Alejandro J. Ganimian

Improving Educational Outcomes in Developing Countries

In reviewing and interpreting the evidence from 223 rigorous impact evaluations of educational initiatives conducted in 56 low- and middle-income countries, Alejandro J. Ganimian and R. J. Murnane, were able to derive four lessons regarding interventions to improve educational outcomes. First, reducing the costs of going to school and expanding schooling options increase attendance and attainment but do not consistently increase student achievement. Second, providing information about school quality, developmentally appropriate parenting practices, and the economic returns to schooling affects the actions of parents and the achievement of children and adolescents. Third, more or better resources improve student achievement only if they result in changes in children’s daily experiences at school. Fourth, well-designed incentives increase teacher effort and student achievement from very low levels, but low-skilled teachers need specific guidance to reach minimally acceptable levels of instruction.

By means of his research, Mr. Ganimian seeks to help low- and middle-income countries transition from providing schooling to learning for all. Specifically, he is interested in: 1) improving children’s and youth’s preparation for learning; 2) supporting teachers to cater to large and heterogeneous classes; and 3) encouraging principals to use information to allocate resources. He partners with governments, non-profits, and businesses to conduct large-scale randomized experiments in Latin America (where he is from) and South Asia (where he did his postdoctoral work) and leverage them to improve measurement.

Alejandro Ganimian is an Assistant Professor of Applied Psychology and Economics at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. He holds a doctorate in Quantitative Policy Analysis in Education from Harvard University, where he was a fellow in the Multidisciplinary Program in Inequality and Social Policy; a Master’s in Educational Research from the University of Cambridge, where he was a Gates Scholar; and a Bachelor’s in International Politics from Georgetown University. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). His research has been published in the American Economic Review, the Journal of Political Economy, the World Bank Economic Review, the Review of Educational Research, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, and the Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness.