NAEC 2019 Education For Sustainable Livelihoods A Systems

NAEC 2019 Education For Sustainable Livelihoods: A Systems Approach To Strengthening The Sector For Productivity And Global Competitiveness. 27 -28 th November 2019 From Harm to Home | Rescue. org

Capacity development for productivity and effectiveness in the North East Description: The central question here is, ‘who is teaching? ’ and addresses the core question of teacher supply, recruitment/deployment, preparation, needs assessment, continuous professional development and motivation. It also focuses on the institutions responsible to producing teachers for all school levels, and agreeing where the opportunities to strengthen these institutions lie. The sub-theme will address the following questions 2 From Harm to Home | Rescue. org

How can we re-focus on instructional leadership at school level? Instructional leadership is defined by Hallinger and Murphy (1985) as a role in which a leader engages with three distinct dimensions: the school’s mission, the instructional program, and a positive school learning climate. The school’s mission: is comprised of two functions: framing and communicating the goals of the school. As such, the school leader is expected to establish and support clear, specific, and measurable goals that focus upon student academic achievement. Managing the instructional program: is supported by three leadership functions that include the supervision and evaluation of instruction, curriculum coordination, and the monitoring of student progress. These functions require that leaders possess expertise in teaching and learning and commit to a deep level of engagement with the school’s instructional program. Promoting a positive school learning climate: by advancing a culture of continuous academic improvement. This requires that school leaders seek to protect instructional time, maintain high visibility by regularly engaging with the instructional program, promote professional learning, and provide incentives for teachers’ efforts and incentives for student teaching (Lewis, 2019). 3 From Harm to Home | Rescue. org

We can we re-focus on instructional leadership at school level by: • Strengthening the capacity of head teachers on instructional leadership through face to face trainings, mentoring and establishment of head teacher learning cycles • Involvement of head teachers in the training offered to teachers so that they clearly understand the curriculum and what to monitor • Training of Head teachers with SBMCs so that they clearly understand goal setting and resource mobilization for the benefit of the school • Encourage use of Lesson plans together with scope and sequence manuals so that the head teachers can easily track lessons a teacher is supposed to teach. • Training head teachers on teacher Classroom Observation and tools so that they can effectively monitor the quality of teaching • Training of head teachers on quality assurance guidelines so that they can dedicate 70% of their time on lesson observation and monitor school standards according to the following Quality Assurance standards : 4 From Harm to Home | Rescue. org

Quality Assurance Standards The quality of Teaching and learning: • Every class, up to Junior Secondary level is to be taught by a qualified and competent teacher with a minimum of Nigeria Certificate in 11 Education (NCE), and a minimum of Bachelor Degree in Education or its equivalent, or a first degree in relevant subject(s)and a professional certificate in education, in the Senior Secondary School; • Nursery learner should not be taught in a class larger than 25; • No primary school learner should be taught in a class larger than 35; • No secondary school learner should be taught in a class larger than 40; • Every learner should be continuously assessed to check that sufficient progress is being made; • Every learner should be able to participate fully in class activities with the support of the teacher; • Every learner should receive a minimum of 180 days schooling per year; • Every learner should have access to appropriate instructional materials; • All learners with special needs should have appropriate provision to enhance learning; and • Every learner should be taught to apply knowledge and skills. The quality of the Curriculum and other Activities • The core subjects are to be offered in all schools. • The Curriculum will prepare learners for the State and/or National Common Entrance Examinations. • The Curriculum should develop the whole learner, equipping him/her with life skills as well as preparing them for BECE/ SSCE/NECO/other relevant examinations as these are instruments used to assess the attainment of already defined 5 educational goals below tertiary level. • Curriculum should prepare learners to compete favorably with their global counterparts. From Harm to Home | Rescue. org

Quality Assurance Standards The quality of Care, Guidance and Safety • The school should provide a safe learning and working environment for learners and teachers. • All schools should have easy access to good sanitation and first aid facilities. • All schools should ensure that meals served to learners are hygienically 12 prepared, adequate and balanced. • Schools should provide guidance and counselling services including support for individual creativity/talent, traumatized, indigent and other vulnerable groups. • All schools to give opportunities to learners to express themselves: through class/peer group meetings, Learners’ Representative Council (LRC). • Schools to promote safety skills where learners are taught how to stay safe, protect themselves from harm and how to take responsibility for their own and other learners’ safety. The quality of the Learning Environment • Safe working and learning environment for learners and teachers; • Adequate indoor and outdoor sports/games for learners, especially for the ECCD; • Perimeter fencing with a school gate manned by security personnel; • Adequate provision for learners with special needs; and • Adequate infrastructure and facilities for learners’ development. 6 From Harm to Home | Rescue. org

