"Evaluation data gathered between 1975 and 2000 demonstrated that Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) had improved learning outcomes in conventional classrooms by between 10% and 20% when compared with control classrooms not using IRI. These programs often had relatively well-funded evaluation components, often taught a single subject, and focused almost entirely on improving quality. This study focuses on the use of IRI in more taxing circumstances and the outcomes it achieved as well as children learning in conventional school settings. It looks at the use of radio to teach children who are not in school, who are affected by conflict, who are orphans, who live in countries where most social systems have broken down or never existed – the poorest, least supported and most remote learners to whom access to education has traditionally been denied. It also looks at IRI operating in systems of huge scale, such as the 20+ million learners in India. The projects documented in this study were largely carried out since 2000 (although reference is made to earlier projects also) and addressed early childhood education, mathematics and language instruction and teacher training. They were not research projects, and their circumstances challenged data collection and student testing. Nevertheless, the data demonstrate that these IRI programs have had a positive impact on learning outcomes and on the behavior of teachers. Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) delivers daily 30-minute radio broadcasts that promote active learning and are designed to improve educational quality and teaching practices in schools and to deliver a complete basic education to learners not in school. This paper uses student assessment data collected on recent EDC IRI projects to determine the impact of IRI on student achievement and to highlight general patterns that emerged from the review. In all, 15 projects provided 37 records (grade-year combinations e.g. grade 1 in 2007) containing student learning data which served as the basis of this report." (Executive summary)