Education in Emergencies, Evidence for Action (3EA): Testing targeted interventions in Niger, 2016-18

Healing Classrooms Tutoring. Nigerien teachers will be trained in the IRC’s Learning in a Healing Classrooms (LIHC) approach to providing high-quality safe, supportive, predictable and cooperative learning environments. Facilitators complete pre-service face-to-face training, participate in monthly Teacher Learning Circles (TLCs), and receive regular mentoring visits from trained IRC field staff. Teachers will provide approximately 8 hours of remedial support to students per week.

Healing Classrooms Tutoring Plus -Mindfulness: In fall of 2016, half of all teachers will receive additional training to incorporate targeted mindfulness strategies into their LIHC daily classroom routines. Selected facilitators will receive training, including: (1) 1-2 days additional pre-service face-to-face training; (2) dedicated monthly Teacher Learning Circles; and (3) mentoring visits including mindfulness support on a monthly basis. Teachers will be encouraged to use mindfulness practices to facilitate classroom transitions, with an expectation of spending 20-30 minutes per day on mindfulness activities.

Healing Classrooms Tutoring Plus - Brain Games: In Spring of 2017, half of all facilitators will incorporate targeted Brain Games into their LIHC classroom routines. Selected facilitators will receive supplementary training and support to do so, including: (1) 1-2 days additional pre-service face-to-face training; (2) dedicated monthly Teacher Learning Circles; and (3) mentoring visits including Brain Games support on a monthly basis. Teachers will be encouraged to use Brain Games to facilitate classroom transitions.

Brain Games will continue as the SEL intervention in fall and spring for 2017-18.

2016-12-01

2018-06-30

For impact of tutoring program, Primary outcomes are: Literacy skills, Math skills, and perceptions of school environment
Primary outcomes for SEL contrast (HCT vs. HCT Plus) are Social-Emotional Well-Being and Competencies, such as Internalizing, externalizing behaviors and emotional regulation and expression.

Literacy skills will be measured via the Early Grades Reading Assessment (EGRA). Math skills will be measured via the Early Grades Math Assessment (EGMA). Perceptions of school environment will be measured via Child-Friendly Schools Questionnaire.

This study utilizes a matched-pair design. Schools will be matched into pairs (30 schools; 15 pairs) based on an algorithm of baseline characteristics (e.g., number of students per class, type of school structure) thought to be predictive of student outcomes. Randomization then takes place within pairs, such that one school is assigned to treatment "plus" (i.e., tutors in that school all receive LIHC Mindfulness/Brain Games training) and one to treatment basic (i.e., tutors in that school all receive LIHC base package). Within schools, students will be screened for tutoring eligibility and eligible students will be randomized to have access to treatment or not, depending on the condition of their school.

Schools will remain in their treatment condition for year 2.

Randomization was completed in office via computer.

Schools within matched pairs.

Yes

30 schools were randomized

1,800 students will receive some form of tutoring 5,000 students (Year 1) or 6,000 (Year 2) will be screened for eligibility and in analytic sample for tutoring or no-tutoring contrast.

(1) Remedial Support Basic (15 schools, approximately 900 students);
(2) Remedial Support plus Low-Cost Targeted Intervention (15 schools, approximately 900 students).
5,000 students (Year 1) or 6,000 (Year 2) will be screened for eligibility and in analytic sample for tutoring or no-tutoring contrast.

With the matched pair school randomized design of 30 schools, 90 tutoring groups, and an average of 20 students per group, the MDES for the main effects of either Remedial Support Mindfulness or Brain Games is 0.19. School-level R-squared and intra-class correlation (ICC) estimates for these power calculations are based on estimates of 15 sub-Saharan African countries provided in Kelcey et al. (in prep). In this review, school-level ICCs ranged from 0.20 - 0.50; however, given the level of migration and integration in Diffa, we estimate clustering between schools to be in the lower range, around 0.20. In Kelcey et al., school-level R-squared estimates of socioeconomic status and school location ranged from 0.02 - 0.59. Given that we will have baseline school literacy and math scores (one of the strongest predictors of endline literacy and math scores), we anticipate a school-level R-squared between 0.50 and 0.70. Finally, effect sizes in evaluations of mindfulness and executive functioning programs in the US range from 0.25 - 0.80 (for executive functioning skills); and effect sizes in our evaluation of LIHC in the DRC ranged from 0.14 - 0.32 (for academic skills and perceptions of the school environment.).