By Merritt Frey, Executive Director

We invest in teachers because teachers invest in students. Our year-long Intensive Teacher Support Campaign has a proven track record of strengthening teachers’ classroom skills, but we do not rest on the historical record….we grade ourselves just like we do our students. It’s only fair! :)

This year participating teachers did a great job. Overall, teachers’ in-classroom skills improved by an average of 29% That means the average grade for a participating teacher went from an “F” to a “B”!

One area the trainings and support really focused on this year was the use of active learning techniques. Education (and teacher education) in Mali still focuses on the old French system of lectures and route memorization, so this is often an area of weakness for teachers. This year, teachers’ skills in active learning techniques improved by a whopping 32%.

A second area of focus for this year’s cohort was gender equity in the classroom. This includes simple concepts like implicit bias and practical skills like equalizing classroom seating and calling on boys and girls equally. Teachers improved their skills on gender equity in the classroom by 28%.

Participating teachers receive 2 day-long and tailored teacher trainings during the year. Teachers also engage in three peer meetings, where they learn from each other and reinforce ideas learned in the trainings. Each year, approximately 30 of our 90+ teachers get to be part of the Intensive Teacher Support Campaign.

As any decent teacher knows, there is always more to learn. But we are proud of the progress these dedicated teachers made this year, and look forward to working with them in the coming school year. Learn more about the Teacher Project.