RG-T1751 : Regional Indicators and Data for Readiness to Learn

The objective of this TC is to fill existing data voids by generating a set of tools for collecting and generating data and indicators on school readiness. More specifically, this TC will: 1) support a region-wide effort to generate regionally comparable, psychometrically robust, and policy-relevant data on child development and readiness to learn; 2) increase the stock of evidence-based research in the Region by using the indicators generated by this operation in a series of impact evaluations of ongoing school readiness initiatives; and 3) create an empirical foundation for regional debate on the state of children aged 0-6. The generation of all data is expected to provide governments with a solid basis for decision making at all points in the policy process - from the dimensioning and targeting of interventions to ensure all children are ready to learn by the time they enter primary school, to the monitoring of ongoing interventions, and the evaluation of promising initiatives before taking them to scale. In addition, the data generated by this project will inform and allow for the continuous monitoring of national plans and strategies for early childhood development and readiness to learn. It is expected that the results of this operation will create a platform for debate in much the same way as other regional comparisons have (e.g., the Latin America Laboratory of Education Quality and its successor, the Second Round of Education Quality); these experiences have brought governments together and focused their attention on the factors surrounding differences in results across the Region. Among the results expected from this operation is a regional partnership and dialogue on the elaboration of indicators and the interpretation of the data collected. The activities supported by this operation are particularly well suited for the generation of regional economies of scale and the consolidation of regional capacities in area where few currently exist. Countries have much to learn from each other on issues related to the collection and interpretation of these data - e.g., the institutional capacities involved and methods for analysis. The indicators and data to be collected by this operation are for skills and competencies that all children, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status or any other factor are expected to do at a determined age.