Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Foreword, Prólogo, Avant-propos -- Executive Summary, Résumen, Résumé Analytique -- Abbreviations and Acronyms -- 1 Introduction -- Scope and Purpose of the Study -- Evaluation Questions: What Explains Educational Performance? -- Overview of the Study -- 2 Changes in Basic Education Since the 1980s -- The Education System Before 1986 -- The 1986 Reform Program -- FCUBE and Decentralization -- Budget -- School-Level Inputs -- 3 The Bank's Education Portfolio in Ghana -- Overview -- The Sector Adjustment Credits: EdSAC I and II -- Investing in Basic Education: PSD and BESIP -- The Role of Other Donors -- 4 The Bank's Impact on Education Policies and Outputs -- The Bank and Educational Reform -- Education Sector Outputs -- 5 Educational Performance Has Improved -- School Attainment: Higher Enrollments and Better Completion Rates -- Improved Test Scores -- 6 Causes and Consequences of Improved Educational Performance -- Better Inputs -- From Inputs to Outputs (Attainment and Achievement) -- From Outputs to Outcomes -- 7 Lessons Learned and Progress Toward the MDGs -- Progress Toward the Millennium Development Goals -- Lessons Learned -- Annexes -- Annex A: Test Examples -- Annex B: Budget Analysis -- Annex C: School Costs -- Annex D: School-Level Changes in Inputs, Management, and Methods -- Annex E: Tables Of School Quality Variables -- Annex F: Variable Definition -- Annex G: Analysis of Test Scores -- Annex H: Data on Educational Performance -- Annex I: School Attainment -- Annex J: Conditions Attached to Bank Credits -- Annex K: Education and Welfare Outcomes -- Annex L: Evaluation Approach Paper -- Endnotes -- Bibliography -- Boxes -- Box 1.1: Evaluation design: costs and benefits -- Tables -- Table 1.1: Coverage of data collection instruments -- Table 3.1: World Bank support to Ghana's education sector, 1986-2003.

Table 3.2: Allocation of resources under EdSAC I and II -- Table 3.3: Allocation of resources under PSD project and BESIP -- Table 4.1: Activities in World Bank basic education projects -- Table 5.1: Drop-out rates are low (2003) -- Table 5.2: Student performance is returning to the levels attained 40 years ago (average test scores of primary school leavers by decade) -- Table 6.1: Results from studies of education and social outcomes in Ghana -- Table 6.2: Percentage reductions in welfare outcomes caused by higher school attainment -- Table 7.1: Progress toward the education related MDGs -- Figures -- Figure 1.1: Ghana's education system went into decline in the mid-1970s starting a slow but steady recovery since the mid-198 -- Figure 1.2: How educational inputs affect welfare outcomes -- Figure 2.1: Restructuring of education system -- Figure 2.2: Government spending on education has risen: central government education expenditure -- Figure 2.3: Schools in nearly all areas have more material inputs than before: cluster-level material inputs to school quality -- Figure 2.4: The quality of school infrastructure has improved in most areas: cluster-level physical inputs to school quality -- Figure 2.5: The proportion of teachers who are trained rose -- Figure 2.6(a): Efficiency gains have been realized by increasing the pupil-teacher ratio -- Figure 2.6(b): But the PTR is too high in the Savannah region (PTR by zone, 2003) -- Figure 3.1: Bank disbursements on an annual and project basis, FY86-02 -- Figure 5.1: More children are attending school (attendance rates by age group) -- Figure 5.2: And gender and regional gaps are closing (enrollment differentials, 6-11 year olds) -- Figure 5.3: More children finish school (primary completion rates ) -- Figure 5.4: School outputs have improved: test scores plotted against years of schooling.

Figure 5.5: Criterion Reference Test scores in public schools have risen each year, 1992-2000.