Category: Education

Examining the secondary education system in Georgia

Guest blog by Levan Karalashvili That was a great course. A lot of countries are facing major policy challenges due to COVID19 and there is especially high uncertainty on post-covid era. The world simply will be different and any policy-maker needs to be equipped with the best possible tools and be able to efficiently analyze…Continue Reading Examining the secondary education system in Georgia

Using PDIA to Improve Public Education in Brazil

A conference room of people at roundtable looking at screen of Matt Andrews teaching

written by Salimah Samji In August 2021, we began an engagement with Instituto Sonho Grande (ISG) in Brazil to build the capability of public servants working in secretariats of education in the states of Maranhão and Paraíba.   In this virtual action learning program, 60 public servants working across 11 teams, learned how to use PDIA to solve…Continue Reading Using PDIA to Improve Public Education in Brazil

Keys to Unlocking Policy Locks: Legal Education in Ukraine

Words "Legal Education" with magnifying glass

Guest blog by Artem Shaipov Having earned in 2018 a certificate for successful completion of the online series “The Practice of PDIA: Building capability by delivering results” offered by Building State Capability at the Harvard Center for International Development, I learned about the Implementing Public Policy Program (IPP) from the PDIA Community’s first newsletter. I jumped…Continue Reading Keys to Unlocking Policy Locks: Legal Education in Ukraine

Helping Current and Future Adolescent Girls Requires Bailing Out the Boat but Also Fixing the Hole

Guest blog written by Michelle Kaffenberger, Kirsty Newman, Marla Spivack Guaranteeing quality education for every girl requires a two-pronged approach: bailing out the boat and fixing the hole in its hull. We need to invest in today’s primary school girls—who are future adolescents—to ensure that they gain the foundational skills they need to start and…Continue Reading Helping Current and Future Adolescent Girls Requires Bailing Out the Boat but Also Fixing the Hole

“Knowledge can be global, but solutions must be local” lessons from my conversation with Dzingai Mutumbuka

Written by Marla Spivack Earlier this year I had the opportunity to sit down for an in-depth conversation with Dr. Dzingai Mutumbuka, the first Minister of education of Zimbabwe after its independence, a global education leader and (to our great fortune) the chair of the RISE Delivery Board.  I had already been fortunate enough to benefit…Continue Reading “Knowledge can be global, but solutions must be local” lessons from my conversation with Dzingai Mutumbuka

To Increase Girls’ Schooling, Improve Girls’ Learning

written by Michelle Kaffenberger, Danielle Sobol, Deborah Spindelman, Marla Spivack A new paper shows that girls who are learning are more likely to stay in school. Improving learning could be key to achieving both schooling and learning goals. The G7 recently agreed to two new education objectives: ensure that 40 million more girls attend school and that…Continue Reading To Increase Girls’ Schooling, Improve Girls’ Learning

Exploring Legal Education Reform in Ukraine

Guest blog written by Ilhom Aliyev, Yousif Folathi Alkhoori, Manoj Kumar, Mike Ramirez, Frederick Tarantino MLD 103MA: Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) in Action: Development Through Facilitated Emergence is among the best classes at Harvard Kennedy School. This hidden infinity stone, 2-credit class challenges you to solve real-world, complex problems using the PDIA approach. The tried-and-true…Continue Reading Exploring Legal Education Reform in Ukraine

Coupling Action Learning and International Development

Gavel against black background to depict legal concept

Guest blog written by Artem Shaipov After completing the Implementing Public Policy Program and joining the IPP Community of Practice, I was thrilled to receive an invitation to work with a group of master students taking a class at the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) titled, “Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) in Action: Development through facilitated…Continue Reading Coupling Action Learning and International Development

It is the journey, not the destination that truly matters

Guest blog written by Deepa Singal Participating in the Executive Education program, “Implementing Public Policy” at the Harvard Kennedy School was a dynamic, motivating and humbling experience. Our global cohort consisted of emerging leaders and seasoned policy experts from multiple sectors and countries, all with the shared purpose of making a positive impact in the world….Continue Reading It is the journey, not the destination that truly matters

Better school improvement through Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation

Guest blog written by Harry Fletcher-Wood What do these have in common? All three ran late and overbudget: Crossrail is 3 years late and £2 billion overbudget; the Edinburgh Tram was half-finished 3 years late and £231 million overbudget; the NHS IT programme was abandoned after 10 years and £6 billion. Most big projects exceed…Continue Reading Better school improvement through Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation