Entry points for supporting middle-tier officials in foundational learning reforms: Equip, connect, inform, empower

As intermediaries between top decision-makers and schools in education systems, middle-tier officials are crucial in implementing and monitoring policy plans that are designed by a small number of policymakers but ultimately delivered at scale by teachers and other school-level actors.

This synthesis focuses on entry points for supporting middle-tier officials in implementation at scale in Global South education systems. The four entry points for supporting middle-tier officials in foundational learning reforms – equip, connect, inform and empower – result from a synthesis process that bridged implementation and research across contexts and academic disciplines. The four entry points are meant to support those designing, funding, implementing and studying foundational learning programmes.

This synthesis proceeds as follows:

• Section 1 outlines the scope and the process of the synthesis.
• Sections 2 to 5 explore each entry point in greater detail. For each entry point, the synthesis first discusses why the entry point matters for supporting middle-tier officials in foundational learning reforms, then provides examples of what the entry point has looked like in practice in education reforms in the Global South, and finally provides additional insights from other sectors that are relevant to education and foundational learning.
• Section 6 describes an example of all four entry points working concurrently during the Tusome structured pedagogy programme in Kenya.
• Section 7 outlines a research agenda for open questions about middle-tier officials and their role in implementing and strengthening foundational learning reforms.