Tools for Evaluating the Implementation of Complex Education Interventions

Abstract

Large-scale education interventions aimed at diminishing disparities and generating equitable learning outcomes are often complex, involving multiple components and intended impacts. Evaluating implementation of complex interventions is challenging because of the interactive and emergent nature of intervention components. Methods that build from systems science have proven useful for addressing evaluation challenges in the complex intervention space. Complexity science shares some terminology with systems science, but the primary aims and methods of complexity science are different from those of systems science. In this paper we describe some of the language and ideas used in complexity science. We offer a set of priorities for evaluation of complex interventions based on language and ideas used in complexity science and methodologies aligned with the priorities.