SikshanaFoundation’sFlagshipModel-‘Prerna’TheprocessofidentificationofthecoreprinciplesandrefiningtheTheoryofChange

Anuradha Agrawala and Radhika Iyengar

CenterforSustainableDevelopment,EarthInstitute,ColumbiaUniversity12thJune2020

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Table of Contents

ExecutiveSummary……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3Introductionandobjectives...............................................................................................4

Projectpurpose..........................................................................................................................4VibhaandSikshanaFoundation..................................................................................................4ThePrernaModel.......................................................................................................................5Scopeofthestudy......................................................................................................................6

Methodology.....................................................................................................................7DocumentReview......................................................................................................................72.Interviews..............................................................................................................................7SchoolObservation....................................................................................................................8TheoryofChangeWorkshop......................................................................................................8MethodologyforAnalysis...........................................................................................................8

FindingsandAnalysis........................................................................................................9

ConstructingasampleTheoryofChange.........................................................................24

Recommendations..........................................................................................................28

StudyLimitations............................................................................................................30Appendix……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….32

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ExecutiveSummary

ThisreportisananalysisconductedbytheCenterforSustainableDevelopment(CSD),Earth

InstituteatColumbiaUniversity,forVibha-anorganizationbasedinUSAworkingtoaddress

challengesforvulnerablechildren.VibhaisoneoftheprimaryfundersofSikshana

Foundation,anon-profitworkinginthefieldofchildren’seducation,basedinBangalorein

India.

ThereportpresentsthemethodsandfindingsofanexerciseconductedbyCSDwherein

Sikshana’sflagshipPrernaModelwasstudiedindepth,inordertoidentifycoreprinciplesof

themodeltoenablefurtherscale-upandpresentrecommendationstotightenthe

program’stheoryofchange.ThePrernaModelisamotivation-basedmethodthatworksto

buildchildren’sinterestandexcitementforlearning.From2006,Vibhaidentifiedthe

benefitsofthePrernaModelandSikshana’sabilitytoscale.WithVibha’sfundingsupport

andsupportinbuildingpartnershipsontheground,themodelsawsuccesswithalarge

scale-up,fromworkinginafewdistrictsofKarnatakatoastate-widepartnershipinashort

durationalongwithpotentialpartnershipswithotherstategovernments.

Thisreportdivesintoaddressingthesuccessofthisscale-upandrecommendationsfor

SikshanaFoundationandotherorganizationstoscalethePrernaModelevenfurther.

ThereporthasthefollowingrecommendationstoSikshanaFoundationanditspartnersthat

havetheaimofscalingupoperationsforthePrernamodel:

-ThereportlaysoutbuildingblockstoconstructaTheoryofChangethatistightandclearly

laysoutprogrammaticobjectives,processesandoutcomes.FleshingoutthisTheoryof

Changewillbeusefultoensuringthegoalslaidoutfortheprogramaremet

-Thewayinwhichobjectivesandoutcomesarecommunicatedtoalllayersofthe

organizationisimportanttomaintainqualityofprogramimplementation

-Operationalcomponentssuchastrainingareimportanttoretainessentialprogrammatic

informationacrossseverallayersofimplementors

-ThesuccessofthePrernamodelreliesheavilyonbuy-inandcollaborationfromlocal

government.Buildingthesegovernmentpartnershipsisessentialtothesuccessofthis

model

-Arobustmeasurementsystem,forexampleintheformofabaselineandendlineare

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importanttoensurethatprogrammaticgoalsarebeingmet

Introductionandobjectives

ProjectpurposeThisreportpresentsthefindingsofanindependentstudytoidentifythecorefeaturesof

SikshanaFoundation’s‘Prerna’model.Sikshana’ssuccessfulimplementationofPrernahave

ledtoastate-widegovernmentpartnershipofthePrernamodelinKarnataka.Seeingthis

success,governmentpartnershipsarenowinpilotmodeinneighbouringstatesandthereis

increasinginterestfromstillotherstatestoreplicatethemodel.

Toensurethatthemodelcanbereplicatedascloselytotheoriginallydesignedone,this

studywillaimtoproviderecommendationsforsuccinctlypresentingthecoreelementsof

Prernatootherstakeholders.Itwillalsosuggestwaysinwhichformaldocumentationsuch

astheTheoryofChangecanberefinedtocreateclearerlinksbetweenprogramobjectives,

processesandoutcomes,inordertoensuremaximumimpact.

VibhaandSikshanaFoundationVibha is a 501-C(3) under title 26 of United States of America, and a registered, non-

religious,non-politicalorganization.VibhaIndiaregisteredin2008,workstowardsachieving

theorganization’smissiontoimproveandfixsystemicproblemsofunderprivilegedchildren,

specificallytoeducation.Rightfromidentifyinggenuineprojectsthathavethepotentialto

address innate issues prevalent in the country, to nurturing them one-to-one through

systematicadministration,Vibhaensuresthat itsprojectpartnersmeticulouslyaccomplish

theirimplementationprogramstherebydeliveringreturnonthesocialinvestmentmadeby

itsDonorpartners,justifyingitsroleastheSocialVentureCatalyst.

Having identified Sikshana’s Prerana program as a replicable, scalable and sustainable model to

bring transformation in thePubliceducation system,VibhahasbeennurturingSikshana’sPrerana

programsince2006.

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Sikshana’s JourneywithVibhahasbeenaverygratifyingonewithVibhastepping inatall

decisive stages in the successful spanof implementingPrerana from49 schools to49000

plusschools, inthelastdecadeinKarnataka.ItallstartedwithVibhafundingSikshanafor

implementingPreranaforanentiretalukafterrealizingthatthemotivationangleseemsto

beworkingwell. To understand how this would scale up in a larger context (pan India),

Vibha stepped inwith their Outreach program inducting about 20 of their partnerNGOs

across the country in a trainingprogram tounderstand themodel and fewof them tried

implementingitintheirstates(APandGujarat).

ThenextstepwastoscaleituptoNorthKarnatakaandyetagain,Vibhawithitsfoundation

streaminUSmarketedtheprograminabigwayandwereabletoropeinmajordonorsthat

included Yahoo Foundation, Juniper networks among others. Backed by this successful

experience, Sikshana launched the Accelerator program,whereby they train and use the

existing CRP (Cluster resource person,a layer within the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, Education

Department) to understand and implement the program in their schools, with Sikshana

donningonlythefacilitatorrole.Again,Vibhafundedandhelpedoutwiththiseffectiveplan

whichmadeasignificantimpactontheStateeducationdepartment,whichstartedworking

in tandemwith Sikshana. This was truly a game changingmilestone event in Sikshana –

Vibha’sjourney.

Vibhafullyfundedthepilot implementationintwodistricts in2016/17foraperiodofthreeyears.

Observingthepositive impact in justabout6monthsofthisoriginalyetsimplemodelthatcanbe

handedoverandrunbytheState,theStategovernmenthasfullyfundedandlaunchedtheprogram

across the state.Understanding that the true success lieswith theoutcome,Vibha is funding the

KnowledgetransferandthemonitoringeffortsofSikshana.

BackedbytheexperienceandexpertisegainedinimplementingPreranaprograminKarnataka,the

Sikshana – Vibha journey is traversing across other Indian states as well that include Tamilnadu,

Gujarat,AP,TelenganaandMaharshtra.

