The SABER Service Delivery survey tool was developed in 2016 in the Global Engagement and Knowledge Unit of the Education Global Practice (GP) at the World Bank, as an initiative to uncover bottlenecks that inhibit student learning in low and middle income countries and to better understand the quality of education service delivery in a country as well as gaps in policy implementation. The SABER SD survey collects strategic information on school inputs and processes that influence learning outcomes. The data collected aims to uncover the extent to which policies translate into implementation and practice. As a global initiative, SABER SD provides data for the new global lead indicator on learning, which makes it easier to monitor the Sustainable Development Goal of achieving universal primary education. SABER SD was created using knowledge and expertise from two major initiatives at the World Bank: SABER (Systems Approach for Better Education Results) and the SDI (Service Delivery Indicators) tools. The SABER program conducts research and knowledge from leading expertise in various themes of education. Using diagnostic tools and detailed policy information, the SABER program collects and analyzes comparative data and knowledge on education systems around the world and highlights the policies and institutions that matter most to promote learning for all children and youth. The SDI program is a large-scale survey of education and health facilities across Africa. The new SABER SD tool builds on and contributes to the growing SABER evidence base by capturing policy implementation measures identified as important in the frameworks of the core SABER domains of School Autonomy and Accountability, Student Assessment, Teachers, Finance, Education Management Information Systems, and Education Resilience. The SABER SD instrument collects data at the school level and asks questions related to the roles of all levels of government (including local and regional). The tool provides comprehensive data on teacher effort and ability; principal leadership; school governance, management, and finances; community participation; and student performance in math and language and includes a classroom observation module.
