Systems Strengthening
USAID envisions a world where partner country education systems enable all children and youth to acquire the education and skills needed to be productive members of society.
To deliver on its vision, USAID focuses on achieving sustained, measurable improvements in learning outcomes and skills development. Recognizing that local systems are the foundations for sustaining educational impact, USAID champions a systems-based approach that transcends individual actors or partnerships.
This entails starting with an understanding of the education system, strengthening capacity in local institutions, fostering effective collaboration between diverse stakeholders, and addressing the interplay of policies, norms, resources, and incentives that shape education delivery. Through this holistic approach USAID enables partner countries to create sustainable education systems that unlock the full potential of children and youth.
Systems Strengthening in USAID policies
The USAID Education Policy and U.S. Government Strategy on International Basic Education recognize local education systems as the cornerstone for ensuring children and youth acquire the education and skills needed to lead productive and fulfilling lives. To further strengthen this commitment, USAID released the Local Capacity Strengthening Policy in 2022. This policy provides guidance on why and how to invest in the capacity of local partners to better achieve inclusive and locally led development across various sectors, including education. To operationalize the Local Capacity Strengthening Policy for education programming, see USAID’s Strengthening Capacity of Local Education Systems Guidance (forthcoming).
USAID works globally to strengthen education systems
In Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, over 58 of USAID’s Missions, Regional Bureaus, and other teams worked to strengthen education systems.
USAID’s global education programs achieved the following results in FY 2022:
Evidence and learning
USAID conducts research and evaluates education programs to learn from and develop guidance on strengthening education systems.
The recommendations above come from a recent review looking into how 20 USAID-funded education activities in Asia have helped to strengthen education systems over the past decade.
For further evidence and learning on education systems strengthening see:
- All Children Read-Asia USAID Systems Strengthening Review
- Education Systems Strengthening Research in Sub-Saharan Africa
- EQUIP 2 Policy Brief Series: Report Cards, Accountability in Public Education, Understanding Decentralization, Stakeholder Collaboration
- Evaluation of Sustained Outcomes in Basic Education
- Incentives and Accountability in Education: A Literature Review
- Local Institutional Capacity Development for Education in Crisis and Conflict-affected States
- Power of Persistence: Education System Reform and Aid Effectiveness
- Scale-Up of Early Grade Reading Programs
- USAID Higher Education Landscape Review 2014 - 2018
