Harman Family Middle School

Excitement Already Brewing For Next School Year

As we wrapped up one school year this June, I was already shifting gears to plan for next school year! As part of that planning, I think a lot about how to make the largest difference for our teachers and, through them, our students. One of my favorite campaigns I work on is our Intensive Teacher Training Campaign. One reason I like it so much: our teachers and principals love it!

One Student's Take on a New Project

One of the biggest challenges facing students in Mali is the fact that school is not taught in their mother tongue language. Instead, schools use French for instruction and often leave students behind if they aren’t able to pick up French quickly in primary school. This year, we piloted the French Language Intervention Project (FLIP), designed to help 7th graders brush up their French skills as they enter middle school. I want to share the story of one of our students who participated in the FLIP pilot: Dramane D.

Charging Up Principals for a New School Year

As the new school year got underway in Mali this month, we started gathering groups of our partner schools’ principals together to share ideas and energy. The first such meeting was hosted in the Ouelessebougou area, which is home to the majority of partner villages. It was an energetic meeting and the principals really took ownership of how to help each other in the coming year.

Meet the Principal of our Newest School!

With schools in Mali opening in Mali this month, many principals are busy setting up old and new students in classrooms. At the brand-new Harman Family Middle School, Drissa Coulibaly is the new principal. I met with him just one week into his leadership of the new school.