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Learning Together: Reflections from Co-Creating Education Research across 15 Countries. Data Must Speak

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Title: Learning Together: Reflections from Co-Creating Education Research across 15 Countries. Data Must Speak
Language: English
Authors: Ryan Shawn Herman, Jessica L. Bergmann, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Office of Strategy and Evidence – Innocenti (Italy)
Source: UNICEF Office of Strategy and Evidence – Innocenti. 2026.
Availability: UNICEF Office of Strategy and Evidence – Innocenti. Via degli Alfani, 58, 50121, Florence, Italy. Tel: 39055-20330; Fax: 39055-2033220. email: florence@unicef.org; Web site: https://www.unicef.org/innocenti/
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 39
Publication Date: 2026
Sponsoring Agency: Global Partnership for Education (GPE), Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX)
International Development Research Centre (IDRC) (Canada)
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Jacobs Foundation
Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD)
Document Type: Reports - Evaluative
Descriptors: Educational Research, Partnerships in Education, Change Agents, Evidence Based Practice, Research Needs, Mixed Methods Research, Educational Policy, Conflict, Data Use, Educational Improvement, Best Practices, Foreign Countries
Geographic Terms: Brazil, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Ethiopia, Chad, Tanzania, Zambia, Nepal, Laos, Vietnam
Abstract: This report shares lessons spanning four years of co-creating and implementing the Data Must Speak (DMS) positive deviance research in partnership with ministries of education and local stakeholders across 15 countries. The research team, through a series of critical dialogues and structured sensemaking sessions, distilled six key reflections: (1) Consistently include school actors as change agents and users of evidence; (2) Intentionally adapt co-creation to partners' needs, capacities and contexts; (3) Dedicate ongoing technical assistance to sustainably improve education data systems; (4) Integrate and value mixed-methods approaches for deeper insights; (5) Strengthen country ownership for lasting scaling and policy impact; and (6) Plan for adapting education research for use in conflict settings. For each reflection, the report shares what was done in the DMS positive deviance research, what the team felt could have been done differently, and shares insights relevant for others. The report aims to support more open and reflective dialogue among researchers, policymakers, and practitioners about continuous learning and improvement, and provides some practical guidance for other teams looking to embed reflective practice into their own work. [The Schools2030 Initiative was part of the coalition of donors that supported the Data Must Speak research.]
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED680128
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Learning Together: Reflections from Co-Creating Education Research across 15 Countries. Data Must Speak
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ryan+Shawn+Herman%22">Ryan Shawn Herman</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jessica+L%2E+Bergmann%22">Jessica L. Bergmann</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22United+Nations+Children's+Fund+%28UNICEF%29+Office+of+Strategy+and+Evidence+–+Innocenti+%28Italy%29%22">United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Office of Strategy and Evidence – Innocenti (Italy)</searchLink>
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  Data: UNICEF Office of Strategy and Evidence – Innocenti. Via degli Alfani, 58, 50121, Florence, Italy. Tel: 39055-20330; Fax: 39055-2033220. email: florence@unicef.org; Web site: https://www.unicef.org/innocenti/
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  Data: 39
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  Data: Global Partnership for Education (GPE), Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX)<br />International Development Research Centre (IDRC) (Canada)<br />William and Flora Hewlett Foundation<br />Jacobs Foundation<br />Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Brazil%22">Brazil</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mali%22">Mali</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Niger%22">Niger</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Burkina+Faso%22">Burkina Faso</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cote+d'Ivoire%22">Cote d'Ivoire</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ghana%22">Ghana</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Togo%22">Togo</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ethiopia%22">Ethiopia</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Chad%22">Chad</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tanzania%22">Tanzania</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Zambia%22">Zambia</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Nepal%22">Nepal</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Laos%22">Laos</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Vietnam%22">Vietnam</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: This report shares lessons spanning four years of co-creating and implementing the Data Must Speak (DMS) positive deviance research in partnership with ministries of education and local stakeholders across 15 countries. The research team, through a series of critical dialogues and structured sensemaking sessions, distilled six key reflections: (1) Consistently include school actors as change agents and users of evidence; (2) Intentionally adapt co-creation to partners' needs, capacities and contexts; (3) Dedicate ongoing technical assistance to sustainably improve education data systems; (4) Integrate and value mixed-methods approaches for deeper insights; (5) Strengthen country ownership for lasting scaling and policy impact; and (6) Plan for adapting education research for use in conflict settings. For each reflection, the report shares what was done in the DMS positive deviance research, what the team felt could have been done differently, and shares insights relevant for others. The report aims to support more open and reflective dialogue among researchers, policymakers, and practitioners about continuous learning and improvement, and provides some practical guidance for other teams looking to embed reflective practice into their own work. [The Schools2030 Initiative was part of the coalition of donors that supported the Data Must Speak research.]
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      – SubjectFull: Educational Research
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