After four years, TaRL Africa recently completed research on Teaching at the Right Level: Learning how to improve mentoring and monitoring support to teachers at scale in African government systems, through a grant funded by GPE KIX. This grant offered us a unique opportunity to both widely and deeply explore teacher-support innovations in Zambia, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire.
Through a variety of research-practice partnerships, we conducted formative exploratory research to understand challenges and opportunities; designed and piloted innovations in support of teachers; and undertook rigorous research to test promising solutions at scale. While we are still unpacking myriad rich data and findings, a few reflections stand out.
We found an appetite for innovation was evident across all three countries. Positive outcomes from our innovation pilots highlighted these findings:
- Teachers are open to and seek additional support to implement TaRL effectively in the classroom but often need more mentoring that is currently taking place;
- Remote mentoring (phone calls and messages) holds potential to complement in-person mentoring and monitoring;
- There is potential for continuous professional development (CPD) initiatives through the use of technology (WhatsApp and videos);
- There is both opportunity and need to utilise available resources at the school level to support teachers sustainably (this includes teacher peer mentoring, teacher group meetings, and communities of practice); and
- There is both opportunity and a need to increase mentor-teacher engagements, but barriers to in-person visits require mentors to prioritise and target their mentoring through data use and hybrid support models.
- There is potential to incorporate non-monetary recognition of outstanding TaRL program teachers as a way of motivating better delivery.
Combined across three countries, this research has generated insights on common themes associated with TaRL teacher support and mentoring and also highlighted findings about contextual differences that have led to different innovation solutions. At each phase in the study, our team has sought to share and promote the uptake and use of data and findings, and we will continue to build learning as large-scale study results are released. Some initial findings from our pilot research have generated practical lessons for teacher support and mentoring:
- The Zambia pilot and process monitoring from the ongoing RCT shows that there is potential in team-based problem solving, verbal encouragement, and practical demonstrations to drive teacher behaviour change and effective data use, leveraging the existing on-site training system for cost-effective impact.
- In Nigeria we have so far seen demand for government-mentor-led remote mentoring and teacher-led peer mentoring, allowing for larger-scale testing and adaptation with enhanced technical rigour to inform conclusive policy recommendations to be made at the end of the study.
- Research in Côte d’Ivoire has highlighted that while teachers were enthusiastic about the TaRL approach, effective mentoring was hampered by logistical constraints and limited mentorship support from external mentors. The hybrid mentoring model, which combines in-person visits with data-driven remote support, showed promise in addressing these challenges. Initial findings from the pilot suggest this innovation could enhance mentor prioritisation and effectiveness, with further results expected in 2025 to inform potential larger-scale implementation.
Overall, the studies demonstrate promising results in leveraging technology, hybrid delivery models, and peer support to enhance teacher mentoring. Data from Zambia has indicated a higher inclination toward technological innovations and peer support; while Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire have shown openness to innovative remote mentoring approaches but still require in-person support. In addition, in Nigeria, teacher- peer support was also identified as a viable innovation.
We are also excited to share that we have received a new 3-year grant award from GPE-KIX to conduct an additional research project: Optimising Teacher Professional Development at Scale: Design-based Implementation Research for Enhanced Teacher Professional Development Impact and Sustainability. Stay tuned for our next phase of teacher support research.
