Department of Administrative and Policy Studies
John C. Weidman, PhD, Professor of Higher and
International Development Education
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/ 5910 Wesley W. Posvar Hall
230 South Bouquet Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Phone: 412-648-1772
Email:
ADMPS 3207: Sector Analysis, Project Design and Evaluation
Term and Time:Spring, 2015 (2154), Thursday, 4:30-7:10 pm, 4312 WWPH
Office Hours:Tuesday and Wednesday, 2-4; also by appointment.
Course Description:
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to analytical tools and examples of comprehensive research on the education sector. Sector analysis plays an essential role in educational policy making, in helping governments and international organizations to judge the progress of education development in a country, in identifying bottlenecks, and in choosing among alternative policies and investment strategies. The context of education for developing countries is changing rapidly due to globalization pressures, constrained budgets, persistent poverty and the need to improve the quality of education outcomes in a competitive world. In this fast-changing economic, social, cultural and political environment, analytical education sector research is essential for the development of sound educational policies.
Specific education sector work will be discussed and analyzed by students with the contribution and occasional participation of professors and specialists of the field invited as guest speakers. Students are encouraged to choose countries for their own sector analysis from any region of the world in which they are interested. However, students seeking credit for UCIS Area Studies Programs must choose a country in the particular program’s geographical area. Examples of project identification, design, and project evaluations in which the instructor has been involved will also be examined and discussed.
Requirements and Grading:
- Reading and Class Participation: Seminar participants are expected to carefully read all assigned readings identified for a particular class session as well as actively and productively participate in class discussions. Come to class prepared to pose questions and offer comments that will facilitate your and others’ deeper reflection on the issues raised in the readings and the implications these have for policy analysis. (20%)
- Written Assignments and Class Presentations: This requirement is divided into 4 components:
- First Written Assignment. Proposal (3-5 pages) (20%)
- Reading Presentation/Lead Discussion (10%)
- Final Sector Paper (25-30 pages) (50%)
- Oral Presentation (20%)
Academic and Research Integrity:
Students in this course will be expected to comply with the University of Pittsburgh's Policy on Academic Integrity: Any student suspected of violating this obligation for any reason during the semester will be required to participate in the procedural process, initiated at the instructor level, as outlined in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. This may include, but is not limited to, the confiscation of the examination of any individual suspected of violating University Policy. By enrolling in this course, you agree that you have read, understood, and accept the obligations of the University of Pittsburgh Student Code of Conduct and Judicial Procedures. These are posted at:
Classroom Recording:
To ensure the free and open discussion of ideas, students may not record classroom lectures, discussion and/or activities without the advance written permission of the instructor, and any such recording properly approved in advance is solely for the student’s own private use.
Disability Accommodation:
The University of Pittsburgh is committed to providing equal opportunities in higher education to academically qualified students with disabilities. Students with disabilities will be integrated as completely as possible into the University experience. If special arrangements are required, both the instructor and the Office of Disability Resources and Services (DRS), 216 William Pitt Union (phone: 412-648-7890; 412-383-7355 for TTY), should be informed within the first two weeks of the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course. Relevant information can be accessed online at
Departmental Grievance Procedures:
The purpose of grievance procedures is to ensure the rights and responsibilities of faculty and students in their relationships with each other. When a student in ADMPS believes that a faculty member has not met his or her obligations (as an instructor or in another capacity) as described in the Academic Integrity Guidelines, the student should follow the procedure described in the Guidelines by (1) first trying to resolve the matter with the faculty member directly; (2) then, if needed, attempting to resolve the matter through conversations with the chair/associate chair of the department; (3) if needed, next talking to the associate dean of the school; and (4) if needed, filing a written statement of charges with the school-level academic integrity officer. Dr.Jere Gallagher is the Associate Dean and Integrity Officer.
Class Sessions and Reading Assignments:
Part IIntroduction to the Course
January 8Content, Structure, and Assignments: What is sector analysis? What is the role of sector analysis for a country’s education strategy? How is it used in project design, implementation and evaluation?
Part IIEducation Sector Strategies: The World Bank and its Critics
January 15World Bank Education Strategy 2020(WBES)
Learning for All: Investing in People’s Knowledge and Skills to Promote Development. World Bank Education Strategy 2020. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2011.
January 22Critiques of WBES
Klees, Steven J. Klees, Joel Samoff and Nelly P. Stromquist (Eds.), The World Bank and Education: Critiques and Alternatives. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers:
Chapter 1, Gita Steiner-Khamsi, “For All by All? The World Bank’s Global Framework for Education;” and Chapter 2, Bjorn H. Nordtveit, “World Bank Poetry: How the Education Strategy 2020 Imagines the World.”
Collins, Christopher S. “Global Assessment in the World Bank Education Strategy 2020.” Excellence in Higher Education, 2 (2011): 29-41.
[SECTOR STUDY PROPOSALS DUE]
Part IVMethodological Approaches
January 29Needs Assessment and Logical Frameworks
Watkins, Ryan,Maurya West Meiers, andYusraLailaVisser.A Guide to Assessing Needs: Essential Tools for Collecting Information, Making Decisions, and Achieving Development Results. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2012.
Saldanha, Cedric and Whittle, John. 1998. Using the Logical Framework for Sector Analysis and Project Design: A User's Guide. Manila: Asian Development Bank.
February 5Measuring Attributes of Diverse Populations: Gender and Capacity Development
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Danida. 2008. Sector Gender Analysis. Copenhagen.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Danida. 2006. Gender-Sensitive Monitoring and Indicators. Technical Note.
European Commission. 2005. Institutional Assessment and Capacity Development: Why, What and How? Tools and Methods Series.Reference Document No. 1. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.
Part IIIAssessing the Social, Political, Economic and Legal Context of Educational Development
February 12Central Asian Countries in Transition from Command to Market Economy
Asian Development Bank. Education Reforms in Countries in Transition: Policies and Processes. Six Country Case Studies Commissioned by the Asian Development Bank in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Manila, Philippines, 2004.
Chapman, David W., John C. Weidman, Marc Cohen, and Malcolm Mercer. “The Search for Quality: A Five Country Study of National Strategies to Improve Educational Quality In Central Asia.” International Journal of Educational Development, 25 (September, 2005): 514-530.
February 19Mongolian Education Sector Strategies
Master Plan to Develop Education of Mongolia in 2006-2015.Government of Mongolia. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 2006.
Weidman, John C. “Developing the Mongolian Education Sector Strategy 2000-2005: Reflections of a Consultant for the Asian Development Bank.” Current Issues in Comparative Education [Online], 3 (No. 2, May 1, 2001).
Weidman, John C. and Yoder, Brian. “Policy and Practice in Education Reform in Mongolia and Uzbekistan during the First Two Decades of the Post-Soviet Era.” Excellence in Higher Education, 1(2010): 57-68. Available at
February 26Higher Education and Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa
World Bank. Accelerating Catch-up Tertiary Education for Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2009.
March 5Independent work on sector study papers.
March 12SPRING RECESS
Education inLatin America
March 19Latin American Education Sector Strategy: Colombia
World Bank. Colombia: Quality of Education in Colombia. Achievements and Challenges Ahead: Analysis of the Results of TIMSS 1995–2007. Report No. 54351-CO. Washington, DC, August 6, 2010.
World Bank. Colombia: Contracting Education Services. Report No. 31841-CO. Washington, DC, August 7, 2006.
March 26Review and Discussion of Key Issues
April 2 Independent work on sector study papers.
April 9 Independent work on sector study papers.
April 16Presentations of Sector Studies
[FINAL PAPERS AND POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS DUE]
Supplementary Readings:
Inter-American Development Bank. Reforming Primary and Secondary Education in Latin America and the Caribbean: An IDB Strategy. Washington, DC, 2000.
Levin, Henry M. and McEwan, Patrick J. Cost-Effectiveness Analysis. 2nd Edition. Sage Publications, 2001.
Mingat, Alain, Tan, Jee-Peng and Sosale, Shobhana. Tools for Education Policy Analysis. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2003.
Mingat, Alain and Tan, Jee-Peng. Analytical Tools for Sector Work in Education. The John Hopkins University Press, 1988.
Psacharopoulos, George and Maureen A. Woodhall. Education for Development: An Analysis of Investment Choices. New York: Oxford University Press, 1985.
Quantifyiing the Relationship Between Corruption in Education and Economic Development in the Eastern Europe and Eurasia Region: An Exploratory Literature Review. Report produced for review by the Social Transition Team, Office of Democracy, Governance and Social Transition of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID/E&E/DGST), and prepared under the SOCIAL Task Order of the Advancing Basic Education (ABE-BE) IQC by the University of Pittsburgh Institute for International Studies in Education, Creative Associates International, Inc. and Aguirre Division of JBS International, Inc. May, 2007.
World Bank. Basic Education in Bolivia: Challenges for 2006-2010. Report No. 35073-BO. Washington, DC, October 16, 2006 (Spanish).
World Bank. Higher Education in Developing Countries: Peril and Promise. The Task Force on Higher Education and Society. Washington, DC, 2000.
World Bank. “Practical Guidelines for Preparing a Public Expenditure Review for Education at the District Level.” Washington, DC, 2010.
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