Inside primary schools: a study of teaching and learning in rural India

Some major findings emerging from this study key policy recommendations based on this evidence are: - 20% of children surveyed are first generation school goers. Less than half of all households have any print material available, so children do not have materials to read at home. - Children are learning in the course of a year, but even in states with the best learning outcomes, children’s learning levels are far behind what textbooks expect. At each grade level, children’s starting point is well below that of their textbooks. - Children whose home language is different than the school language of instruction learn less. - Attendance is the most important factor in children’s learning. - The average number of children present in each classroom is low, but in most classrooms children from more than one grade are sitting together. - Child-friendly practices, such as students asking questions, using local examples to explain lessons, small group work, have a significant impact on children’s learning. - Teachers can spot mistakes commonly made by children, but have difficulty explaining content in simple language or easy steps. Teacher characteristics such as qualification/degree, length of training, and number of years of experience make little difference to children’s learning.