Improving school leadership in Rwanda

Can effective school leadership enhance high-stakes test scores in low-income countries? To address this question, we examine the short-term impact of a school leadership professional development program that was implemented by VVOB across 525 primary schools in the six lowest-performing districts of Rwanda between 2018 and 2019. The program aimed to strengthen the leadership, management, and teacher support skills of school headteachers. We find that the program had small but statistically insignificant effects on Primary Leaving Examination scores within one to two years after the intervention. However, the program led to a five to six percentage point increase in teacher retention rates, with qualitative evidence suggesting that headteachers provided greater support to teachers, in particular during the onboarding process. Future research should focus on refining such programs and understanding which mechanisms are necessary to also improve learning outcomes of students. • First RCT of school leadership training in Rwanda’s low-performing education districts. • No short-term impact on high-stakes student test scores. • Teacher retention improved by 5–6 percentage points, suggesting better work environments. • Findings highlight a long causal chain from leadership training to student learning gains. • Intervention shows potential for medium cost-effectiveness relative to other education programs.