Quality Assurance Standards The effectiveness of the Leadership and management • All school administrators and leaders’ efforts should be channeled towards improving the achievement of the learners in their care. • Every school should actively engage in SS-e. • Every school should have a SDP which is based on rigorous SS-e and EE which spells out the areas for improvement. • Every school should have a School Based Management Committee (SBMC) or other community body as well as Learners’/Students’ Representative Council (SRC) which actively support and influence school improvement. • Ensure the principal /head teacher and all other staff who work with learners undertake appropriate child protection training. • Empower leaders at all management levels to be more accountable for the progress of the school. 7 From Harm to Home | Rescue. org

Can we train/produce, recruit, deploy and retain educators that are competent in the delivery of 21 st Century curricular? Yes we can train/produce, recruit, deploy and retain educators that are competent in the delivery of 21 st Century curricular. IRC in the North East piloted used of community volunteers with no teaching qualifications because over 600 teachers have been killed and around 19, 000 have fled. 1, 200 schools have been damaged or destroyed (OCHA 2015, 2016). IRC also worked with certified teachers in our 5 months remedial program that offers children at risk of dropping out of school and who exhibit low academic performance with extended learning opportunities after school hours in Borno and Yobe states. 8 From Harm to Home | Rescue. org

The formal Schools teachers received the following support Intervention details Treatment The non-formal teachers/Community volunteers were given the following support 4 -day face-to-face training for master trainers + 2 days refresher ✓ Contro l - 4 -day face-to-face training for tutors + 2 days refresher ✓ - Coaching visits: one 2 -hour visit per month ✓ - 3 -day face-to-face training for coaches + 1 day refresher ✓ - 3 -day training for SBMC+ 1 -day refresher ✓ - 1 -day face to face training for civic society organizations ✓ Materials: scope and sequence, lesson plans for literacy, numeracy and SEL for 21 -week program Children classes: 2. 5 hours sessions, 3 times per week for 21 weeks. • 40 -minute literacy • 40 -minute numeracy • 30 -minute SEL • 20 -minute break ✓ ✓ 9 Stipend for tutors From Harm to Home | Rescue. org ✓ - - - Activities 5 -day face to face training for Master trainers Control Basic Full treatment Treatmen t ✓ ✓ 4 -day face to face facilitator training + 2 -day refresher - ✓ ✓ Teaching Learning Circles, once a month for 2 hours - ✓ ✓ 3 contact hours with coaches per month (pre-observation, classroom observation, feedback) - ✓ Coaching learning circles, 2 hours per month. - - ✓ 1 -day face to face teacher mentor training + 1 -day refresher 1 -day community coalition training + 1 -day refresher - - ✓ ✓ ✓ Civic society organization face to face training - ✓ ✓ Learning materials (e. g. , notebooks, bags, pens, erasers) Materials for learning facilitator: Scope and sequence and lesson plans for literacy, numeracy and SEL Equipment for centers: Teaching aids (charts), Blackboard, chalks, working materials, paper, cleaning materials, scissors, cups, trash bin, visitors’ book, attendance book. Classes for children: 3 -hour sessions per day, 3 times per week for 9 months • 45 minutes literacy • 45 minutes numeracy • 45 SEL • 45 free time-games Stipend for facilitators - ✓ ✓ - ✓ ✓

Baseline-End line changes observed in the instructional practices of teachers who implemented the tutoring program Teachers’ performance was also measured before and after tutoring implementation with the help of a Teacher Classroom Observation (TCO) tool that captured the quality of physical classroom environments as well as teachers’ use of instructional time, teaching methods, use of formative assessments and promotion of students’ participation and wellbeing. The collected data were analyzed using a multi-level difference-in-difference regression model by researchers in the IRC’s Airbel Impact Lab using STATA. • Results showed there were no statistically significant baseline-end line changes in teachers’ instructional practices after 5 months of instruction. Results from Third party monitoring showed tutors and learning facilitators (LFs) deliver quality instruction with: - • • • 73% of teacher KIs reported receiving a guide to plan lessons 100% of teacher KIs reported having a lesson plan 91% linked to the teacher guide of teacher KIs reported receiving teacher social emotional training 90% of teacher KIs reported a mentor teacher was available in their school at the time of data collection 92% of teachers KIs who had a paired mentor reported receiving feedback from their mentor on means to improve their teaching capacity 10 From Harm to Home | Rescue. org

