation contract, CIE will implement baseline surveys at households, facilities (schools, health clinics), and communities using national randomly-selected samples in all three countries. These will be followed up in 2012 with a targeted micro-survey and then with full national-level random administrations in late 2013 or early 2014. The rationale for the baseline surveys and the subsequent full follow-up survey administrations is to measure change along key variables over time. The rationale for the mid-term micro-survey is to measure targeted change, using the full baseline study (including case studies) as a guide.

Given the key evaluation …

Twaweza Independent Evaluation Overview Of Case Studies, Mikala Lauridsen, Martina Ochiel, Gretchen Rossman

Twaweza Initiative

As the independent evaluator, CIE is charged with four primary goals: 1) verification of Twaweza’s outputs; 2) identification of outcomes/effects; 3) analysis of the relation between outputs and outcomes/effects; and 4) review of the appropriateness of Twaweza’s theory of change.

A secondary goal is to contribute to Twaweza’s learning and communications processes by making rigorous analyses which invite probing questions and discussions available on a regular basis to the Learning & Communications Team. This is often referred to as ‘formative evaluation’, although that concept trivializes the depth of interaction and supported questioning that Twaweza is committed to. These analyses and …

Twaweza Independent Evaluation Design, Gretchen Rossman, Ash Hartwell

Twaweza Initiative

This document describes the theoretical and conceptual framework for the independent evaluation of Twaweza. It describes and amplifies Twaweza’s theory of change: its key concepts, relationships and assumptions, and on this base articulates the evaluation’s conceptual framework, principles, approaches and methodologies.

A fundamental premise informs this work: the perspectives and lived experiences of citizens in East Africa will shape the theory and its evaluation. By implication, this design document provides a starting point (building on the body of previous research on evaluating social change and Twaweza’s work on this) that will be modified and shaped by experience with communities, citizens, …

Evaluating 'Twaweza' Presentation, Gretchen Rossman, Ash Hartwell

Twaweza Initiative

Presentation at the Comparative & International Education Society meetings

March 3, 2010, Chicago, IL

The Center for International Education (CIE) was awarded a contract to serve as the independent evaluation entity for the Twaweza initiative based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Twaweza ("we can make it happen" in Swahili) is a ten-year initiative, funded by the Dutch development organizations Hivos and SNV and other donors. Its overall goal is to foster citizen-driven change and to empower East African citizens (inTanzania,Kenya, andUganda) to advocate for access to and the quality of basic services (particularly basic education, clean water, and health services).

Unpacking Twaweza's Theory Of Social Change: Citizen Agency, Information, Accountability, And Basic Services, Ethan Miller, Ash Hartwell, Gretchen Rossman

Twaweza Initiative

The purpose of this paper is to define the key concepts – and links between them – of Twaweza’s Theory of Social Change. These are the notions of citizen-driven change, citizen agency, information, monitoring and accountability, and basic services. The analysis shows ambiguities and, at times, conflicting working definitions in Twaweza’s use of these terms in its major public documents. We then integrate relevant scholarship to elaborate these central ideas and to pose questions that Twaweza may engage with in the spirit of its claims to be a “learning organization.”

Students’ Perceptions Of Effectiveness Of Hospitality Curricula And Their Preparedness, Imran Rahman

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Curriculum assessment has been an important tool in measuring the effectiveness of the curriculum to evaluate student learning and preparedness. This study develops a conceptual framework, based on course offerings and descriptions of the Hospitality and Tourism Management Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, to evaluate how the curriculum contributes to students’ preparedness for their future career. Using an online field survey, this study examines the skills that contribute to students’ preparedness. Besides putting forward the strengths and weaknesses of the program, and identifying the significant skill areas that contribute significantly to students’ preparedness, findings of this study indicate …

The Great Dilemma Of Improving Teacher Quality In Adult Learning And Literacy, Cristine Smith

Center for International Education Faculty Publications

Recent research from the K-12 field indicates that professional development (PD) is a necessary (although not sufficient) factor in improving teacher quality. The research also clearly identifies ways to make professional learning activities for teachers effective. Yet the adult basic education and literacy (ABEL) field is not, for the most part, making use of this evidence in the design and support of PD for its teachers. The dilemma is that evidence-based teacher preparation practice can contribute to improved teacher quality, but it requires restructuring the way PD services are offered to the wide range of ABEL teachers. In this paper, …