Can Discussions about Girls’ Education Improve Academic Outcomes? Evidence from a Randomized Development Project

B-Tier
Journal: World Bank Economic Review
Year: 2025
Volume: 39
Issue: 1
Pages: 211-227

Authors (4)

Christopher S Cotton (not in RePEc) Ardyn Nordstrom (Carleton University) Jordan Nanowski (not in RePEc) Eric Richert (University of Chicago)

Score contribution per author:

0.503 = (α=2.01 / 4 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

This article evaluates the impact that facilitated discussions about girls’ education have on education outcomes for students in rural Zimbabwe. The staggered implementation of components of a randomized education project allowed for the causal analysis of a dialogue-based engagement campaign. This campaign involved regular discussions between trained facilitators and parents, teachers, and youth about girls’ rights, the importance of attending school, and the barriers girls face in pursuing education. The campaigns increased mathematics performance and enrollment in the year after implementation. There was no similar improvement in literacy performance during this period. Longer-term data on the broader project suggest that adding additional education-focused interventions did not further increase mathematics performance and enrollment beyond what can be attributable to the dialogue campaigns alone.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:oup:wbecrv:v:39:y:2025:i:1:p:211-227.
Journal Field
Development
Author Count
4
Added to Database
2026-01-25