How we work

TaRL Africa  works with governments and organizations to design and develop the processes, practices and resources required to deliver effective TaRL programs that increase learning outcomes. Our support harnesses the deep technical expertise of Pratham, one of our founding partners, and over five years of experience molding TaRL programs across several African countries.

We work with partners to co-design context-specific and evidence-informed delivery models and supporting processes. This includes designing lean teaching-learning materials and assessment tools; how TaRL will be delivered at a school level; how data will be collected, entered, analyzed, and used for action; and how training and mentoring models will enable scale. 

We also build the necessary skills of our partners. We equip a pool of educators with TaRL technical knowledge and practical experience to train and support others to deliver TaRL. TaRL Africa’s technical support and coaching continue throughout implementation to cultivate a cadre of leaders of practice with the know-how and passion to continually adapt, improve and grow the program in their context.  We appreciate that effectively scaling-up is a nonlinear, long term process, and as such provide strategic and learning support along the way. We work together with partners to course-correct and adapt as necessary throughout this process, while building their skills to do the same into the future.  

We believe that governments are key actors in ensuring that all children receive foundational skills. We provide deep and direct in-country support to governments in Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, and Zambia, as well as remote support to partners working with governments to deliver TaRL programs in several countries.

 

 

The team works to:

 

Embed TaRL in government systems

The team directly supports governments and their partners to develop TaRL approaches adapted to local contexts and embed these within existing education systems.

How the TaRL Africa team supports governments

1. Generate awareness and share evidence

  • Present learning outcomes data from local contexts that identifies key gaps in basic skills
  • Host workshops on results from TaRL evaluations

2. Build capacity and transfer knowledge

  • Train local actors on best practices for adapting and implementing TaRL
  • Support government monitoring strategies by helping to design tools, develop data management systems, train staff, and create data review and response mechanisms at multiple levels of government

3. Co-design contextually appropriate TaRL models

  • Co-design tools, methods and teaching-learning content with local partners, including government officials and teachers
  • Co-design TaRL implementation models
  • Co-design mentoring and monitoring strategies

4. Test, reflect, refine and continually improve the approach

  • Co-design pilot projects to test logistics; assist governments in analysing the results
  • Co-design systems for ongoing review and reflection

5. Provide operational support

  • Build and track financial models to create a clear understanding of budget requirements and options for managing costs over time
  • Assist with planning, communications, and logistics

Support nimble TaRL innovators

Several non-governmental organisations are currently designing, implementing, or supporting TaRL approaches in Africa. The TaRL Africa team works with many of these organisations to disseminate evidence, provide technical assistance, and share their lessons back to a broader TaRL community.

Build a movement

Across Africa, the education community has recognised a need for bolstering foundational reading and mathematics skills. The TaRL Africa team aims to connect and grow leaders of practice who can innovate, learn, and demonstrate effective TaRL approaches, and build a movement across Africa to help children solidify foundational reading and mathematics skills.

Learn and improve

By working simultaneously with a portfolio of partners across many settings, the team has the unique opportunity to learn about how to effectively improve children’s learning outcomes at scale.

Together with our partners, we are exploring key questions:
  1. How can TaRL approaches be adjusted to better fit specific contexts across the continent?
  2. What can the TaRL approach teach us about how to best improve learning outcomes for children?
  3. How can methods of supporting governments be improved to implement TaRL cost-effectively at scale?
  4. How might technology be leveraged to ensure quality and reduce costs?

The team hopes that our work across multiple settings will help deepen our understanding of what works (and what does not) and will build the foundation for the continued improvement of learning outcomes for all children.