ThePrernaModelThePrernamodelisoneofSikshanaFoundation’sflagshipprograms.Itcurrentlyrunsin

partnershipwiththeGovernmentofKarnatakaacrossGrade4to9governmentsschoolsin

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allofKarnataka’seducationaldistricts.ThecoreofthePrernamodelfocusesonincreasing

children’smotivationtolearn.PrimaryactivitiesunderthePrernamodelincludesomeof

thefollowing:

(i)Stars:Starsaregivenbyteacherstothestudentswhentheyputinanefforttodocertain

kindsofactivities.Therearethreecoloursofstars-pink,greenandsilver.Theideaisto

encourageparticipationinacademicandnon-academicactivitiesandthereforeeachstar

representsadifferentactivity.

(ii)Prernaclubandpeerlearning:ThePrernaclubisaimedtoencourageleadershipskills

amongststudentsthathavedemonstratedpotential.RepresentativesfromGrade4to9are

selectedwithaPresidentoftheclub.

(iii)Practicebookthroughstructuredlearning:Inordertoprovideastructuredlearning

environment,practicebooksareusedtoencouragestudentstogetintothehabitofroutine

practicelearning.Thepracticematerialcomplementsthecontentcoveredduringusual

classes.PracticebooksareprovidedinKannada,EnglishandMath.Afterthecompletionof

eachunit,therelevantpracticebooksaremeanttobeusedtostrengthentheconcepts

learntinthelessonandinculcateahabitofdedicatedpractice.

(iv)Progressreports:Progressreportsenablestudentstogainaroadmapoftheirlearning

journeysinavisualmanner.Objectivesofsubjectstheyarestudyingarelaidoutandthey

areabletoachievestickersthatrepresenttheirprogressforaparticulartopicmastered.

Thegoalofthepersonalizednatureofthereportandcertificateallowsthestudentstofeel

ownershipfortheirownlearning.

Intotal,theseelementsaimtoworktogetherinordertoprovidestudentsamotivational

environmentinwhichtoworkin.

ScopeofthestudyTherequirementoftheprogramstudywastorefinetheTheoryofChangeforthePrerna

modelinordertogaugethepossibilityofaseamlessscale-uptootherstatesthathave

showninterestinreplicatingthemodel.Thestudywasnotintendedtobeaprogramor

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processevaluation;rathertheobjectiveistounderstandtheorigins,historyanddetailsof

themodeltoensurecompleteclarityinconveyingitsobjectives.Thestudywillbeableto

identifythecoreelementsofthemodelthathavethepotentialofbeingscaled-up.

MethodologyActivitiesconductedduringthestudy

InordertounderstandthecoreelementsofthePrernamodel,thefollowingactivitieswere

conducted.

1. Document Review Sikshanaprovidedprogram-relateddocumentsinordertounderstandPrerna’smodelina

deepermanner.Thesedocumentswerestudiedfordocumentednormsandprocedures

regardingPrernaandformedthebasisformappinginterviewopinions.

ThefollowingactivitieswereconductedduringafieldvisitinBangalore,Karnatakabetween

23rdto26thJuly2019aspartofprimarydatacollectionanddiscussion:

2. Interviews Interviewswereconductedwiththefollowingstakeholders:

TypeofStakeholder No.ofrespondents

Seniormanagementandleadership 2

Teamleads/programexperts 7

Fieldmanagers 2

Teachers 3

StafffromVibha 2

Interviewswereconductedeitherone-on-oneorinagroupformat,withinterview

questionspreparedinadvance.Thenatureofquestionsweredirectedtowardsthe

respondent’sspecificrolewhilesomequestionsgenerallyaddressedthePrernamodel.The

sampleofinterviewrespondentsisnotrepresentativeoftheorganization.Purposeful

intervieweeselectionwasdonesothatafewrespondentsfromeachlayerinthe

organizationcouldbespokento.SikshanaFoundationwasprovidedwiththenumberof

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respondentstobeinterviewedfromeachlayerafterwhichtheorganizationprovided

namesofrespondents.

3.SchoolObservationAfieldvisitwasconductedon25thJuly2019totwoschoolswherethePrernamodelisbeing

implementedunderthegovernmentpartnership.Oneschoolwasinamoreurbansetting,

whiletheotherschoolwasfurtherawayfromthecityofBangalore.Theobjectiveofthe

schoolvisitwastointerviewschoolstaffaswellastobrieflyobserveclassroomsinwhich

thePrernamodelwasbeingimplemented.TheschoolselectionwasdonebySikshana

Foundationandisnotarepresentativesampleoftheprogram.Rather,theobjectivewasto

getabriefoverviewofhowtheprogramisruninschools,asopposedtocollectingdataor

measuringanythingattheschool-level.

4.TheoryofChangeWorkshopOnthelastdayofthevisittoBangalore,atheoryofchangeworkshopwasheldwith

participantsfromSikshanaandVibhaaswellastwoexternalorganizationsthathadcome

foraneducationalvisit.Theworkshopconsistedofanexercisewhereparticipantsanswered

aseriesofquestionsregardingtheirthoughtsontheexistinggoals,objectives,processes

andoutcomesofPrerna.TheseweremappedontoPrerna’sTheoryofChangedocument

providedbySikshanatoidentifygapsandareasforimprovement.Theexerciseservedasa

startingpointforteammemberstothinkabouthowtotightenPrerna’slogicmodel.

MethodologyforAnalysisTheanalysiswillfollowthepostpositivismworldviewofqualitativeresearch(Cresswell,

2003).Theresearcherfollowsreductionismbynarrowingandfocusingonselectvariablesto

interrelate.Inthepostpositivismperspective,theresearcherwillfollowfrom“top”down,

fromatheorytohypothesestodatatoaddtoorcontradictthetheory.

Thisapproachwasbestsuitedforthepurposeofthisresearchstudybecauseofthespecific

natureoftheresearchquestion.Theresearchobjectivewastounderstandthemain

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programobjectivesofSikshanatobeabletodeducekeyfactorsthatmake-upthemodel

itself.TobeabletounderstandtheSikshanamodel,theresearcherstartedtoreview

programdocumentsandobservekeyconversations.Thisformedthebasisofdeveloping

interviewquestionsforthefieldvisit.

ThePostpositivismworldviewhelpedtokeeptheresearchobjectiveinmind,whichwasto

understandtheSikshanamodelandreduceitscoreessentials.Interviewingthestaff,visiting

schoolstounderstandthepedagogyinaction,andcollaborativelydevelopingandupdating

theTheoryofChangehelpedtounderstandthekeyelementsoftheprogram.

ThekeyprogramcomponentsfromtheTheoryofChangeworkshopguidedthedata

analysis.Themeswerepre-decidedbasedontheworkshop.Thesekeythemeswerethe

basisofthedataanalysisinNVIVO(qualitativesoftware).Thisreductionistapproachhelped

tovalidatethekeythemesandtheirfrequenciesinthedata.Thenumberoftimesthe

themeoccurredintheempiricalanalysisreflectedtheimportanceofthemeintheprogram

design.

FindingsandAnalysis

InordertounderstandthekeycomponentsofPrerna,keyquestionswereanalyzedand

broadthemesundertheseidentified,inordertounderstandthecruxoftheprogram.

