Introduction
in learning [, MP
Failure to learn is common in public schools in developing countries plagued by low quality education despite the progress made in improving access to school [The problem of poor quality outcomes is a more general one, not limited to education or to India alone, and is linked to poor delivery of services [Intended to increase service providers’ accountability to the local community, India like a number of developing countries has decentralized control over public services to local communities [One way to enhance accountability may be to provide information that empowers stakeholders to demand quality services [We conducted a community-based randomized controlled trial to determine the impact of information delivery on education outcomes. The campaign gave information to parents on their oversight roles in schools and education services they are entitled to. A key feature of the campaign was community-wide big public meetings that parents, teachers and school committee were invited to attend. Over a period of two and a half years and two rounds of intervention, 11–14 public meetings took place in each treatment village. Our hypothesis was if communities are empowered with this information, outcomes may improve.The study was conducted in three Indian states—Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh (MP) and Uttar Pradesh (UP). An amendment to the Indian Constitution in 1992, the 73The size of the impact of such an intervention will depend on several factors. First, changing attitudes and behavior require time, so time elapsed between the intervention and follow up survey is important. The extent of oversight communities have over schools and extent of public action in response to the campaign will also matter. The impact of the campaign at midline 2–4 months after one round of the intervention showed an increase in teacher effort and modest gains in learning [