Evidence-based work
Published Research
We’re committed to evidence-based work, grounding all we do in data. Alongside other organizations, we’ve partnered on rigorous research, strengthening our ability to learn, adapt, and share our knowledge with others.
Randomized controlled trial with Youth Impact
In 2021, we partnered with Youth Impact on a randomized controlled trial testing low-tech solutions to address learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was one of five global replications, and the only one to utilize Community Education Volunteers (CEV) as instructors.
The research, conducted entirely during the period of school closures in Uganda, found that CEVs delivering weekly SMS and phone-based tutoring helped children gain the equivalent of over a year of high-quality schooling in just 160 minutes. It demonstrates that well-trained local volunteers can drive significant literacy and numeracy gains, even in low-resource settings.
Randomized controlled trial with the University of Notre Dame
In 2023, researchers from the University of Notre Dame, Tufts University, and Arizona State University conducted a randomized controlled trial studying the impact of Building Tomorrow’s programming. Results showed that the average Primary 4 learner in Building Tomorrow-supported schools made 40% more math progress in the academic year than the average student in the control group, translating to the equivalent of 3.6 months of added learning due to Building Tomorrow support. The authors also find that Building Tomorrow Fellows and CEVs make existing school staff more productive, making Fellows and CEVs high ROI additions to the education ecosystem.
The full RCT is expected to be published in 2026.
Claire Nampeera and Allen Nakibuuka read together during an R2R camp in Mityana District, Uganda.
Ongoing Research
Our motto is “Keep Learning.” At Building Tomorrow, our research pushes us to do just that. We use research insights to continually shape and refine what we do, ensuring we offer optimal programming to our learners.
Bolstering numeracy education through the Numeracy Research and Development Fund
Building Tomorrow is partnering with the Numeracy Research and Development (NRD) Fund project, led by Genesis Analytics and funded by the Gates Foundation, Hempel Foundation, and Founders Pledge. Building Tomorrow was selected as one of eight organizations working in close collaboration with local district governments across Sub-Saharan Africa to reform the way in which numeracy is taught. Through intentional curriculum design and rigorous monitoring, Building Tomorrow is working with Butaleja District in Uganda to boost critical early numeracy outcomes over a three-year period.
Understanding our program’s impact with A/B testing
With the support of Youth Impact, Building Tomorrow is using A/B testing to optimize its programming. A/B testing is a rigorous evaluation method that helps understand the impact of differences across different versions of our program. Determining which version is most effective helps Building Tomorrow to adopt the best-performing, cost-effective, and/or most scalable version of our model. For example, we tested the introduction of an observation tool and mentoring protocol for Roots to Rise instructors, finding that a guided tool leads to greater learning outcomes. Using A/B testing supports Building Tomorrow in its quest for continuous learning and program improvement.
Solving big problems with the University of Notre Dame
Graduating from Learning Poverty, a project by the Notre Dame Poverty Initiative, seeks to respond to the global learning crisis in low-and middle-income contexts. As part of its university-wide effort to create a world free of poverty, Notre Dame is working to expand knowledge about addressing the largest poverty questions plaguing our world today. Building Tomorrow is proud to be one of three partner organizations working with Notre Dame on the collaborative research project, Graduating from Learning Poverty, to produce impactful interventions and promising innovations to improve educational outcomes for children across sub-Saharan Africa.
Accelerating learning with uBoraBora
uBoraBora, which means ‘better better’ in Swahili, was a partner supporting Building Tomorrow with implementation research to help understand the ‘how’ and ‘why’ behind what works (or doesn’t) in our programming. As part of uBoraBora’s inaugural cohort in 2024, Building Tomorrow explored how to accelerate learning for older learners. The work started with an exploration into whether the introduction of paragraph booklets could improve literacy rates and increase the percentage of Primary 4 and 5 learners who achieve grade-level proficiency. The work through uBoraBora aims to produce better outcomes for more learners across Building Tomorrow’s programming in East Africa.
Support research-based foundational learning
We believe lasting impact starts with evidence. By studying what works, we continuously improve our programs. Support our evidence-backed work with a gift today!