Data Must Speak
Project | Strengthening data use to improve learning
Project overview | Positive deviance research | DMS SCALE | Additional insights
Around 70 per cent of students in low- and middle-income countries grapple with learning poverty, unable to read and understand a simple text by the age of 10. Policymakers are facing increasing pressure to make data- and evidence-informed decisions that will strengthen education systems and address the learning crisis.
The Data Must Speak (DMS) research aims to harness the potential of existing data and local solutions to answer ministries of educations’ most pressing questions on how to improve learning, equity and inclusion at-scale.
At its core, Data Must Speak is engaging in co-creation alongside ministries of education, local academics, education partners and school stakeholders to ensure the research is driven by the needs of the countries it serves and the results owned by the local change agents who can contribute to transforming their education systems.
Data Must Speak positive deviance research
Amidst the learning crisis, there are some schools with exceptional performance. These positive deviant schools persist, performing better than peer schools despite operating in similar contexts and with equivalent resources. The DMS positive deviance research leverages existing data to identify these positive deviant schools and delves into their success stories, aiming to understand and replicate their locally-led solutions and empowering educators and policymakers with practical insights for optimal scale. 
Country publications
Data Must Speak to Strengthen Capacity and Advance Local Evidence Use
Inadequate use of education data in policymaking hampers progress in improving learning outcomes and promoting equity. But more research is necessary to understand data use and how to bridge the data-implementation gap, especially at the local level.
The Data Must Speak to Strengthen Capacity and Advance Local Evidence Use (DMS SCALE) research aims to enhance the use of education data and evidence for better decision making at all levels of the education system. Building on the success of the DMS positive deviance research, which focused on identifying what policies and practices could enhance learning and equity, DMS SCALE dives deeper into the how of translating data into actionable decisions to achieve these goals at all levels, particularly local levels. Through capacity-building activities, innovative data solutions, and robust evaluations, the research seeks to strengthen the capacities of central policymakers and local officials in understanding the value of their data for designing, implementing, and monitoring policies that can improve learning outcomes for children.