What we did
The project
The education sector, despite its vast investments in policy formulation and data collection, often struggles to translate this information into actionable evidence. This “knowing-doing gap” impedes effective responses to global education challenges.
The healthcare sector, on the other hand, has extensive mechanisms in place to support systematic and continued evidence gathering and knowledge to inform global, national and local policies. To carry such mechanisms over to education and bridge the “knowing-doing gap”, we worked with the Education.org (EO) team to develop a new framework that would become the cornerstone of their work, enhancing the use of existing knowledge to inform education policies and practices worldwide.
Horizon scanning other industries
To develop the groundwork for a new framework, we first agreed upon core principles to guide the process. We analyzed multiple industries and connected with global experts to develop an evidence processing framework that built on what the private sector, public sector, and think tanks are using today. We also considered the directions in which they are heading to help inform our own trajectory.
We reviewed innovations and advancements across technologies and frameworks, from scanning for new trends to better screening criteria for evidence to enhanced methods for identifying and using grey literature. We were able to develop a new, future-proofed Evidence Synthesis process that was then shared back with experts for feedback in an inclusive process.
Developing workflows and processes
With a general process defined, we then developed a full, end-to-end process that would identify topics needed to advance education policy, culminating in mechanisms that would help surface the right evidence to the right audience to guide better decisions. Each stage fully defined the necessary governance, resources, individual workflows, outcomes and metrics of success to prioritize continuous improvement and quality control.
We also developed a feedback mechanism, which, coupled with various environmental scanning techniques common in foresight strategies, allowed us to create a circular process that would continually define priorities for EO and where to focus its next interventions.
Prototyping and testing
At the onset of COVID, EO came to the forefront of the education sector by highlighting the consequences and impact of COVID on education systems. This was a natural starting point for a prototype to capitalize on existing resources and knowledge within the organization for a prototype.
We helped EO prototype the entire process on the topic of Accelerated Education Programs, refining the process with a real life example. This in turn allowed us to concept a technology platform that would streamline the process and allow for greater collaboration and insight gathering.
Outcomes
We laid out the strategic and operational implementation path for Education.org’s Synthesis initiative, resulting in the first ever solution in the education sector to offer reliable evidence in an accessible, timely and useful way to decision makers. We also supported the team in launching the first iteration of their Education Evidence Pathway and Synthesis Portal, along with a supporting inception report and blueprint for implementation.
