Leveraging technology to support goal-driven pedagogical coaching in Kenya: A case study of the LeadNow app

• In Event: Leadership for a Brave New World PART 1: Empowering school leaders for educational resilience in Indonesia, Lebanon, and Kenya.

Proposal

Over the last few decades, research and policy direction supporting the links between effective educational leaders and education reform is becoming more ubiquitous across the world and particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2017 the Government of Kenya embarked on ambitious education reforms with the aim to enhance provision of inclusive and equitable quality education for all. Education Officers, sometimes referred to as educational administrators or middle-tier education officials, play a critical role in supporting teaching and learning in different countries around the world (UNESCO, 2017). Education Officers are responsible for managing and supervising schools, ensuring that educational policies and procedures are implemented, and providing instructional support to school leaders and teachers.
Mugalavai (2012) claims that despite many milestones achieved in Kenya’s education sector, the country still faces many challenges that contribute to poor learning outcomes. UNESCO’s (2015) report showed that Kenyan teachers lack curriculum support in the classroom, a potential cause for low learner achievement. The report also indicated that more than half of teachers in Kenya enter the teaching profession when inadequately prepared, while those already in the field receive insufficient support in their professional lives (UNESCO, 2015).
A local organization seeks to mitigate this gap by offering training and coaching to those furthest left behind. As an enabler, the organization has adopted the LeadNow app which offers tech-enabled training and coaching for teachers and instructional leaders. The app collects engagement, knowledge, and performance data, as teachers take a pre-post assessment for each training module, and input their goals and reflections into the app. LeadNow data informs coaching support and in 2023, Dignitas conducted an A/B test to investigate the impact of LeadNow on classroom practices, alongside two additional treatments: remote coaching phone calls and in-school Professional Learning Communities (PLC). The study used an A/B test methodology with three intervention arms: LeadNow app training only, LeadNow app training with in-school PLC, and LeadNow app training with remote coaching phone calls by Education Officers. The study found that coaching played a critical role in module completion rates, and measured statistically significant shifts in classroom practice amongst users. Participants receiving support through remote coaching were more likely to successfully complete the LeadNow modules.
This paper shall present the findings of the comparative study conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of LeadNow and will share perceptions of the app’s usability and effectiveness from an Education Officer’s perspective. The paper will offer valuable insight for program designers, policy makers and other stakeholders who may be interested in using technology to improve teacher practice.

Authors

• Nganga Kibandi, DIGNITAS LIMITED

• Nancy Gikandi, Dignitas