This technical note provides background information on the design, selection, use and validation of a set of contextual measures at teacher and class levels which have been used in the Young Lives 2016-17 school surveys. These measures aim to provide data on teacher attitudes, professional knowledge, and classroom environment which can be used to explore how different teacher factors contribute to variation in student learning.

The note includes a discussion of the rationale for the inclusion of each of these measures, along with details of the process of developing the measures used in Ethiopia, India and Vietnam. It also includes a brief discussion of the initial validation of these measures, using data collected in the second wave of the school surveys in 2016-17.

Building on the design of the Young Lives primary school surveys between 2010-13, the 2016-17 school surveys examine school effectiveness at upper primary level in Ethiopia, and at secondary level in India and Vietnam. The surveys examine school effectiveness through multiple outcome measures, including students’ learning progress in mathematics and functional English. Background data collected from students, teachers and head teachers helps to contextualise the learning outcomes data.