One way to improve schools is to apply evidence-based approaches to addressing a variety of problems. The Netherlands, for example, has used a data-informed approach to education recovery. After handing out EUR4.2 billion to schools, the government asked them to choose from a menu of evidence-based practices, based on the EEF’s toolkit. According to Femke Bink, a senior adviser for secondary education in the Netherlands, this approach is having an impressive impact on improving school performance.
One way to make education more effective is to make it more like medicine. Just as drugs must be proven effective through randomized controlled trials, so should be teaching methods. However, the task of establishing which teaching methods work best is much more difficult than testing the effectiveness of drugs. In this respect, there are many differences between the drug research and the educational research. Nevertheless, education research is an important part of advancing educational policy, especially in developing countries.
Nonprofits can maximize their impact by applying disciplined management practices. High-impact nonprofits use a combination of disciplined systems and creativity to generate innovative ideas. They execute ideas and adjust them over time to increase their impact. This approach is highly effective and has helped many educational nonprofits become world leaders. However, it requires a long-term commitment. As such, it is important to make tough decisions that will improve your organization’s educational impact.
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