(a)WhatistheobjectiveofthePrernaprogram?

ThefollowingfindingsaimtoanswerthequestionoftheobjectivesofthePrernamodel

basedonthetheoryofchangeactivityandinterviewresponses.Thisquestionhasbeen

analyzedinordertogetasenseofhowvariousstakeholderswithinandoutsidethe

organizationperceivethegoalsofthemodel.Arguably,forastrongerimplementation,goal

claritywithintheorganizationandalsotoconveytootherorganizations/government

partnershipsthatarepreparingtoundertakePrerna.

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(i)Analysis1:TheoryofChangeWorkshop

InthesessionregardingtheTheoryofChangeincludingparticipantsfromSikshana,Vibha

andexternalorganizations,participantswerespecificallyaskedtonotedownbulletpoints

onwhattheobjectiveofthePrernamodelis.Thefollowingtableprovidestherawdataof

responsesfromeachtypeofstakeholder.Exactresponseshavebeenreproducedbelow:

TheoryofChangeExercise:“ListthespecificthingsthatthePrernamodelistryingtodo.WhatistheobjectiveofPrerna?”

ResponsesRespondentOrganization

Impactasmanyschoolswithmaximumreturnoninvestment SikshanaBringmorecollaborationinthesystemaswellasinteraction SikshanaMotivatetheecosystem SikshanaImprovelearninglevels SikshanaCreateasafetofailenvironment SikshanaMotivatestudentstoattend,participateinschool SikshanaEnhanceclassroomculture SikshanaInvolvestakeholders SikshanaRinginchangesandmaketheschoolingsystemmoreeffective SikshanaCultureoflearningfromeachother SikshanaProvideprocessofstructuretoinculcatehabitofpracticeinstudents SikshanaMotivatechildrentotakemoreinterestinstudies ExternalNGOPromotingpeer-learning ExternalNGOCollectingalargeamountofdatafromschoolsforfutureplanning ExternalNGOEncouragingteacherstomotivatechildreninreal-timebasis ExternalNGOMoreopeninclassandaskingquestions ExternalNGORaisingmotivation ExternalNGOEnhancingpractice ExternalNGOCreatingpeercooperation ExternalNGOPuttingdemandonteachers ExternalNGOBringinginparentstoschool ExternalNGODevelopleadership ExternalNGOCreateownershipbygovernmentatalllevels VibhaBringchildrenbacktoschoolandstay VibhaSchoolasaspacewherestudentscomehappily VibhaSafeenvironment VibhaLeadership VibhaMotivation VibhaChildparticipatesinclass-Questioning VibhaHelpchildrenachievegrade-levelskills Vibha

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Theaboveresponsescanbefurtherbrokendownintobucketsinordertogetanoverall

senseofwhatthedistributionofresponsesare.Thefollowingpie-chartprovidesabreak-up.

‘Improvingtheeducationsystem’and‘Improvingteaching-learningmethods’arethe

categoriesthatreceivedthehighestfrequencyofresponses.

(ii)Analysis2:InterviewResponses

WithrespecttointerviewanalysisconductedinNVIVO,thefollowingkeythemeswere

toucheduponbydifferentlevelsofintervieweeswithinSikshana:

SeniorManagement:

“thefirstpointforsuccesswouldbetheadoptionofthemodel.Wearenotlookingatany

kindofresultsintermsoflearninglevelsandall,thefirstistheadoptionofthemodel,

whetherthegovernmentmachineryhasbeenabletounderstandthenuancesofPrernaand

aretheyabletoimplementPrernathewaythatweasanorganizationenvisaged”.

“Inthatwayitstartswithmotivationtogetchildrenexcitedaboutschooling.Notnecessarily

learning.Andthatwillleadintoabetterclassparticipation,whichwillthengetthemtostart

30%

7%

17%

33%

13%

WhatisMo\va\on?-%ofResponsesbyCategory

ImprovingtheEducamonSystem ImprovingLearningLevels

EnhancingtheLearningEnvironment ImprovingTeaching-LearningMethods

ImprovingMomvamon

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lookingatstructuredpractice.Whichleadstoakindof,ideallywewanttonurturetheability

orgetthekidstotakeownershipoftheirlearning”.

“Sonowcomingbacktothiswhatistheminimumthatisrequiredisprobablyforus

motivationisatthecore.Thatcanbeeasilyachievedbywhatwecallapatonthebackor

kindwordstoachildorataminimum,ourtransactionwiththechildhastoreflectthatthere

isthisaspectofmotivationwithin”.

FieldStaff

“Becausegovernmentschoolstudentsneedmotivation.Becauseallteachersbusyin

teachingwork.Butweimplementingstar,itsmotivatingmore”

“Andchangeeducationsystem”

“Writing,theirhandwritingsystem”

Teachers

“Toimprovelearninglevelsofchildren”“Creativity.Toimprovecreativityinchildren”

“She’ssayingshewilltellthatchildtoreadanddowell,throughthatwe’lltrytomotivate

thechildtogetastar”[Astranslatedbyinterpreter].

“Translator-She’ssayingthechildrenarenotawareofthefoundationskills.thereare3

kindsofchildren-oneisaboveaverage,belowaverageandaveragecategory.Soforbelow

averageandaveragethisishelpfulbecausebydoingallthistheyaregettingfoundational

skills.Andiftheyknowfoundationalskillstheycanachieveanythingbeyondthat”[As

translatedbyinterpreter].

MonitoringandEvaluationStaff:

“Respondent-4basicsteps.Firstyouaretryingtomotivatethechild.Tocometoschool,

attendregularly,participateintheclass,beanactiveuserintheclass”.

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VibhaSeniorManagement:

“Themedium-termobjectiveisthatchildrencometoschool,theyaregivingchildrena

reasontocometoschool.Oncetheyareinschool,whathappensnextisaretheyengaged,

right?”

VibhaSeniorManagement:

“Interviewer-Iwastryingtogetasensewhetheritspartofthestructureoftheprogramto

improvelearningoutcomesandmeasurethem.Oristhatasecondarygoal?

Respondent-“No,thatisaprimarygoalandIwastellingyouonthecall.Rightnow,as

they’redoingthestatewideimplementation,whattheywouldbemeasuringis,arewe

deployingeverythingwesaid.Themodelitself,thevalidityofthemodelwasalreadyratified

bymeasuringthoselearningandwritinglevels.Sowhatthey’resayingis,weknowitworks,

butisthisbeingdeployedcorrectlyandeffectivelyacrossthestate…Measuringreadingand

writinglevelsisreallyprimarytomeasuringthesuccessofthemodel”.

(iii)Analysis3:Printmaterialdefinitions(trainingmanual/website)

ThePrernaTrainingmanual2018-2019laysouttheobjectivesofPrernaasanintroduction

totheprogram.Theseareoutlinedbelow:

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Similarly,publicallyavailablematerialonSikshanaFoundation’swebsiteoutlinesthePrerna

modelinthefollowingfour-stepapproach:

(iv)Combininganalyses:

BasedontheTheoryofChangeexercise,theinterviewresponseanalysis,andprintmaterial

availableregardingthePrernamodel,theanalysesshowsthatthereisawidevarietyof

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responsesregardingtheobjectiveofthemodel,bothwithinandoutsidetheorganization

andbothstructurallyaswellastopically.Forexample,ifinsightsfromSikshanaSeniorStaff

istakentobethetruestdefinitionofthemodel’sobjectivefortheorganization,theother

datainthisanalysismaybecomparedtothisasabenchmarktoseethedifferencebetween

seniormanagement’sunderstandingandactualperceptionofstakeholders.

