Policy Briefs and Papers Series

The CSGD Policy Briefs and Papers profile our work across the field of global development and human wellbeing. CSGD Policy Briefs offer concise summaries of research and policy recommendations based on relevant findings. CSGD Positioning Papers present a position or research agenda on an issue pertinent to global development and human wellbeing. CSGD Research and Evidence papers present early findings from members’ research projects.

Realising the potential of online teacher development courses to improve student learning – a brief for policy makers

July 2024

3MPower is a collaborative research project between the Institute of Education and Research at Dhaka University and The Open University. 3MPower is funded by the EdTech Hub to address the gap in research evidence on the experiences and outcomes of using technology for teacher development in schools serving low-income rural communities, and the teaching and learning of foundation skills in numeracy. The findings presented here address the research question: How are primary numeracy teachers using mobile learning for teacher development in rural schools and in what ways does this change learning and teaching?

Invisible livelihoods in the Global South: public space vendors’ plight of making a living

June 2024

This policy brief puts forward suggestions for local and national governments, and international organisations to ensure the right to work and find shared solutions to improve the lives of vendors in public space (aka ‘street vendors’). Recommendations result from a research project in three cities in Latin America: Buenos Aires, Medellín and Rio de Janeiro in collaboration with popular economy workers’ associations and syndicates.

Realising the potential of online teacher development courses to improve student learning — a brief for eLearning providers

March 2024

The Government of Bangladesh and Aspire to Innovate (a2i) are making substantial investments in blended learning for teacher professional development (TPD) through the national eLearning platform ‘Mukto Paath’. This policy brief explores research evidence of primary-level teachers’ participation in one such course—Anonde Gonit Shikhi (AGS) by the Directorate of Primary Education—and makes evidence-based recommendations to increase the proportion of teachers and schools realising the potential benefits on teaching and learning.

Realising the potential of online teacher development courses to improve student learning: lessons for local education officers

March 2024

The Government of Bangladesh is making substantial investment in blended learning for teachers. Teachers undertake face-to-face trainings in Continuous Professional Development (CPD) priority areas, such as supporting students’ foundational learning. In parallel, teachers access TPD courses on Muktopaath, the Government’s national eLearning platform, focused on these same priority areas. Local Education Officers have a pivotal role in the delivery of these trainings and in supporting their practical application in schools and classrooms. This Policy Brief explores teachers’ participation in one set of eLearning courses, Anonde Gonit Shikhi (AGS). It makes evidence-based recommendations on how Local Education Officers at District and Upazila levels can encourage and support teachers to translate learning from both the online courses and face-to-face trainings into the intended changes in teaching practices and student learning in the classroom.

Maximising the impact of online teacher development courses to improve teaching and learning: lessons for national directors and education officers

March 2024

The Government of Bangladesh is making substantial investment in blended learning for teachers. Teachers undertake face-to-face trainings in Continuous Professional Development (TPD) priority areas, such as supporting students’ foundational learning. In parallel, teachers access CPD courses on Muktopaath, an eLearning platform, focused on these same priority areas. This Policy Brief explores teachers’ participation in one set of eLearning courses, Anonde Gonit Shikhi (AGS), and makes evidence-based recommendations on how the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) central team can encourage and support teachers to translate learning from both the online courses and face-to-face trainings into the intended changes in teaching practices and student learning in the classroom.

Improving educational inclusivity: A guideline for transforming the lives of pregnant teenagers and unmarried young mothers in Nigeria

December 2023

This policy brief is a call to action, highlighting the educational challenges faced by pregnant teenagers and unmarried young mothers in Nigeria and offering practical solutions for educational inclusion. It seeks to illuminate the path forward for policymakers, educators, and communities to empower pregnant teenagers and unmarried young mothers and create an educational system and society that is more inclusive, equitable, and responsive to their needs.