Celebrating the Impact of the Raising Learning Outcomes in Education Systems Programme

A focus on how to achieve impact is often a key aspect of policy-relevant social science research in international development settings. Done well, planning for impact from the outset of the project is based upon informed thinking and reflection on how research teams can draw upon and strengthen their networks and relationships to develop, share, and promote their research findings. However, it may be several years before the relevance of some research is fully recognised and implemented, or for changes to take place in social and economic systems. This paper provides a snapshot of the impact achieved by the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) funded Raising Learning Outcomes in Education Systems Research Programme (RLO). It provides a reflection on the different types of impact that research projects have achieved to inform discussion and learning around impact pathways for both researcher and funders.