Inadditiontothis,wecanseethatsomeideasputforwardbyseniormanagementsuchas

“motivationgetschildrenexcitedaboutschoolingandnotnecessarilylearning”isindirect

contrastwithsomeresponsesputforwardduringthetheoryofchangeexerciseandthe

interviews.Responsessuchas“improvinglearninglevels”or“increasinggrade-level

competencies”isspecifiedintheresponses,butnotexactlyemphasizedbysenior

management.

Basedontheaboveinformation,itisclearthatalthoughtheconceptofmotivationmaybe

mentionedfrequently,thesub-objectivesbeyondthisarewiderangingamongstthe

stakeholders.

Benchmarking:

ThefollowingquotesbasedoninterviewanalysisfromseniorstaffmembersatSikshanaare

outlinedbelow:

Quote1fromSikshanaSeniorStaff:

“Inthatwayitstartswithmotivationtogetchildrenexcitedaboutschooling.Notnecessarily

learning.Andthatwillleadintoabetterclassparticipation,whichwillthengetthemtostart

lookingatstructuredpractice.Whichleadstoakindof,ideallywewanttonurturetheability

orgetthekidstotakeownershipoftheirlearning”

Quote2fromSikshanaSeniorStaff:

“…whyIwouldratherstillkeepoureventualgoaloflearninglevel,orabilitytolearn,thatis

averyhighendgoal.Achildacquiringthatabilitytolearnwillsetthemoffforthefuture.

Theydon’tevenneedschoolatthatpointtechnically.Theycangoandacquireaslongas

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thatthingisthereinthem.Thatwemayneverachieveinourlifetime.Butwe’llstillkeepit

there.Buttodothat,wemightnotdoadirectactivity.Becausebeforethatthereareso

manyothers.

ButwhereIwouldwantthewholeteam,andwholeecosystem.Whenyoulookatthat,

anythingthatwedo,shouldbeinrelationtothat.Maybenotaddressingthatinthispointin

time,itmaybeaddressedlater.Butneverlosesightofit.Otherwisethenwhateveractivities

westartdefining,willkindofimmediatelyanswerthatintermediategoalwemightset,

tryingtohaveclearlinkages”.

Bothexcerptshedlightontheapproachthatseniormanagementhastounderstandingor

explainingtheobjectiveofthemodel.

Structurally,quote1canbeexplainedinthefollowingway:

ThislinearprogressionintermsofwhatSikshanaseniorstaffwantstohappenisacrucial

partofmessagingtheobjectiveofthemodel.Forexample,specificwordssuchas“…getting

excitedaboutschooling”(asopposedtolearning)areimportanttoclarifywhattheprogram

isintendingtodo.

Buildingonthis,thesecondquotediscussestheimportanceofincludinglearninglevels

althoughmotivationiscrucialtogetchildrenexcitedaboutschoolandnotlearning.Thisisa

complexbutimportantnuance,astheunderstandingofitchangestheexpectationfromthe

model.

Takingthesetwoquotes,thatmaybetakenasthebenchmarkfortheobjectivesofthe

model,andoverlayingthemwiththeexistingTheoryofChangecanprovidea

comprehensivepictureofwhatthemodelistryingtoachieve.

GivenbelowistheoriginalTheoryofChangeforSikshana.

Momvatechildrentogetexcitedaboutschooling

Classparmcipamonwillincrease

Structuredpracmcewilloccur

Childrenwilltakeownershipoftheir

ownlearning

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Itmaybenotedthatduringtheinterview,seniormanagementatSikshanaspecifiedthatthisversionoftheTheoryof

Changewasspecificallymadeforadonor,andthereforemaynotaccuratelyrepresenttheorganization’sTheoryofChange.

Focusingspecificallyonthemissionandthebucketsforpriorities,wecanseethemention

ofincreasinglearninglevels,thelearningecosysteminschools,transitioningtothe

governmentandchangingtheperceptionofgovernmentschoolsinthehighlightedboxes.

Ideally,thetheoryofchangewouldneedtoincorporatethesamelinearchainofeventsas

outlinedbytheseniorstaff.Section4willelaborateonthisfurtherinconjunctionwithother

parametersofthisanalysis.

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(b)WhyhasPrernabeensuccessful?

Thisquestionaimstoaddresswhatarethekeyfactorsthatintheopinionoftheinterview

respondentsandstakeholders,haveledtothesuccessofthePrernamodel.Upon

identifyingthese,itmaybehelpfultolearnfromspecificpointsofsuccessinordertohelp

othergovernmentpartnershipsreplicatethesesuccessesascloselytotheintendedPrerna

modelaspossible.

(i)Analysis1:InterviewsandTheoryofChangesession

BasedontheinterviewsandresponsesduringtheTheoryofChangesession,keywords

fromrespondentshavebeenpresentedinafrequencywordcloudbelow.

Astheresponsesweresuccinctinnature,thewordcloudrepresentsalargerfonttypefora

higherfrequency.Therefore,‘Simple’and‘Costeffective’weremostfrequentlyusedto

describewhyPrernahasbeensuccessfulandtermsmentionednotmorethanoncewere

‘Adaptable’,‘Measurable’,‘HighROI’etc.

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(ii)Analysis2:InterviewswithVibhaStaffandgovernmentofficials:

InterviewswithstafffromVibhaspecificallywereusefulinsheddinglightonthemesthat

werenotexploredininterviewsortheTheoryofChangesessionwithotherrespondents.

Specifically,twothemesweretoucheduponwhenrespondentswereaskedwhySikshana

scaledupveryquicklyfromasmallpartnershipinafewdistrictstoastate-widepartnership:

Quote1:

“First,thisismyobservation.IwillnotsayI’mtotallyright.Imaybewrong.Probablythey

sawthepotentialinPrasanna.Apartfromgovernmentwork,hewashelpingwithalotof

workthattheywereassigningtohim.Allthedataanalysis,whateverishappeninginthe

educationdepartment.Probablytheythoughthecandosomethingfortheentirestate”.

Quote2:

“IthappenedinKarnataka,becauseKarnatakaisastateinIndiathatisveryprogressive.Let

metellyouveryhonestly.Theycouldunderstand.Atthegovernmentlevelandall.They

couldunderstandthemodelverywell.AtthesametimePrasanna,asaleadofthe

organization,heputalotofeffortinmakingthemodelscalable.Conceptuallyand

financially”

Quote3:Governmentofficial:

“Theonlyoutcomewehaveseen,themostimportantisthedrop-outsoftheschool.Ithas

totallydecreasedthedrop-outsfromtheschool.Wehavetakenthepolicyof,ifachildisnot

goingtoschoolfor7days,thatchildisconsideredasanoutofschoolchild.Thishasbeen

decreased.Theywantedtocollectasmanystarsastheyneed.Thishasgivenhealthy

competitionbetweenstudentsandtheyverymuchwanttocometoschool”.

