Scaling Effective Education for the Poor in Developing Countries: A Report from the Field

Abstract

Many school programs in developing countries have achieved scale but with varying quality. Conversely, some programs have achieved quality in one or two schools but have not achieved scale. This article describes an extensive field investigation of three education organizations in developing countries that have achieved both scale and quality: Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, Escuela Nueva in Colombia, and Pratham in India. The research led to the development of a framework of organizational characteristics and practices that are important for the successful scaling of effective education in impoverished regions. The three scaling levers—program, process, and passion—can also be effectively applied to other social enterprises addressing social issues in many industries.