When One Size Doesn’t Fit All: The Impact of Differentiated Learning in Ghana
Traditional classroom approaches left students behind
Ghana's educational landscape faced a significant challenge: despite having one of the strongest school enrollment rates in West Africa, learning outcomes lagged behind. According to UNICEF, 80 percent of students in Ghana completed primary school without acquiring the basic math and English skills needed for higher levels of education.
The one-size-fits-all curriculum prevalent across education systems failed to address individual learner needs, particularly those who struggled to master basic concepts. These students were often labeled as 'slow' or 'poor' performers, when research shows that different teaching approaches could help them catch up quickly. High student-to-teacher ratios meant teachers focused primarily on top performers, lacking the training or permission to adapt the often overstuffed curriculum to meet diverse needs. Most critically, children who started behind typically stayed behind—lost learning that took root in the earliest years rarely narrowed over time.
Traditional teaching methods typically involved instructing from the front of the classroom using 'chalk and board' approaches, with students expected to follow along at the same pace. High achievers excelled with this method, while those who were struggling fell further behind as the curriculum progressed.
If Ghana wanted to reach its educational goals, these learning gaps needed to be addressed through new approaches to instruction that could accommodate the natural diversity of student learning levels rather than assuming all students could progress at the same pace.
"Ghana, as a country, we are committed to ensuring that our education system is inclusive and that no child is left behind."
Dr. Kwabena Tandoh, Former Deputy Director-General, Ghana Education Service
Learning and testing a new approach: Targeted instruction comes to Ghana
Ghana welcomed targeted instruction as a new form of teaching. The methodology, developed by Pratham’s “Teaching at the Right Level” program in India, groups students by their learning levels rather than by grade or age and then teaches them according to those learning levels. Crucially, it was found to be effective across multiple countries.
In 2010, the Ghana Education Service worked with researchers Annie Duflo (currently IPA’s Executive Director), Jessica Kiessel, and Adrienne Lucas to evaluate the impact of its first targeted instruction pilot within public schools: the Teacher Community Assistant Initiative. The program hired secondary school graduates as community assistants to tutor students during or after class while some schools implemented targeted instruction in their classrooms for part of the day. IPA provided research support, beginning its partnership with the Ghana Education Service in developing what would become Differentiated Learning.
This first evaluation revealed both the promises and challenges of targeted instruction in Ghana. Most importantly, it worked: Students in participating schools improved their math and reading skills by 27 percent of a grade level with girls particularly benefiting and closing a significant test score gap with boys. However, few schools implemented the program fully, limiting its impact.
Refining the approach: Increasing implementation of targeted instruction
Given that a targeted instruction program in Ghana had already been evaluated and found to be effective—including when being implemented by government teachers—but implementation was low across all variations, the most important question became: how could implementation be improved? Sabrin Beg, Anne Fitzpatrick, and Adrienne Lucas evaluated the impact of having school principals and administrators signal to teachers the importance of implementing targeted instruction. IPA once again provided research support, and UNICEF—which had existing relationships with the schools—provided funding and technical support.
This effort to leverage management support paid off: implementation of targeted instruction in classrooms rose sharply, leading to increases in test scores by nearly one-third of a grade level. Backed by IPA evidence in two evaluations, the case was strong for targeted instruction as a legitimate program to improve the way schools were teaching math and English.
Ghana becomes the first African government to adopt and scale Differentiated Learning
In the years after the management support intervention, Ghana’s government expanded its targeted instruction program to include play-based pedagogies and universal design for learning. These additions would ensure students in Ghana’s public schools could learn in an engaging, accessible manner. This program was now known as Differentiated Learning.
Embracing the evidence from researchers and IPA, Ghana integrated Differentiated Learning into the Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcomes Project, which aims to improve learning outcomes in low-performing basic public schools across the country.
In 2022, Differentiated Learning became the first targeted instruction-based program in Africa to be implemented by a government. This was the culmination of years of dedicated evidence generation and collaboration.
The government rolled out Differentiated Learning to more than 10,000 schools across the country, reaching over 2 million students. However, scaling to this extent introduced new challenges that demanded schools had adequate resources and support, that the program would be implemented with fidelity, and that it would be taught consistently in classrooms.
Program Impact
Over 10,000 schools implementing Differentiated Learning
2.4 million students reached
Sustained learning gains across multiple evaluations
First successful government-led scaling of this approach in Africa
"Across multiple studies, we found when it's implemented, it improves student learning."
Adrienne Lucas, Professor of Economics, University of Delaware
"At the moment, we are also developing very effective monitoring systems to track the implementation of progress and then also look at impact on learning outcomes."
Dr. Kwabena Tandoh
"We are seeing improved attitudes toward school overall."
Salifu Amadu, Country Director, IPA Ghana
Building effective education programs at the national level
Ghana's Differentiated Learning success exemplifies how sustainable impact can emerge from strategic research and evidence-based policymaking. The program demonstrates that significant investments are necessary to commit to improving educational outcomes nationally. However, it also requires strategic rethinking of how existing resources and infrastructure are leveraged to make these improvements go the furthest.
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