INTRODUCTION
Since 2011, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been working with partners to increase equitable access to education for learners living in conflict and crisis-affected environments (USAID Education Strategy,
February 2011 Goal 3). The following document provides an analysis of the indicators used in Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Plans (PMEPs) from 25 USAID Education projects1 implemented in 16 countries between 2007 and 2018.
The USAID Education in Crisis and Conflict Network (USAID ECCN) under took this analysis to determine:
What indicators were being used to monitor education projects implemented in crisis and conflict environments slightly before and during the period of USAID’s 2011–2015 Education Strategy.
Whether and how these indicators measured progress related to the USAID Education Strategy themes of: access, retention, equity, safety, conflict sensitive education, education delivery, policy and systems, education demand, and education quality.
What gaps existed in the monitoring efforts of these projects during this period.
We believe that this analysis will provide USAID program designers and managers, as well as USAID project implementing partners, with a baseline snapshot of the state of project performance monitoring and evaluation (M&E) planning during a period in which USAID was increasingly formalizing its commitment to suppor ting education in crisis and conflict (EiCC) environments. A subsequent analysis, planned for 2019, will undertake a similar review in an effort to map the evolution of performance monitoring and evaluation planning, well into USAID’s 2016–2020 Education Strategy. After an initial description of our analysis methodology, the paper presents analysis results (Which results are monitored where? Which essential EiCC concepts are being monitored how? Which concepts are well monitored?), followed by key findings and recommendations for USAID and the community of practice.