According to Shang Jin Wei of the Asian Development Bank, a recent study conducted by his company has revealed that providing information to parents about student performance is the best way to regulate and increase the quality of education for both parents and students on a global level.

“Through a meta-analysis of education indicators across 67 economies in Asia, we demonstrate that providing information to parents is correlated with a doubling of test scores when compared with more common prescriptions to improve education, such as targeted funding for early childhood education,” Jin Wei said in a post for CNN.com.

For countries’ with weak education systems, he argues that parents and students lack information that can help them to hold schools accountable- a thing he says drastically improves education more than any other measure.

“[W]ithout accountability mechanisms in place, even the most advanced curriculum, best designed early childhood program, or highly qualified teachers may fall short”

In order for countries to improve their respective education systems, Jin Wei says improving the collection of student data should be a top priority.

“Researchers need to do more to systematically develop, invest and evaluate … metrics that appropriately incentivize changes in quality not just by teachers and administrators, but national governments as well. Investment in education and evidence-based-decision making go hand in hand,” he says.

Read the full article here.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

10/20/2015