Research on Improving Systems of Education (RISE) announces an open call for papers for it's annual two-day conference from 15 June to 16 June 2017 in Washington, DC.

The conference will bring together leading academics and policy makers to discuss and debate education systems research. Researchers are encouraged to submit papers related to any aspect of education systems, although papers in the following areas are particularly welcome: 

• Political economy of reform (e.g., What are the key political obstacles to adopting learning-oriented education reforms, and how have some systems overcome them? What problems of implementation arise during piloting and at scale, and how can these can challenges be tackled?)
• Alternative modalities of provision (e.g., What role, if any, should non-state actors play in school finance and/or management? Can private schools, or public-private partnerships, be an effective alternative to conventional state schools, and if so, how should they be designed, governed, or regulated?)

The RISE conference will also feature results of diagnostic studies from the initial RISE Country Research Teams in India, Pakistan, Tanzania, and Vietnam.

If you have questions regarding the event or would like to submit your paper, please direct your correspondence to Phil Barber of the RISE communications team. Alternatively, visit the event webpage for more information. The deadline for submitting a conference paper is 24 March 2017, noon GMT.

If you would like to register your interest in attending the conference, please fill in the registration form on the RISE website.

Launched in 2015, RISE aims to conduct high-quality research to build a body of world-class evidence to inform education policy, and to raise learning outcomes for children throughout the world. Research seeks to shift emphasis away from long-standing, input-oriented goals – children’s attendance in schools - and toward output-oriented achievements - increased literacy and numeracy skills.

RISE is supported by GBP 27.6 million in funding from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), which has dedicated GBP 21 million to high-quality research in up to five countries, and GBP 6.6 million to support expert advice and management; and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), whose commitment of AUD 9.85 million has allowed RISE to incorporate a sixth country.

RISE is managed and implemented through a partnership based in Oxford, UK, between leading international development consultancy Oxford Policy Management and the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. Research is led by Professor Lant Pritchett and a team at the Center for Global Development, a non-profit think tank based in Washington, DC.