“…Thenon-academicisiftheycometoschoolcleanandtheyalsowhateverthatisbeingto

keeptheschoolpremisesclean.Allthiswillbeincludedinnon-academic”.

“…Butthisprogramischild-centered.Childisveryimportantandthechildwillbetheperson

whowilltakeuptheinitiativeofimplementingtheprogram.Becauseofthechildthe

programcanbetakenup.Ifthechildwasnotinterested,thisprogramwouldhaveended”

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Quote4:VibhaSeniorStaff

“Number1isgovernmentbuy-in.Thatneedstohappen.Earlierweweredoingthingsonour

own.Activebuy-in.Seewewerethinkinggovernmentgivesuspermission.Wedon'tneed

justpermission.Weneedactiveparticipation.Ifgovernmentgivesmoney,weneed

ownership.They’reaccountable.Number2-Sikshananeedstoengagewiththelocalpartner

for1-2years.Atleast2yearsIbelieve.Sothatthenuancesoftheprogram,whatgetstalked

aboutinthetrainingmodulesandwhatisthesignificaneofeachandeverycomponent.Now

atthedistrictlevel,intheschoollevel:effectivedistributionofthematerial,regular

monitoring,measuringofaretheybeingused,thisisthekindofdatayouaregetting.

Effectiveuseofthosematerialsneedstobemonitoredandmeasured.Oncethese

measurementsaredone,theprimarygoalmeasurementsneedtohappen”.

(iii)Materialreview:InterviewwithGovernmentofficial

Basedonapre-recordedinterviewwithagovernmentofficial,theKarnatakagovernment

decidedtoscale-upPrernaoperationsfrom2districtstoalldistrictsbecauseof3keys

reasons:thepartnerorganizationshouldbewillingtotakeon50%oftheresponsibility

eitherfinanciallyorintermsofimplementation,theprogramshouldbescalableandthe

implementationcostshouldbeverylow.Sikshana’sPrernamodelmetallofthesecriteria

andthereforewasabletomeetsomebasiccriteriatoallowforstate-widepartnerships.

(c)Whatismotivatedbehavior?

Thisquestionwasaskedtoparticipants,inordertogetasenseofwhatkindofoutcomes

theprogramintendstoseeinchildren.Assumingthatincreasingmotivationinchildrenis

oneofthekeygoalsoftheprograms,thequestionselectedthisonegoalandtriedtobreak

downwhatkindofoutcomesaredesirableofthisgoal.

Inadditiontothis,motivationinitselfisadifficultconcepttoencapsulatewhenitcomesto

providingtangibleexamplesofactivitiesthatcanbedoneinordertoachievethisorhow

thesuccessofmotivationcanbeobservedandmeasured.Thisquestionaimstoexplore

differentdefinitionsbystakeholderssothatacommondefinitionmaybemadethatcould

beiterated,solidifiedandadoptedbytheorganization.

21

Analysis:TheoryofChangeandInterviewResponses

Duringthetheoryofchangeexercise,respondentswereaskedtolistdownthebehaviours

thatamotivatedchilddisplays.Theresponsesarereproducedbelow:

Whatbehavioursdoesamotivatedchildshow?

Sr.No Response %ofResponses

1 Participation 22%2 Attendance 8%3 RegularHomework 8%4 AsksQuestions 6%5 Happy 6%6 Disciplined 6%7 Cleanliness 6%8 Academicability 6%9 Supportive 6%10 Ownership 3%11 Shares 3%12 ClassroomCulture 3%13 Collaboration 3%14 Curiosity 3%15 EagernessToLearn 3%16 Helpful 3%17 Curiosity 3%18 Effort 3%19 Competitive 3%20 Initiative 3%Totalof36keyresponses

‘Participation’receivedthehighestnumberofmentionswith‘Attendance’atthenext

frequency.Theremainderoftheresponsesbroadlyvaried.

Aninterestingfindingisthatthe6%ofresponseshighlightedingrey,thatmentionacademic

abilityareresponsesprovidedby2teachers.Astheyarethelast-mileimplementersofthe

model,theirperspectivesseemtobedifferentfromotherstakeholdersanddifferentfrom

theobjectivesoftheprogramlaidoutinSection(a).

(d)HowdoweknowthatPrernaissuccessful?

22

Arecurringthemeduringinterviewswasthediscussionregardinghowtheteamknewabout

thesuccessofthePrernamodel.

(i)Analysis1:InterviewswithVibhaStaffandGovernmentOfficials:

ThefollowingareexcerptsfrominterviewswithseniorVibhaStaffandgovernmentofficials:

Quote1:GovernmentOfficials

“Interviewer-Forexample,you’resayingbecauseoftheprogramtherehavebeenthese

positiveoutcomes.I’mwonderingifthere’ssomewayinwhichthegovernmentdepartment

knowsthis.Istheresomemeasurementofoutcomesorobservationonthefield?

Respondent-Wehavecreatedadashboard.Childrenwillbeentered,itmightbefromthe

teachersorofficialsthatarevisiting.Onthebasisofthat.Wehavenottakenanystudy.Now

wehavetotakeupastudy.Ithasbeenimplemented,itisthe2ndyear.Nostudyhasbeen

taken,butbecauseoftheprogressandtheopinionofthechildren,teacher,HM,district

officialsandeverything,wehaveimplementedthis”

Quote2:SeniorVibhaStaff

“ThenIheardalotofanecdotalstoriesaboutchildrenwhodropoutoftheschoolsystem,

beingbackintheschoolsystembecauseoftheirmentors.Thosethings,Prernamentorshave

playedabigroleinbringingthemback”

Quote3:SeniorVibhaStaff

“Forexample,someonein5thgrade,aretheyreadingat4thgradelevel.Youwouldsee30%-

50%dependingonsomeschools.Oncetheyfinishthestudy,thentheyshouldbereadingand

writingat5thgradelevel.Atthebeginningtheyshouldbewritingat4thgradelevelandthen

5thgradelevel.Nowyoushouldseeabigjump.Insomecasesabigjumpandinsomecases

amarginaljump.Thatvalidatesthatthelevelsareincreasing.Insomecasesrapidlyandin

somecasesmarginally.

Isthatwhatyou’reseeinginthedata?Ofcourseyouneeddatatoprovethis.Thisdatais

thereinbitsandpieces.OfcourseI’dlikeSikshanatoprovideyouwithmorecomprehensive

23

datatoprovethispoint.Becausethisisreallyacriticalpoint.WesawatVibha,wesawdata

inthoseclustersofschools.Wesawthatkindofdatathatconvincedustomoveforward”

Quote4:SeniorVibhaStaff:

“AfterSikshanastartedsomemoreactivitiespedagogybased.Whereitwasveryobvious

wherethechildrenwereparticipating,throughworkbook.Andlearningmapindicatedhow

theyweremovingfromoneleveltoanotherhigherlevel.That’sthedifferenceIcouldsee

whenIusedtovisittheproject”

TheaboveexcerptsfrominterviewsdiscusshowPrerna’ssuccessaccordingtoeach

individualisdeterminedanecdotallybyobservationorbasedondiscussionwith

stakeholdersdirectlyinvolved,suchasteachers.However,perhapsaconsolidatedscientific

studyontherelationshipbetweenprocessesinPrernaprogramsandoutcomesperhaps

needstobedone.

