Colombia: Evidencia Potential

Colombia is a middle-income country with a strong education ecosystem. But there are large learning gaps in foundational skills and socioemotional learning, which have been further widened by COVID.

The Learning Societies portfolio aims to work at national and territorial levels to help strengthen learning ecosystems across the country. We aim to help both levels become more focused on – and effective in – the development of foundational skills and social-emotional learning.

We will support Communities of Change in territories across the country to systematically implement evidence-based policies and practices.

We will also set up a national Evidence Lab to bring together Colombia’s strong research institutions in a multi-stakeholder partnership. This will drive even greater rigor in creating, connecting, and using evidence in decision-making at all levels of the system.

And third, we will work with the National government of Colombia as well as philanthropic and industry funders to create a Co-Funding Mechanism. This mechanism will fund Communities of Change and the Evidence Lab and ultimately drive deep and enduring evidence-informed impact across the country.

The Education Evidence Lab (EdLab): Led by Universidad de los Andes, this new collaboration will bring Colombia’s premier research institutions into a partnership that will harness the power of research and data. The lab will seek to ensure that education strategies are backed by sound evidence, leading to stronger evidence-based decision-making throughout the educational system and greater, more sustainable learning outcomes for children.

Communities of Change: We are committed to supporting Communities of Change in various regions of Colombia. These communities will work to implement evidence-based policies and practices that raise the quality of children’s education. By addressing the unique needs of each territory, we can create a more inclusive and equitable education system.

Co-Funding Mechanism: Achieving lasting change requires substantial resources. We are therefore actively engaging with the national government of Colombia, philanthropic organizations, and industry funders to create a Co-Funding Mechanism. This mechanism will provide the necessary financial support to the Communities of Change and the National Evidence Lab.