The impact of Sri lanka’s school-based management programme on teachers’ pedagogical practices and student learning: evidence from a randomised controlled trial

Abstract

This paper investigates the effectiveness of a school-based management policy in Sri Lanka, the Programme for School Improvement (PSI). The PSI established new management structures and provided training and support services to: (a) devolve decisions for a range of activities to the school level; (b) increase participation of parents and the local community; and (c) focus schools’ efforts on student learning. A randomized controlled trial show some evidence of behaviour changes in both principals and teachers in PSI schools, but most observed behaviours did not change. There are no statistically significant effects on student learning as measured by test scores.