Results from qualitative research of Non-formal Component Face to face training • Learning Facilitators (LFs) considered the face to face training a valuable foundation to their teaching experience in the NFLC • LFs were confident of the quality of facilitators/trainers who had conducted the trainings • LFs recommend having more time dedicated to future face-to face training Teaching Learning Circles • Learning facilitators associated significant value to a monthly TLC because it provided an opportunity to share experiences and seek recommendations from fellow learning facilitators. • Learning facilitators seek for the engagement of a more qualified external person to serve as a moderator to manage conflict, disagreements and misperceptions of opinions during teaching learning circle Coaching • LFs find coaching to be beneficial to their instructional practices: LFs generally report improved student learning outcomes as a result of skills they had gained from coaching sessions • LFs generally considered their relationship with coaches as respectful, friendly, very good or supportive. • LFs report that challenges of the coaching include • Close relationships between LF and coaches can sometimes have a negative impact “because of the close relationship the coach become assured that even if he doesn't come no one will say anything. They will just call you on the phone and say i can't come today due to one meeting or the other” • Coaches do not conduct on-site coaching visits consistently • Poor competence and low preparation: LF are concerned that some coaches do not understand the topic and only begin to review a lesson while the learning facilitator is instructing the class, hardly paying attention and unable to add value to the session. • Some LF perceive that coaches are not sufficiently experienced or knowledgeable to be mentors 11 From Harm to Home | Rescue. org

Impact of IRC’s Non-formal education intervention on student learning outcomes in the North East (7 months Intervention) Effect Sizes NFLC vs. Control Group 12 From Harm to Home | Rescue. org

Impact of IRC’s tutoring (Formal) on low-performing children’s literacy, numeracy and SEL outcomes in the North East (5 months Intervention) 13 From Harm to Home | Rescue. org

Are there opportunities for public-private partnerships; to share lessons from approaches adopted to capacity development in highly efficient contexts and industries? Yes there are opportunities to share lessons through: - • Research dissemination workshops where lessons learnt on what works and doesn’t can be shared to improve instructional leadership • Routine workshops were industry leaders can share lessons on effective leadership and their success stories to inspire head teacher • Community Coalitions (CCs) and School Based Management Committees (SBMCs) where head teachers and learning facilitators can share and learn from experts in the community. 14 From Harm to Home | Rescue. org

What are the constraints and how can these be addressed? • Funding constraints for investment in Instructional leadership research alongside education programs in crisis contexts so as to build the evidence base on what works, as well as how, for whom, under what conditions and at what cost. Inclusion of instructional research in donor proposals • Poor understanding of the SEL curriculum by school leaders - Review and contextualize SEL curriculum in formal and non-formal programs: While the tutoring led to a decrease in low-performing children’s hostile attribution bias, such a positive effect is not yet observed in other SEL skills. We recommend that all practitioners ensure SEL concepts and practices are tested and adapted to ensure cultural relevance. IRC reviewing the SEL concepts and activities that are currently used in the tutoring and non-formal curriculum and adjusting them in a more culturally reflective way. This might include alternative SEL activities for female teachers who may be uncomfortable to do out-door, physical activities and other adjustments that account for local mores. Engaging local teachers in the revision process can be one effective way of successful contextualization. SEL importance in supporting teachers and pupils deal effectively with emotional trauma so as to learn better. Low capacity of Mentor teachers - Invest in training coaches on mentoring in instructional leadership and infusion of SEL in teaching practices. SEL has not been optimized due to lack of understanding by most coaches. Coaching learning cycles should be introduced so that mentors can effectively support one another. • • Poor understanding of importance Instructional leadership by head teachers and development partners – sensitization of all relevant education stakeholders by government so that Instructional leadership can receive support and funding. 15 From Harm to Home | Rescue. org

The cross cutting issues relating to all sub-thematic areas and to be addressed by all included: The role of policy at the three tiers of government – federal, state and local; and in particular, the importance of evidence-based policymaking • This is important for accurate forecasting or planning. Data on what works is still being gathered in the north east. Process has been slow due to weak governance systems in place that are currently being strengthened with the support of International Development Partners with donors support from DFID, World Bank, USAID and EU Governance (Politics and Policy) accountability and transparency issues • This is important because despite development of great policies at federal and state level, they are poorly implemented due to funding or technical capacity constraints. Learning outcomes as an indicator of national development • This is key to determine if our interventions and policies are actually improving student learning or not. Addressing Inclusiveness in Education • Currently ensuring girls, boys, IDPs and children living with disabilities have equal access to education • Ensuring infrastructure promotes inclusion e. g. building of ramps, separate child's and boys toilets • Curriculum child centered and promotes play to help children deal with trauma • Use of the Washington tool set that identifies broad range of disabilities in children Challenges • Funding constraints to get resources that support children with disabilities such as wheel chairs, Brails, hearing aids etc. • Capacity constraints – most teachers not equipped to deal with severe disabilities such as blindness etc. • Poor 16 understanding of the concept of inclusion by government or head teachers which is considered as special education. From Harm to Home | Rescue. org

Learning In Formal And Non-formal Centres 17 From Harm to Home | Rescue. org

Capacity Building Of Master Trainers, Mentor Teachers, Tutors And Learning Facilitators Mentor teacher Training, Yobe Training of Tutors, Yobe Tutors training in Monguno 18 From Harm to Home | Rescue. org Tutors in SEL training, Gwoza Master trainers training, Maiduguri Training of Tutors, Borno