(ii)Analysis2:DeskReviewofReports

Tworeportsweremadeavailableforthisanalysis-theErnstandYoung2013reportinwhich

astudentassessmentwasdonein3taluksofKarnatakaandabriefinternalmeasurement

bySikshanadonein2016-2017.BothreportsmeasuretheeffectofPrernaonlearninglevels

usingtheASERtool.Thereportsindicateanincreaseinlearningoutcomes,whilecomparing

theresultsinthePrernaschoolsascomparedtothestatelevelASERKarnatakareport.

However,thismethodologymayrequiresomefurtherrefinementifdirectcausalityto

Prernaistobeattributed.Thefollowingmayneedtobeconsideredbeforeattributingthe

increaseinlearninglevelstoPrerna:

- Methodologyfortesting:WhenusingtheASERtooltodiagnoselearninglevels,

similarASERmethodologymayalsoneedtobefollowedtoensurecomparability.

ASERisahouseholdbasedsurveyandthereforethestateleveldatapresentedinthe

reportprovideslearningoutcomesforchildrentestedinhomes,governmentand

privateschools.ThePrernameasurementwouldhavebeendoneforchildrenonlyin

governmentschoolsandsotheremaybeaselectionbias.

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- Structureofstudy:InordertoattributetheincreaseinlearninglevelstoPrerna,

somekindofbefore/afterortreatment/controlmethodmayneedtobeemployed.

Forexample,ifabaselineofchildren’slearninglevelsbeforePrernaandthen

anothermeasurementafterPrernawasimplementedwasdone,withthesame

sample,onemaydeterminethatwithnootherchanges,theincreaseinlearning

levelswasbecauseofPrerna.However,aone-timemeasurementmaynotbeableto

adequatelydeterminethisbecausetherecouldbeseveralotherreasonswhythere

arehigherlearninglevelsinPrernaschools.

ConstructingasampleTheoryofChange

Basedonthefindingsandanalysisintheprevioussection,thissectionaimstoprovide

linkagesbetweentheobjectives,activities/processesandoutcomesofthePrernamodel.In

ordertobuildarobustmodelthatcanbeeasilyimplementedbyotherstakeholderswho

wishtoreplicatethemodel,clearlinkagesbetweeneachoftheseaspectsmaybenecessary

forotherpartnerstounderstandthemodel.Thiswouldbebeneficialnotonlyinternallyto

strengthenoperationsandincreaseunderstandingofthemodelbutalsoforother

organizationstoreplicateascale-up.

Beginningfromtheobjectivesoftheprogram,perhapsastreamlinedobjectivethat

combineselementsfromleadershipandexistingstaffcanbeaccountedfor,inorderto

createacomprehensiveobjective,understoodinthesamemannerbyeveryoneinthe

organization.Overlayingthisobjectivewithactivitiesthatareconstructedtoachieveitand

arefurtherlinkedtooutcomes,wouldprovideacomprehensivetheoryofchange.

ThesecondhalfofthetheoryofchangesessionBeginningwithaquotefromsenior

SikshanastaffwhenreflectingontheTheoryofChangesession:

“Soprocesseswhenwelookedatalltheprocesses,whatstoodoutwasheavilyinvested

towardslearninglevels,ratherthanmotivation.Sothenmythoughtprocesswas,eventually

whatismotivation.Thebi-productofmotivationislearninglevels.Orlearningoutcomes.

25

Eventuallyifachildisgoingtobemotivated,whenyoudefinelearninglevelsitsnotjust

aboutacademics,it’saholisticthing.Itcanberelatedattheendoftheday,they’retryingto

dobetterthatwhattheydidyesterday.Andmaybeourprocessesaregearedtowards

measuringmotivation.Andcomingtothelastpointabouttheoutcomes.Whenwetalked

abouttheoutcomes,itboileddowntolookingatmotivationratherthanlearninglevels.So

wesaidokaymotivationisthere,asabi-productofmotivationthere’slearninglevelssowe

aretryingtomeasurethelearninglevels.Andnotsomuchmeasuring,orfocusingonwhat

meansmotivation.Ifeltthatwasthemissinglinkintheentirepiece”

Basedontheaboveexcerptandtheanalysesintheprevioussections,wecanseethat

presentlytheremaybeadisconnectbetweentheobjectives,theprocessesandthedesired

outcomes,inthegivenTheoryofChange.Perhapstorefinethisfurther,asampletheoryof

changemaybedevisedinthefollowingmanner:

Objective:

-Increasedparticipation-Increasedattendance

Increasingregularity

Objectives

Increasingresponsibilityin

children

Increasingchildmotivationforschooling

Processes/Activities

Usingstarsasrewardsandincentives

Prernaclub Prernapracticebooks

Outcomes

Childrendoingmoretaskswithoutthem

beingasked

Increasedlearninglevels

26

Borrowingfromtheresponsesintheprevioussectionregardingobjectives,ifafewkey

objectivesareselectedasanexample,theywouldneedtolineupwiththeprocessesand

activitiesforeachobjectiveandalsobelinkedtotheoutcomes.Asampleisprovidedbelow:

Thoughthisisanover-simplisticrepresentationofthelinkingofobjectives,processesand

outcomes,itprovidesasampleframeworkwithwhicheachcategoryofthelargeheading

needstolinkwiththenext.Inthisway,amoredetailedandrefinedtheoryofchangecanbe

built.

Measuringsuccess

Inadditiontobuildingarobusttheoryofchange,thenextstagewouldbetobuilda

mechanisminwhichsuccessoftheprogramismeasured.Basedoninterviewanalysis,the

followingmethodsofmeasuringthePrernamodelarecurrentlyinplace:

(i)The‘MyShaala’or‘MySchool’app:whethertobeusedinternallybySikshanaor

externallybythegovernmentsystem,theappthattrackstheroll-outofPrerna.Examplesof

questionsfromthe‘MySchool’forthemonthofJuneare-“DidyousharePrernavideos

withCRPsandotherdepartmentofficials”.Accordingtorespondentremarks-“…theappis

inputrelated”.

(ii)DiscussionsbetweenPrernafieldstaffandgovernmentofficials:Partoftheroleofthe

districtprojectmanagersistoliaisewiththegovernmentmachineryandsmoothoutissues

regardingPrernaroll-outandcreateagoodrapportwiththedepartment.Intheprocess,

successstoriesplayalargeroleindeterminingthesuccessfulroll-outofPrerna.

(iii)State-widetracker:Thestate-widetrackerwhichisanOMRsheetthatgoestoschools

everysemestertotrackprogressoftheprogram.Informationcollectedischild-wise.For

example,itcollectsinformationregardinghowmanystarseachchildisreceiving.

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Monitoringandmeasurementmethodsunderdevelopment:

Basedoninterviewdiscussionanalysis,theabovemonitoringandmeasurement

mechanismsarefocusedontrackingoflogisticsandinputsoftheprogram.Toquote

respondentremarks-“RightnowthequestionsIshowedyouonthechecklistshowvery

logisticalquestions.It’ssomethingIwanttogobeyondlogisticsnow.Starsaregoingtogo

now.NowIwanttoseethevalueaddedpurpose.Iwanttogotargetthatplace”.

