WHAT WE DO

Transforming education systems by reigniting intrinsic motivation.

Watch how we work.

See our approach in action in the video below.

Behaviour change.

Our work is about changing behaviours and attitudes by reigniting intrinsic motivation. We work with our government partners to define the desired behaviours that they want to see at each level. We then help them to promote these through strong role-modelling and positive relationships.

Iterative improvement.

Behaviour change takes time. So our programme enables incremental improvements at every level that contribute to a system shift. Our termly learning improvement cycles each focus on a different theme. In peer networks, teachers and officials learn new strategies to embed into their professional practice. We reinforce this learning through monthly coaching and support. We also offer training in the use of data to inform better decision making.

Governments and other partnerships.

No NGO intervention can last forever. And STiR understands how difficult it can be to achieve true sustainability. So engaging governments is critical if we are to achieve our vision. They provide the best opportunity to ensure sustainability of our approach over the long term.

 

We establish deep learning partnerships with each government. We agree clear time-bound milestones of progress to build strong ownership. We work with existing officials to deliver every activity. We also ensure strong alignment with existing policies and priorities. Ultimately, we aim to show that our approach can increase the effectiveness and impact of each government’s overall investment in education. Over time, we expect to step back our own involvement with governments increasing their contribution to the costs of delivery. We’re also exploring partnerships with other implementing entities to amplify our approach.

WHAT WE DO

Behaviour change.

Our work is about changing behaviours and attitudes by reigniting intrinsic motivation. We work with our government partners to define the desired behaviours that they want to see at each level. We then help them to promote these through strong role-modelling and positive relationships.

Iterative improvement.

Behaviour change takes time. So our programme enables incremental improvements at every level that contribute to a system shift. Our termly learning improvement cycles each focus on a different theme. In peer networks, teachers and officials learn new strategies to embed into their professional practice. We reinforce this learning through monthly coaching and support. We also offer training in the use of data to inform better decision making.

Governments and other partnerships.

We know that there are many actors involved in any education system. But our learning has been that engaging governments is absolutely critical if any intervention is to succeed. They provide the best opportunity to ensure that our work can be sustained over the long term.

No NGO intervention can last forever. And STiR understands how difficult it can be to achieve true sustainability. So engaging governments is critical if we are to achieve our vision. They provide the best opportunity to ensure sustainability of our approach over the long term.

We establish deep learning partnerships with each government. We agree clear time-bound milestones of progress to build strong ownership. We work with existing officials to deliver every activity. We also ensure strong alignment with existing policies and priorities. Ultimately, we aim to show that our approach can increase the effectiveness and impact of each government’s overall investment in education. Over time, we expect to step back our own involvement with governments increasing their contribution to the costs of delivery. We’re also exploring partnerships with other implementing entities to amplify our approach.

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WHOLE SYSTEM APPROACH

Our approach is based around three core activities of peer networks, action and feedback, and reflection.

Every teacher and official will engage in these activities in our termly learning improvement cycles (LICs). Each LIC focuses on a different theme, for example the science of learning. First, district officials are introduced to the content for the next term. They will then lead training sessions for school leaders to build their confidence and capability to share this content with teachers.

The heart of our approach has always been the teacher network meeting. In this community of practice, groups of 20-30 teachers meet monthly within a school or across a small number of local schools. In the meetings, teachers will learn new practices to enable higher quality interactions with their children. The networks strengthen peer connections, fostering mutual support and sustainable improvement. At our current scale, we’re now operating more than 5,000 network meetings every month.

At each level, we introduce monthly coaching and support to enable high-quality feedback. And regular alignment meetings at district and state levels provide an opportunity for all stakeholders to analyse data, share learning and develop plans together to strengthen delivery. These activities are delivered in close partnership with governments. This helps to ensure that we are responsive to the specific needs of local contexts and the needs and challenges faced by each education system.

Over time, officials and school leaders will develop their intrinsic motivation. They will role-model behaviours that build trusting relationships with teachers. They will also recognise their crucial role in driving improvements. Teachers will intentionally improve their classroom practice and fall back in love with teaching. And ultimately, children will be motivated by learning and improvement. They will develop the knowledge and skills they need to thrive.

‘Innovate, Advocate, Motivate’

Our 2025 strategy outlines four priorities for STiR over the next four years:

1. Realising sustainable systemic behaviour change. We prioritise sustainability, then behaviour change, then scale. By 2025, we want to see meaningful and sustained behaviour change which continues to deepen across systems over time.

2.Driving equity to support Covid-19 recovery. We intend to more deliberately understand inequities in partner systems. We will explicitly address these in our programme design. And we will share our learning with governments and the wider sector.

3. Advocating for change within the education sector. We will advocate for greater investment in intrinsic motivation and lifelong learning to strengthen education systems.

4. Strengthening autonomy, mastery and purpose at all levels of STiR. We need to better support our internal team to realise our 2025 vision. Our leadership team will role-model learning and improvement and ensure strategic clarity. We will also upskill and motivate our team to ensure our success.

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OUR LEARNING

See our evidence and insights.

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