A Framework for Using Qualitative Research To Inform Policy-Makers and Empower Practitioners: Lessons from Madagascar

National education policy reforms often do not translate into changes at the classroom level. This paper presents a conceptual framework developed for Sub-Saharan Africa to assist policy-makers in bridging the gap between school practice and national policies. It also describes how the framework was applied to current school-improvement efforts in Madagascar. The framework identified 16 school-effectiveness factors and divided them into five main categories--supporting inputs, enabling conditions, school culture and climate, and the teaching/learning process. The Madagascar Quality Study, conducted as part of a larger World Bank research effort, sought to identify the school-level factors that most influence student learning and academic persistence. The World Bank report relied on three different studies to assess the quality of primary and secondary education in Madagascar: (1) the Quality Study, a case-study analysis of 36 schools 12 at each of the primary, junior secondary, and senior secondary cycles of the system; (2) a quantitative assessment of the achievement scores of 2,874 students in 181 primary schools, conducted by the French government; and (3) a quantitative study on dropouts, conducted by the Ministry of National Education. Findings indicate that three key factors affected primary schools--school leadership, community participation, and teachers' guides/textbooks. It is recommended that improvement efforts at the primary level should focus on strengthening school leadership, providing more learning materials, and fostering community support. Other suggestions include: (1) create and sustain a positive climate for educational reform; (2) give primary and secondary education priority over higher education in budget allocations; (3) favor instructional purposes in budget allotments; and (4) invest in more and better facilities and equipment. Three figures and one table are included. The appendix contains examples and indicators of school effectiveness. Contains 11 references. (LMI)