Written by: Linda Quamar, Communications Manager

EnCompass is thrilled to announce that USAID has awarded our team the $39.8 million USAID Data Ecosystems for Development in Education (DECODE) Activity. This follow-on to the EnCompass-led Data and Evidence for Education Program (DEEP) Activity will build on our team’s strong working relationship with the USAID Center for Education within the Bureau for Inclusive Growth, Partnerships, and Innovation (IPI) to strengthen data and evidence ecosystems at the local/national, regional, and global levels. DECODE is an incredible opportunity to support USAID and its global education partners in structuring and nurturing pathways for greater integration of local voices and use of locally and regionally produced data to improve the quality of learning for all.

Amy Mulcahy-Dunn, the DECODE Project Director from EnCompass’ Technical Assistance and Evaluation practice area, noted: “We’re honored to have the opportunity to continue working in close partnership with USAID’s Center for Education to strengthen the quality and use of data in decision-making. We’re particularly excited that DECODE provides the opportunity to work with international, regional, and local data ecosystems in supporting USAID’s localization efforts.”

Over the next five years, the DECODE team will work closely with education stakeholders to tailor solutions that strengthen education data quality and management, increase access to and use of local and regional data and evidence, strengthen connections across ecosystems, and foster greater dissemination of local resources at the global level. DECODE will focus on four objectives: (1) improving data quality and management to strengthen tracking and reporting on progress toward USAID/U.S. government education goals, (2) developing and disseminating secondary evidence products to improve evidence accessibility, relevance, and actionability, (3) amplifying learning from secondary data and evidence, and (4) strengthening the capacity of local/national and regional partners to generate, use, and disseminate data and evidence. The DECODE team will facilitate a consultative, co-creation approach to leverage and integrate diverse experience and expertise, and apply experience design (XD) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to ensure products and dissemination activities are accessible, relevant, actionable, and applicable for diverse audiences.

EnCompass is very happy to collaborate on DECODE with trusted core partners Management Systems International (MSI), The Knowledge Partners, and SALT Analytics, all of which have provided exceptional technical support to the Center for Education under DEEP. In furtherance of USAID’s commitment to localization, the DECODE team also plans to engage local partners African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) and eKitabu, and may add other local partners to inform the Activity’s overall approach and support specific DECODE tasks.

Photo by USAID on Flickr