Working Papers

School-based Management in Ugandan Primary Schools. I presented this work at the 2019 Research on Improving Systems of Education (RISE) Conference. Video is available here and the working paper is here

Competing or Complementary Goals for Education: Social Emotional Learning in Niger

Applying a Dual Generation Approach to a Parenting Program in Tanzania’s Nyarugusu Refugee Camp

Gender, Learning, and the Return to School in Kenya (with Victoria Isika). My co-author Victoria Isika presented this work at the 2023 RISE Conference. Our working paper is available here.

Can brick phones bridge the digital learning divide? Evidence from SMS-based math practice. Working paper available here.

Mixed Methods Analysis of School-Based Violence in Ghanaian Junior Secondary Schools

Published Papers

Kabay, S., Weiland, C., Y (2020). costs of the boston public prekindergarten program. journal of research on educational effectiveness, 13(4), 574-600.

Abstract Though there is an expanding field of research on public prekindergarten, there is a relatively little comprehensive investigation into what public prekindergarten costs. We address some of the absences in the literature by analyzing public-sector expenditures for the city of Boston’s public prekindergarten program, a particularly high-quality program. We identify the different components of the Boston program and explore how they translate into costs. We also examine how costs change over time, how costs are distributed across different levels of the education system, and how costs can be adjusted in order to calculate nationally representative estimates. Our findings are relevant for localities interested in learning from existing prekindergarten programs and can also serve as an example of cost analysis in education research.

Kabay, S. (2016). Grade Repetition and Primary School Dropout in Uganda, Harvard Educational Review, 86(4), 580-606.

Abstract: Research on education in low-income countries rarely focuses on grade repetition. When addressed, repetition is typically presented along with early school dropout as the “wasting” of educational resources. Simplifying grade repetition in this way often fails to recognize significant methodological concerns and also overlooks the unique insight that can be gained by focusing on repetition. In this article, Sarah Kabay uses mixed methods research to investigate repetition and its association with later school dropout in Ugandan primary schools. In a representative sample of pupils from 136 schools, Kabay finds that in spite of a policy of automatic promotion meant to limit repetition, 88 percent of pupils had repeated a grade and 11 percent had repeated three or more times. Kabay identifies age as a confounding variable for the association between repetition and dropout, and argues that attention should be drawn to the age of entry into schooling and language policy.

Kabay, S., Wolf, S., & Yoshikawa, H. (2017). "So that his mind will open": Parental Perceptions of Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Urbanizing Ghana. Working Paper. International Journal of Educational Development. 57, pp. 44-53. 

Abstract: As policy makers and practitioners work to increase access to ECE and improve the quality of existing services, it is important that the field consider the perspective of one of its key stakeholders: parents. In this study, we analyze 33 interviews with parents of young children in urban Ghana. We investigate (1) what parents believe to be the purpose of ECE and (2) parents’ perspective on what and how young children should learn. We explore five themes: play, homework, mobility, language and diversity, and age of entry into school. We find parents approach preschool with both academic and socialization goals. 

Halpin, P., Wolf, S., Yoshikawa, H., Rojas, N., Kabay, S., Pisani, L., Dowd, A.J. (2019) “Measuring Early Learning and Development Across Cultures: Invariance of the IDELA Across Five Countries.” Developmental Psychology, 55(1), 23-37.

Abstract: Relatively little research has addressed whether conceptual frameworks of early learning generalize across different national contexts. This article reports on a cross-country measurement invariance analysis of the International Development and Early Learning Assessment (IDELA). The IDELA is a direct assessment tool for 3- to 6-year-old children, intended to measure Early Literacy, Early Numeracy, Motor, and Social-Emotional development. Its generalizability is evaluated using samples from 5 countries: Afghanistan (N= 2,629); Bolivia (N = 480); Ethiopia (N = 682); Uganda (N = 504); and Vietnam (N = 675). The 4-domain model of the IDELA was supported in each country, although the domains were highly correlated. Measurement invariance analysis revealed that most IDELA items do not provide a basis for comparing children’s development over the 5 countries. This research supports the use of the IDELA for program evaluation and within-country monitoring purposes, but cautions against its use for international comparisons.

Yoshikawa, H., Wermli, A., Raikes, A., Kim, S., & Kabay, S. (2018) “Achieving high quality early childhood development programs and policies at national scale: Directions for research conceptualization and measurement.” Social Policy Report. 31(1).

Abstract: With decades of evidence to support early childhood development (ECD) programs and policies, investment in ECD has expanded worldwide. Currently, over 70 nations have national ECD legislation, the majority in the last 20 years. However, with these increased investments comes evidence that the capacity of policy systems to support ECD-across health, education, social protection, and other sectors-is weak, with unfulfilled developmental potential a serious consequence within and across countries. This report aims to develop a research agenda on the systems-level factors-at national, subnational, and local or municipal levels-that may enable or constrain program site-level implementation. Two types of scale-"small to bigger" and "big to better"-are described, as well as the specific challenges of these processes in the field of ECD. Systems factors are reviewed at the three levels, with implications of each for measurement. Finally, methodological challenges and directions are discussed with the aim of informing a research agenda to support national policy progress in early childhood development.

Yoshikawa, H. & Kabay, S. (2015). The Evidence Base on Early Childhood Care and Education in Global Contexts. Background paper for 2015 EFA Global Monitoring Report. 

Abstract: Over the past 15 years, research on early childhood care and education (ECCE) has both expanded and deepened our understanding of this critical period in life and learning. Substantial advances have been made in research on the development of the brain, the importance of early relationships and experience, and the effects of ECCE programs and policies on children’s developmental potential. The current evidence base has become extensive in low and middle income countries, with growing attention to issues of quality improvement, implementation and scale.This review synthesizes the global evidence on ECCE with discussion of future directions for research, policy and practice.