The impact of developing collective leadership: From student holistic outcomes to systemic change

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

Teach For All is a global network of more than 60 independent, locally led and governed partner organizations and a worldwide organization working to accelerate the progress of the network. Each network partner recruits and develops promising future leaders (fellows) to teach in their nations’ under-resourced schools and communities and, with this foundation, to work with others, inside and outside of education, to ensure that every child can develop their potential. As such, Teach For All partners strive for both immediate and long-term impact: recruiting and developing effective teachers to provide quality education and expanded opportunities for students in under-resourced schools and communities today, and investing in their development as collaborative leaders who will continue to pursue lasting change as policymakers, social entrepreneurs, and in other roles.

Teach For All’s theory of change is centered on the notion that education, support, and opportunity and are essential to enabling all children—and ultimately all nations—to thrive and that no single solution—new technology, updated curriculum, improved infrastructure—can address the multiple factors that contribute to the systemic challenges that prevent some kids from attaining the kind of excellent education all children deserve. That is why Teach For All is working to develop collective leadership to improve the quality of education for all children and break down the barriers standing in the way of their ability to learn and thrive. Collective leadership means the collaborative action of many, who through their vision and commitment inspire the leadership of others—and who, by working together, can effect far greater, more sustainable change than individuals acting alone.

This session presents evidence from four different studies about different aspects of Teach For All’s theory of change and impact. Each study will focus on a different impact level, a different local setting, and a different methodology. They all contribute to understanding more in depth the progress of the network and its ability to adapt to diverse contexts in the current digital society.

In particular, the panel will feature:

1. The results of a quasi-experimental evaluation investigating how Teach For Pakistan’s two year leadership development program influences measurable holistic student outcomes, including social emotional skills and competencies.

2. The results of the randomized controlled trial (RCT) that was performed within Enseña por Colombia of a new teacher training and support module centered in 4 prioritized social and emotional learning skills (self-leadership, responsible decision making, relationship abilities and purposeful teamwork) on teacher’s social and emotional learning skills, teacher’s classroom practices and students’ academic and social and emotional skills

3. The results of a large-scale pilot of a set of tools to measure collective leadership mindsets and capacities in teaching fellows and alumni from the program in Mexico, Peru, Chile and Colombia. The findings from this study contribute to a growing body of research on collective leadership and social-emotional learning.

4. Learnings from a participatory research project in the United States led by Tech For America which leveraged Community-based system dynamics (CBSD) as a tool for involving key stakeholders from Baton Rouge, Louisiana in working together to understand their local system and opportunities to change it from within

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Chair

• Robert Dean, Teach For All

Individual Presentations

• Promoting holistic development in classrooms: Evaluating the impact of Teach For Pakistan on whole child development outcomes - Robert Dean, Teach For All; Tooba Akhtar, Teach For Pakistan

• Strengthening teaching and learning based on the Teaching as Collective Leadership (TACL) framework: The impact of Enseña por Colombia - Edwin Cuellar, Enseña por Colombia

• Innovations in measuring leadership capacities across Latin America - Alvin Vista, Teach For All

• A novel application of community-based systems dynamics to early literacy reform - Gabriela Katz, Teach For America

Discussant

• Robert Dean, Teach For All