We support EdLabs to enhance evidence-based decision-making by integrating research into practice, building capacity, and promoting collaboration to improve education.
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Education Evidence Labs (EdLabs)
We are supporting the establishment of EdLabs to strengthen evidence-based decision-making in education systems across target regions. EdLabs function as research-to-policy hubs dedicated to informing public policy and practice and enhancing evidence-based decision-making. These labs operate through various organizational models: embedded within governments, functioning as quasi-independent entities, or supported externally by governments. Their work focuses on producing evidence, synthesizing global and local evidence, building capacity for evidence use, and fostering relationships to enhance stakeholders’ ability to use evidence effectively.
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Our Vision for EdLabs
We envision EdLabs as organizations having four characteristics:
- Continuously analyzing education systems to understand evidence demands.
- Integrating evidence into policy and practice as a primary goal.
- Maintaining clear links to policy and practice, iterating approaches based on effectiveness.
- Possessing the skills, mindsets, and relationships needed to translate evidence into actionable policies.
EdLabs Address Four Key Challenges:
Evidence Capacity Building: Empower stakeholders to access, understand, and use evidence.
Evidence to Policy Facilitation: Develop evidence communication strategies tailored for decision-makers.
Evidence Market Building: Create platforms to align evidence supply with demand and funding.
Generating High-Quality Evidence: Foster a culture of rigor through research agendas and collaborations.
Current EdLabs
Côte d’Ivoire: Led by IPA, embedded within the government, with strong buy-in and discussions on allocating research funds.
Ghana: Based within the SRIM (Statistical Research and Information Mgmt) unit of the Policy Planning, Budgets, Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate (PPBMED) of the Ministry of Education.
Colombia: In the design phase, supported by ExE, with activities tailored to local education needs at the community level.
Switzerland: Housed at the Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development at the University of Zurich, it focuses on building evidence and fostering research collaborations.
Through EdLabs, the Jacobs Foundation seeks to embed evidence into policymaking, foster a culture of evidence-driven decision-making, and improve educational outcomes for children worldwide.