Advancing Climate-Resilient Education Technical Guidance Document

Disruptive effects can occur through direct and indirect pathways, and can compound or be compounded by existing inequalities, especially those experienced by women and girls, learners with disabilities, learners from Indigenous communities, refugees, and learners who are internally displaced. The impact of climate change may be more or less disruptive to education depending on the local education system's ability to cope and to adapt—its climate resilience. Resilient education systems can better deliver improved outcomes for children and youth. Research has shown a positive relationship between education, especially secondary education for girls in low- and middle-income countries, and increased adaptive capacity to climate change. This relationship is amplified by the degree to which gender equality, peace and security, and climate resilience are prevalent. Education can contribute to climate action by fostering climate-resilient learners and promoting climate-resilient education systems. To achieve climate-resilient education systems and foster climate-resilient learners, USAID Missions and partners should integrate climate considerations more systematically into activity design and monitoring and evaluation. This involves understanding how climate change affects education locally, exploring context-specific opportunities and programmatic interventions, and measuring and learning to build evidence of effective practices. The seven steps to facilitate the design of climate-resilient education programming include context analysis, identifying opportunities and design interventions, and measuring and learning. Context analysis is a critical step in understanding how climate change affects the local education system, what the system's existing capacity to respond is, and how these factors might inform education activity design, implementation, and measurement. This involves identifying climate hazards, climate risks, and climate assets and capacities. Climate hazards include sudden-onset climate shocks like extreme storms, heatwaves, and riverine flooding, as well as chronic and protracted climate stressors like drought, rising sea level, and rising temperatures. Climate risks can vary depending on the point of reference within the local education system and can also vary for different populations. To better identify the underlying vulnerabilities of the local education system and its learners, it is essential to take stock of existing climate-relevant assets and climate-resilience capacities that may reduce the likelihood of climate-related harm. These assets and capacities can include existing infrastructure, community-based initiatives, and local expertise. By understanding the local context and identifying opportunities for climate action, USAID Missions and partners can design effective interventions to promote climate-resilient education systems and foster climate-resilient learners. The seven steps to climate-resilient education programming include context analysis, identifying opportunities and design interventions, and measuring and learning. Context analysis involves assessing the climate hazards, climate risks, and climate assets and capacities facing the local education system. Identifying opportunities and design interventions involves exploring context-specific opportunities and programmatic interventions to promote climate-resilient education systems and foster climate-resilient learners. Measuring and learning involves developing learning questions, indicators to monitor and/or measure progress, and a theory of change that incorporates the above actions and interventions. By following these steps, USAID Missions and partners can develop effective interventions to promote climate-resilient education systems and foster climate-resilient learners. This requires a systematic approach to integrating climate considerations into activity design and monitoring and evaluation, as well as a commitment to measuring and learning to build evidence of effective practices.