“The policy is great, but…”: Frontline actor responses to foundational learning reforms

This study shows that implementing actors can support the goals of a learning reform yet remain doubtful of its effectiveness. It finds that their skepticism stems from disagreements with policymakers over how to diagnose the problem of low learning.

Under review

Abstract

Despite recent initiatives to boost foundational learning in low- and middle-income countries, doubts persist about their uptake. Dominant narratives and research assume that resistance to such reforms stems from frontline actors being either unaware of low learning or apathetic towards the problem. Drawing on interviews with 63 teachers, principals, and bureaucrats in India, this study complicates both assumptions. Most actors were aware of and motivated to address the problem of low foundational learning yet remained doubtful that current reforms would improve outcomes. Their scepticism stemmed from frame dissonance – policies attributed low learning to instructional shortcomings, whereas actors located the problem in broader, interconnected conditions. This mismatch of problem framing subsequently weakens policy resonance and curtails uptake. The study reframes policy implementation not as a matter of frontline compliance but of congruence with frontline sensemaking, underscoring the need for more inclusivity in education reform design.