Therefore,thereisanintenttomovebeyondmeasuringinputsofPrerna,tomeasuringthe

actualproductitself.

Inadditiontothis,theteamisalsodevelopinganadoptionframeworkwhereschoolscanbe

classifiedtobe“Prerna-okay”orotherwise.TheframeworkisborrowedfromanICTmodel

andconsidersthreeaspects-usage,frequencyandsustainability.Bucketsborrowedfrom

themodel,suchas“emergent”,“applying”and“integration”canhelpsegregateadoption

stagesthattheschoolisin.Assuggestedbyrespondents-“SoforexampleemergentIwould

sayusageofstars.Oneofthesethingsis,oneortwoofthefollowingishappening.You’re

givingeitherforattendance,eitherforhygiene,forsportsorotheractivities.Applyingitis

thatwe’redoingitforeverythingthePrernaprogramissupposedtosay.Andthen

integrationisapplyingishappening,butapartfromthatwe’realsorewardingstarsfor

completingworkbooksorsittinginthepeerlearningsessionbyyourself.Somethingmore

thanwhatthestarsaresupposedtobe”.

Thereisalreadyanattempttomovefromfocusingoninputstoprocessesandoutcomes.

Giventhatthegovernmentmodelhasonlybeenrunningforayear,itmaybeusefulto

allowthenewmeasurementsystemstogatherdataandbefurtherrefined,beforetakinga

callonfurthermeasurementprocesses.However,currentandfuturemeasurementsystems

needtobeplacedwithinthelargerprogramframework.

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Recommendations

ThefollowingrecommendationsmaybeusefulforSikshanaFoundationtoensurea

successfulandrobustscale-uptootherstatesaswellasstrengthenitsownoperations.

(a)CorePrinciplesofPrerna:

Basedontheactivitiesconductedduringthisstudy,findingsforcoreprinciplesidentified

havebeenpresentedbelow.Thesefindingsarebasedoninformationboundbythestudy

andserveasastartingpointfortheorganizationtocarryforwardrefiningthetheoryof

changeandactivitiestoensurearobustprojectstructure.Thecoreprinciplesarewide-

ranginginnatureandideally,forefficientimplementation,theseneedtobeclear,concise

andconsistentacrosstheorganizationsothattheprogramisunderstoodandimplemented

inauniformmanner.Theprinciplesoutlinedbelowaresomekeypointsthatcamethrough

fromanalysis:

(i)ObjectiveofPrerna:

Intheclassroom:

1.Gettingchildrenexcitedaboutgoingtoschoolandtotakeownershipoftheirlearning

2.Improvinglearninglevelsofchildren

3.Improvingcreativityinchildren

4.Getchildrentoparticipateintheclassroom

5.Createasafeenvironmentforchildrenintheclassroom

6.Providechildrenstructuretolearnfromeachother/peer-learning

7.Encouragingchildrentogetintothehabitofpracticing

Atastructurallevel:

1.Toworkalongsidethegovernmenttocreateasystemschangeineducation,wherethe

firstpointofsuccessiscorrectadoptionofthemodel

(ii)WhyhasPrernabeensuccessful?

29

Forthemodel:

1.Itissimple

2.Itiscost-effective1

3.Itischild-friendlyandchild-centered2

Ataninstitutional/organizationallevel:

1.Effectivepartnershipbetweenorganizationleadershipandgovernmentleadership

2.Completegovernmentbuy-in.Karnatakagovernmentadoptedtheprogramnationally

becauseitmetbasiccriteriaforpartneringwiththestategovernment

(iii)Whatismotivatedbehavior?

Thissectionhadaverywidevarietyofresponsesduringanalysis.Topresponseshavebeen

reproducedbelow:

1.Increasedparticipationintheclassroom

2.Increasedattendance

(iv)HowdoweknowifPrernaissuccessful

1.Throughstoriesfromstaffandothersthatinteractwiththeprogramontheground

2.M&Eportalsthatmeasureinputssuchaswhetherschoolshavereceivedmaterialsetc.

3.M&Eportalsthatmeasurechild-wiseinformationsuchashowmanystarseachchildis

receiving

(b)Theoryofchange:Conductaninternal‘TheoryofChange’mappingexercisetolayout

objectives,processesandoutcomestoensurethatclearlinkagesexistbetweeneachof

thesecomponents.

1‘Costeffectiveness’referstotheabilityoftheprogramtohavehigh‘returns’withhighscalability.Forexample,lowcostofmaterialsandinputsforaprogram,withahighincreaseinlearningoutcomeswouldmakeaprogramcost-effectiveandeasilyreplicable/scalable2‘Childcentered’referstothemethodofteachingandlearningwherethefocusoftheactivityisthestudentandherneeds,asopposedtotheteacherbeingtheprimaryfocusoftheteaching-learningprocess

30

(c)Messaging:Oncearobusttheoryofchangeisinplace,amechanisminwhichkey

componentsofthemodelcanbeconveyedtootherstakeholdersmayneedtobeworked

on.AmorestreamlinedmessagingofwhatthePrernamodelis,bothinternallyandduring

trainingstoground-levelstaffmaybehelpfulinputtingforthclearerobjectives.

(d)Strengtheningtraining:Themessagingwouldespeciallybeimportantinanelaborate

modelinwhichtheenduser-theteachers-wouldneedtoclearlyunderstandobjectives.

Thismayneedtobehonedinon,asPrernafollowsa‘trainthetrainer’model,wherethe

keymessageofthemodelisconveyedvialayersoftrainingthroughthegovernment

machinery.Itmaybehelpfultostrengthenthemessaginglinksbetweenthelayersto

ensurethatallstakeholdersunderstandtheobjectiveofPrernainexactlythesameway.

(e)Strongorganizationalleadershipandgovernmentsynergy:InordertoreplicateSikshana

aseffectivelyaspossible,simplyputtinginstrongprocessescorrectlythatmirrorthosein

theoriginalmodelinKarnatakamaynotbeenoughtoguaranteesuccessoftheprogram.A

strongrelationshipwiththegovernmentmachinerythatisledbyaneffectiveindividualmay

benecessary.

(f)Conductingabaseline-endlinestudy:Inordertoscientificallyprovideevidenceforthe

successofthePrernamodel,perhapsastudyprogramevaluationcanbeconductedto

measurethesuccessofthemodelwithabaseline-endlinestudy.

StudyLimitations

(a) Thescopeofthisstudywastoanswercertainkeyquestionsregardingthe

implementationandscale-upofthePrernamodel.Thisstudyhelpstounderscore

someofthekeyvariablesthatarethecoreprinciplesofthemodel.Thesefactors

definethemodelandcouldbeusedascommonprinciplestobescaled-upinother

States.However,afullevaluationofallthecomponentsofthemodelarerequiredto

determinethesuccessofthemodelinotherStates.Thisstudycanstatethefactors

thatareimportanttodefinethemodel.

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(b) Verylimitedschoolvisitswereconductedandthereforemostofthedatacollectedis

basedoninterviewswithstaffanddocumentreview.Directobservational

informationonthegroundwasnotincludedinthereport.Asaresult,thereisno

informationregardingconversationwithstudentsaswell.Afullmoredetaileddata

collectionusingschoolobservationtoolsarerequiredtofurtherthisstudy.

