The increased focus on what children learn in school rather than only on enrolment and attendance, places school effectiveness under a new spotlight. This presentations looks at the difference schools are making for children in Peru and what that implies for school improvement programmes, particularly policies to tackle inequalities in the education system.

1. School Effectiveness and Inequality in Peru
Santiago Cueto
GRADE - Young Lives (Peru)

2. March, 2014
Rounds Cohort
Cognitive
development
Reading
achievement
Mathematics
achievement
Round 1
Younger NA NA NA
Older Raven
Progressive
Matrices
One item on
reading and one
on writing
One multiplication item
Round 2
Younger PPVT NA CDA
Older PPVT One item on
reading and one
on writing
One multiplication item;
Math test
Round 3
Younger (plus one
sibling for selected
tests)
PPVT One item on
reading and one
on writing
EGRA
One multiplication item
Mathematics test
Older PPVT Cloze test Mathematics test
Round 4
Younger (plus one
sibling for selected
tests)
PPVT , SMILE (in
Ethiopia and Peru)
Reading test Mathematics test
Older NA Reading test Mathematics test
Cognitive abilities or achievement measured in
household surveys (R1 to R4)

3. March, 2014
Other measures of education in YL
• In household surveys: educational progress of children,
type of school attended since preschool and educational
level of relatives.
• Measures of siblings of younger cohort to check for
intrahousehold variability.
• School surveys: since 2010, in four countries, with
designs that respond to countries policies.

4. March, 2014
Resources available at different
types of schools
Private Public urban Public rural
Telephone 95% 72% 2%
Internet 90% 65% 8%
Running water 100% 93% 41%
Library 50% 60% 18%
Court for sports 40% 67% 29%
Computer lab 60% 77% 18%
Psychologist 60% 12% 2%
Teacher or school aides 75% 22% 4%
Administrative staff 80% 67% 20%

5. March, 2014
Overage rates for different
groups-YC R4 Older
cohort
Younger cohort
Round 2 Round 3 Round 4
Average 44,45 12,30 30,44
Gender
Boys 42,57 11,68 29,44
Girls 46,51 12,91 31,44
Gap (%) -3,93 -1,23 -2,00
Maternal´s first language
Spanish 39,24 9,40 24,32
Indigenous language 51,26 17,64 41,65
Gap (%) -12,02** -8,24*** -17,33***
Baseline area of residence
Urban 38,67 8,85 21,50
Rural 51,68 18,12 45,32
Gap (%) -13,01** -9,27*** -23,81***
Maternal education
Higher Education 14,87 3,83 9,75
Primary complete up to
complete secondary
38,63 8,69 22,48
Primary incomplete or less 55,33 21,99 52,21
Gap (%) -40,46*** -18,16*** -42,45***
Baseline poverty
Top quiltile 30,87 5,95 11,47
Bottom quintile 59,97 20,35 51,09
Gap (%) -29,09*** -14,40*** -39,62***
Type of school
Private 15,46 6,10 12,03
Public urban 39,44 9,39 25,91
Public rural 53,46 19,26 46,02
Gap (%) -38,00*** -13,16*** -33,98***

6. March, 2014
Flynn Effect? Results in the
PPVT Older
cohort
Younger cohort
Round 2 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4
Average 79,22 27,79 57,51 83,90
Gender
Boys 81,14 28,54 58,45 86,12
Girls 77,11 27,05 56,59 81,69
Gap (%) 5,22* 5,50* 3,28** 5,42***
Maternal´s first language
Spanish 83,64 32,12 62,15 88,55
Indigenous language 73,43 19,98 49,13 75,41
Gap (%) 13,90*** 60,78*** 26,50*** 17,43***
Baseline area of residence
Urban 86,09 34,48 63,71 89,82
Rural 70,63 16,46 47,12 73,97
Gap (%) 21,90*** 109,44*** 35,20*** 21,43***
Maternal education
Higher Education 97,56 45,19 72,27 99,74
Primary complete up to
complete secondary
84,11 29,05 60,13 85,74
Primary incomplete or less 71,52 17,74 46,72 73,78
Gap (%) 17,60*** 63,73*** 28,72*** 16,22***
Baseline poverty
Top quiltile 88,20 40,64 68,67 96,17
Bottom quintile 72,65 15,70 46,61 74,65
Gap (%) 21,40*** 158,91*** 47,33*** 28,82***
Type of school
Private 96,93 ND 71,89 99,23
Public urban 85,56 ND 61,81 87,14
Public rural 69,85 ND 45,51 72,02
Gap (%) 22,49*** 35,80*** 20,99***

7. March, 2014
Equality for whom?
• Increase of private schools is a complex
challenge for Peruvian policy.
• Based on notions of “efficiency”, rural schools
get less resources.
• Bilingual education is not being targeted as a
social and political issue.
• However, overall, abilities seem to be
increasing.

8. March, 2014
Equality for whom?
• Increase of private schools is a complex
challenge for Peruvian policy.
• Based on notions of “efficiency”, rural schools
get less.
• Bilingual education is not being targeted as a
social and political issue.

9. March, 2014
Find out more
scueto@grade.org.pe
www.younglives.org.uk
www.ninosdelmilenio.org