Solutions To Learning Poverty - Asia

Private business models based on standardizing operations at scale in low- and middle-income countries may also encounter other challenges. A literature in development economics notes the relative scarcity of large firms in low- and middle-income countries and argues that difficulties faced by productive private firms inhibit overall productivity growth. Hsieh and Klenow (2009) argue that large private firms are subject to tax and regulatory “wedges” that generate misallocation, while small informal firms operate under the radar screen and large state-owned enterprises are subsidized. Others attribute the scarcity of large firms in low income countries to weak legal structures (Bertrand and Schoar, 2006) and difficulties associated with maintaining control across multiple establishment locations when this requires managers outside the family (Kremer et al., 2019; Ilias, 2006).

We study a highly structured and standardized approach to education, implemented by Bridge International Academies (henceforth “Bridge”) in Kenya. The Bridge operating model features centrally-developed, highly-detailed lesson plans (equivalently, “scripts” or “lesson guides”) that are delivered to teachers using tablet computers. Supervisory staff (including headteachers) are trained and closely monitored to promote the use of lesson plans by teachers. In addition to pedagogical scripts for teachers, monitoring scripts provide a detailed framework for headteachers on how to conduct classroom observations, provide feedback, and thus increase teacher accountability. Standardized processes are also employed for other business operations, ranging from school construction to financial management.

At the time of the study, Bridge operated over 400 schools spread throughout most of Kenya’s 47 counties, with an enrollment of over 100,000 pupils, accounting for approximately 1 percent of primary enrollments and 0.65 percent of pre-primary enrollments in the country.

We estimate the impact of enrolling in Bridge schools by using the random variation created by a large, nationwide program that offered 10,000 two-year scholarships to attend Bridge schools in any of the ten grade levels. With more than 25,000 applicants, the program was oversubscribed, and scholarships were awarded by lottery. These scholarships increased the likelihood that lottery winners enrolled in Bridge by about one-third.

We find that enrolling at Bridge improves student learning as measured by five subject knowledge tests designed to reflect the material in the national curriculum. Primary school pupils in our main sample (who were considered likely to enroll at a public primary school if they did not win a 2