(c)Therecommendationsprovidedinthereportprovidescopeformorediscussions

andprogramreviews,andmaynotprovideprescriptivesolutionsthatwould

immediatelybeabletobeimplementedforfurtherscale-up.

32

Appendix-QuestionnairesThissectionincludesquestionnairesthatwereadministeredwithrespondentsduringthis

exercise.Pleasenotethatinterviewformatswerefree-flowingtoallowrespondentsto

describecomponentsinasmuchdetailaspossible.Whilethebroadinterviewstructurewas

followed,someadditionalquestionswereaskedaswasfoundsuitable.Insomecases,due

totimeconstraints,somequestionswereomittedfromtheinterviews.

33

QuestionnairesforSikshanaProgramEvaluationQuestionnaireforleadership:Name:Role/Position:No.ofyearsspentatSikshana:Q.WhatisthehistoryofthePrernamodelandhowdidthemodeldevelopovertime?Fromyourunderstanding,whatarethekeycomponentsofthemodel?Q.Whatwasthegap/problemineducationinIndiathatthePrernamodelwastryingtoaddresswhenitstarted?Q.Whatwerethespecificchangesmadetothemodel?Weredifferentiterationsexperimentedwith?Couldyouprovideadetailedtimelineofthesechanges?Q.HasthesuccessofthePrernamodelbeendefinedandmeasured?Ifso,how?Q.HaveyoufacedchallengeswiththePrernamodel?Ifso,whatwerethey?Whataresomepossibleshortcomings?Q.WhatistheorganizationstructureatSikshana?Howmanyemployeesworkfulltimeintheheadofficeandhowmanyfieldstaffarethere?Q.Arethereprofessionaldevelopment/trainingsprovided?Onwhat?Whoprovidestraining?Aretherementoringorsupportsystems?Q.HaveyoufacedanyleadershipchallengesinimplementingthePrernamodel?Ifso,whatwerethey?Q.Arethereshort-termandlong-termstrategiesthatbuildtowardsthemission?Canyoupleasedescribe?Q.HowdoesthePrernamodelfitinthiscurrentorganizationstrategy?Q.DoyouvisitPrernaclassrooms?Ifso,howoften?Q. What is the total cost of implementing the Prerna model? What is the cost ofimplementingthePrernamodelperstudent?Q.WhatisthescaleofthePrernamodel?Inhowmanyschools,districtsinKarnatakadoesthemodeloperateit?Howmanychildrenarereachedannually?Q.CouldyoudescribeSikshanaFoundation’s relationshipwithVibha?Wouldyou say thispartnershiphasbeensuccessfulovertheyears?Ifyes,why?

34

Q. How do large organizational decisions get taken at Sikshana Foundation?What is theprocess?Q. Do you believe that the Prerna model is the most effective approach in improvinglearningoutcomes?Ifso,why?CommonQuestion-WhatarethebasicelementsrequiredtomakeaPrernaclassroom?(Describevariouselementsincludingphysicalelementssuchasteaching-learningmaterial,manpowerelementssuchastheteacherandher/hisexperiencesetc.)CommonQuestion-WhatexactlydoyouthinkhasmadethePrernamodelincreasechildren’slearninglevels?Refertospecificexamples.Questionnaireforteachers:Name:Role/Position:No.ofyearsspentatSikshana:Q.DescribeadayinthelifeofaPrernaclassroomteacher.(pleasebeasdetailedaspossible,classroompreparationorproceedings,whatactivitiesyouandthestudentsdo,homework,etc.)Q.AretherebenefitstousingthePrernamodel?Ifso,whatarethebenefits?DoyouthinkitisimportanttousethePrernamodelinclassrooms?Ifso,why?Q.AretherewaysinwhichthePrernamodelcanbeimproved?Ifso,inwhatareas?Q.Doyouthinktherearewaysinwhichyoucanconductyourclassesbetter?Ifso,how?(Refertospecificexamplessuchasbettertraining,orteachingmaterialetc.)Q.Describeyourtrainingworkshop/proceduretobecomeaPrernateacher.Q.Howwouldyoudescribetoanotherteacher,whattodoinordertoconductaPrernaclassroom?CommonQuestion-WhatarethebasicelementsrequiredtomakeaPrernaclassroom?(Describevariouselementsincludingphysicalelementssuchasteaching-learningmaterial,manpowerelementssuchastheteacherandher/hisexperiencesetc.)

35

CommonQuestion-WhatexactlydoyouthinkhasmadethePrernamodelincreasechildren’slearninglevels?Refertospecificexamples.Questionnairefortechnicalpersons(programmanagers/monitoringandevaluationteams/techteam:Name:Role/Position:No.ofyearsspentatSikshana:Q.DescribeyourroleatSikshana.Q.What would you say are the essential pieces of the Prernamodel? Do you think themodelisimportant?Inwhatways?WhydoyouthinkthePrernamodelisimportant?Q.DoyoumakevisitstoPrernaclassrooms?Ifso,howoften?Q. Do you believe that the Prerna model is the most effective approach in improvinglearningoutcomes?Ifso,why?Q. Explain the process that goes into making sure the Prerna model is implemented inclassrooms(recruitment,trainingetc.)(operations)Q. Were there challenges in implementing the Prerna model? If so, what were they?(operations)Q.WhatadvicewouldyougiveaprojectmanagerofPrernawho is justbeginningPrernaoperations?What did you learn in the course of your job that you can nowadvise themabout?(operations)Q.Aretheremeasurement/monitoring/evaluationsystemsputinplacetogaugethesuccessofthePrernamodel?(M&E)Ifsocanyousharesomedetails?Q.WhendidtheM&Eteambeginoperations?Whatweresomeofthegoals?Q. Describe the end-to-end process for how data on the program is collected, stored,analyzedanddisseminated.(M&E)CommonQuestion-WhatarethebasicelementsrequiredtomakeaPrernaclassroom?(Describevariouselementsincludingphysicalelementssuchasteaching-learningmaterial,manpowerelementssuchastheteacherandher/hisexperiencesetc.)

36

CommonQuestion-WhatexactlydoyouthinkhasmadethePrernamodelincreasechildren’slearninglevels?Refertospecificexamples.Questionnaireforgovernmentofficials:Name:Role/Position:No.ofyearsspentatSikshana:Q.HowdidyoucometoknowaboutPrerna/Sikshana?Q.WhydidyoudecidetoadoptthePrernamodelingovernmentclassrooms?Q.Whatinputsarerequiredfromthegovernmenttoensurethispartnership?Q.Aretherespecificcomponentsofthemodelthatreallyappealtoyou?Ifso,whichones?Why?Q.Doyouplantosustainthispartnershipinthefuture?Q.CouldyoudescribebasedonyourexperienceandunderstandinghowaPrernaclassroomworks?CommonQuestion-WhatexactlydoyouthinkhasmadethePrernamodelincreasechildren’slearninglevels?Refertospecificexamples.

QuestionnaireforVibha:Name:Role/Position:No.ofyearsspentatSikshana:Q.WhatishasVibha’sroleinSikshana’sprogramsbeen?Q.HowdoyouspecificallysupportSikshana’soperationsinyourwork?Q.Whatledtothestate-widescale-upofthePrernamodel?