School Management and Public-Private Partnerships in Uganda

Abstract

Can the quality of school management explain differences in student test scores? In this paper I present the first internationally benchmarked estimates of school management quality in Africa (based on the "World Management Survey"). The level and distribution of management quality is similar to that found in other low and middle-income countries (India and Brazil). I combine this data with individual student panel data, and demonstrate that differences in school management quality matter for student value-added-a standard deviation difference in management is associated with a 0.06 standard deviation difference in test scores. Finally I contribute to understanding the role of the private sector in education in a low-income setting. Contrary to common perception, I find no difference between the quality of school management in government, private, or public-private partnership (PPP) schools (despite the higher level of autonomy available to them). An exception is an internationally-owned chain of PPP schools, which are as well managed as schools in the UK.

Teacher Labor Markets in Developing Countries

“…Better school-level recruitment and teacher management practices are also associated with better performance in Uganda (Crawfurd 2017). There is some evidence that in the private sector in India, better-managed schools can attract and retain better teachers (Lemos, Muralidharan, and Scur 2018).…”

Testing the feasibility of a value‐added model of school quality in a low‐income country

“…The model applied here provides an incentive for schools to teach all students—above average performance made by any student counts equally, not just those at the top end of the distribution. Linking student test scores also provides a high‐quality public good for research purposes, allowing for low‐cost quasi‐experimental research (such as Crawfurd ()).…”

Head Teachers’ Prevalent Leadership Styles and Teachers’ Performance in Selected Private Secondary Schools in Buikwe District (Uganda)

“…This study's teacher operates in a private secondary schools -a post primary school that is owned by an individual or by a group such as a church, and therefore relies on internally-generated resources to run (MoES, 2008). The study was localised in private schools because they are the majority in Uganda and are assumed to be better in terms of headship and teacher performance (Crawfurd, 2017).…”