Contextual Analysis for Education Activity Design

This resource is intended to help USAID staff and partners sequence and select tools and data to inform education activity design. 

What are context analyses? Context analyses are part of an ADS-required step in activity design. They involve the systematic assessment of the key factors influencing a development outcome to explain the reasons behind the outcomes of interest and inform solutions. It helps us understand: 

• What is the development challenge USAID might be well-positioned to address?
• Why does the development challenge exist and what are the varied explanations of its root causes?
• How can we best navigate the operating context and leverage existing opportunities to address the root causes of this development challenge?

Your answers to these questions will help you select the most appropriate tools (or combination of tools) for your analysis. By initially identifying your development challenge, then root causes, and then the operating context, subsequent analysis can be more targeted and effective in informing your activity design. Jumping to understanding the operating context without determining the development challenge or root causes may lead to costly, overly broad, and time-consuming context analyses. On the following page, you will find guidance on sequencing your analysis and relevant supporting tools and data at each step.