Delivering at scale: Six principles to tackle learning poverty

Most children in low-and middle-income countries lack foundational skills. An estimated 70% of 10-year-olds are unable to read and understand a simple story, despite increased access to school. Tackling this learning crisis requires more than pilot programs – it demands systemic solutions that can be delivered at scale.

Education systems struggle to deliver big results despite knowing what improves foundational learning at a small scale. The challenge isn’t just what to do, but how to do it at scale, sustainably, and effectively.

Six principles for scaling what works

A new guide from the World Bank’s South Asia Education team sets out six principles for scaling interventions to reduce learning poverty. These principles, summarized by the acronym SUCCESS, are drawn from global evidence, operational insights, and implementation science. (The acronym stands for strategic vision, undertake planning for scale, core elements, collaboration, evidence, and sustainability.)

Scaling is not a technical step after a pilot. It should be built into the DNA of intervention design and policy dialogue from the outset.

1. Start with a strategic vision

Scaling begins with a clear and shared vision: Who are we reaching? What systems will deliver the intervention at scale? What will success look like? And what systems will be required to deliver the intervention at scale? A strategic vision includes anticipating trade-offs between speed and quality, or ambition and feasibility, and aligning stakeholders around a realistic path to scale. Crucially, this vision must be rooted in local context and institutional realities from day one.

2. Undertake planning for scale, not just for a pilot

A strong pilot alone is not a pathway to scale. Scaling requires intentional planning for political support, fiscal realities, policy bottlenecks, delivery mechanisms, and potential risks. This includes embedding the intervention into policies, planning for institutional roles, and identifying what system shifts – such as regulatory reforms or capacity building – will be needed. Thinking in systems helps avoid pilots that work in isolation but fail when expanded.

3. Define and prioritize core elements

Not all parts of a successful pilot can or should be scaled. The key is to identify a lean and effective “core package”; the minimum set of components that are essential to produce results. This might include a basic number of training sessions, simple teaching tools or scalable delivery modalities, or essential data routines. Designing with scale in mind means distinguishing between what’s nice to have and what’s non-negotiable for impact – and eventually expanding what matters most.

4. Mobilize the right actors for collaboration

Scaling is a collective endeavor. From the beginning, engage the actors who will implement, adapt, fund, and sustain the intervention. This includes government officials, local administrators, teachers, community groups, and development partners. Building broad-based ownership and clearly defined roles enables smoother implementation, stronger alignment, and long-term continuity.

5. Use evidence to adapt and evolve

Scaling is not linear. It requires iteration, making decisions based on real-time data, learning from what works (and what doesn’t), and adjusting course when needed. Monitoring should capture not only outcomes but also how implementation is unfolding across different settings. Systems for gathering evidence and feedback should be scalable themselves, and should be embedded in government processes, not created solely for projects, so they can support lasting improvements.

6. Design for sustainability from the start

Scaling requires sustainable financing that extends beyond individual project cycles. This means choosing interventions that are cost-effective, streamlining delivery models, building delivery into regular systems, and planning long-term financing mechanisms early on. Innovation can play a key role in reducing costs, improving efficiency, and mobilizing long-term resources – such as through digital tools, simplified delivery approaches, or creative financing models like debt-for-education swaps. Sustainability further requires attention to incentives, institutional arrangements, and capacity to maintain momentum after external support ends. Scaling is about embedding pilots and projects into policy and integrating innovation in systems.

Embedding pilots in policy

These principles are already helping government teams and development partners move from one-off successes to scalable, system-wide change, as showcased in the guide’s case studies. They offer a practical roadmap for embedding scale into project design, policy dialogue, and implementation support.

Scaling isn’t just expansion, it’s about embedding interventions into systems and about transformation. The six SUCCESS principles offer a practical roadmap to design with scale in mind, adapt during implementation, and plan for sustainability beyond the project cycle. When done well, scaling brings lasting results for children and strengthens the systems that serve them.

For more information, take a look at the following resources:

·         Read the guide: Scaling Up Interventions to Reduce Learning Poverty in South Asia

·         Use the checklist in the guide to assess whether your project is ready to scale.

Source: World Bank