Misalignments and Incoherencies within Ecuador's Education System: How Well Are Key Actors and Public Efforts Aligned towards Better Learning Outcomes?

Abstract

This study aims to identify the main critical misalignments and inconsistencies nested in the Ecuadorian education system, which inhibit and limit its capacity to transform efforts, resources, and reforms into better learning outcomes for all students. To do so, it uses an innovative methodology developed by the RISE (Research on Improving Systems of Education) programme based on a 'Systems Thinking' perspective. This approach allows the analysis of key actors, their incentives, and interactions, to assess the overall alignment of the system and the existence of barriers that might prevent the system transitioning towards better learning outcomes. This study is based mainly on qualitative methods and information collected in the field through interviews, focus groups and surveys held in the first semester of 2022 in three cities in Ecuador: Quito, Tena, and Guayaquil. In total, more than 50 stakeholders from different regions and levels of the education system actively participated in this effort, targeted towards the identification and discussion of the inconsistencies and critical issues described in this study. The report has five sections that offer a detailed account of the implementation of the RISE diagnostic framework in the Ecuadorian educational system.