Community-driven Education Initiatives

Successful scaling of education initiatives requires the effective coordination and collaboration of many individuals. Among these individuals, experience and research show that champions of the initiative are essential, along with innovation originators, funders, policymakers, and practitioners. Champions can be leaders of NGOs, policymakers, teachers, and parent groups, and play a crucial role in increasing visibility, building political will, fostering support, mobilizing resources, and creating an enabling environment for scaling. Although there is ample literature on the role of champions in scaling, few examples illustrate how champions are identified, cultivated, and supported in practice.

The Importance of Champions in Scaling Education Initiatives

Scaling education initiatives is a complex process that requires the involvement of various stakeholders. Champions, in particular, are individuals who play a critical role in driving the success of these initiatives. They are passionate advocates who invest their time and resources into promoting and supporting the program. Champions can come from different backgrounds, including leaders of NGOs, policymakers, teachers, and parent groups.

The role of champions in scaling education initiatives is multifaceted. They increase the visibility of the program, build political will, foster support, mobilize resources, and create an enabling environment for scaling. Champions are instrumental in garnering support from key stakeholders, such as government officials and community members. They serve as ambassadors for the initiative and are responsible for rallying others to join the cause.

Identifying and Cultivating Champions in Practice

While the role of champions in scaling education initiatives is well-documented in literature, there are few practical examples that illustrate how champions are identified, cultivated, and supported. However, one notable example is the partnership between Youth Impact and the government of Botswana in implementing a remedial education program called Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) since 2017. This partnership serves as a case study for understanding the strategies employed to identify, cultivate, and maintain relationships with core champions.

Strategy 1: Select champions based on their commitment to co-design the scaling plan

Youth Impact takes a unique approach to champion cultivation by engaging champions who are not only committed to the initiative but also willing to co-design the scaling plan. This collaborative decision-making process ensures that champions have a vested interest in the program’s success and are actively involved in shaping its direction. By involving champions in the co-creation process, Youth Impact sustains their interest and secures ministry support for scaling TaRL. For example, when expanding the program to new regions, Youth Impact collaborates with regional government actors to improve learning outcomes through TaRL, leveraging the strengths and resources of both parties.

Strategy 2: Pursue a “follow the leader” approach to expansion

Youth Impact adopts a demand-driven approach to scaling TaRL, focusing on expanding to new regions based on the presence of strong individual champions. This “follow the leader” approach involves identifying influential leaders who are enthusiastic about bringing TaRL to their communities. When a key champion relocates to a new region, Youth Impact follows them and expands the implementation of TaRL accordingly. This strategy not only attaches TaRL to influential leaders but also leverages their skills, resources, and networks for scaling. Furthermore, it helps maintain a close relationship between Youth Impact and the champions they have successfully cultivated.

Strategy 3: Leverage existing champions to create new ones

Youth Impact capitalizes on the strength of existing champions to build a broader group of supporters. By connecting with high-level government champions, such as the Deputy Permanent Secretary of Education, Youth Impact gains access to other key leaders and cultivates champions at the regional level. Leveraging the power of “near-peer” relationships, strong champions help make the case for TaRL to skeptical regional leaders. This strategy of leveraging existing champions to create new champions has proven effective in building a network of supporters for scaling TaRL.

Strategy 4: Build enthusiasm through visible impact and real-time data

To build enthusiasm among champions, Youth Impact takes them on site visits to witness TaRL in action and observe the positive impact on students and teachers. These visits provide firsthand experience and allow potential champions to see the program’s effectiveness. Additionally, Youth Impact shares real-time impact data with potential champions, showcasing student improvement in reading and mathematics through simple bar graphs on a digital dashboard. By connecting the energy and excitement champions witness during school visits to tangible positive learning outcomes, Youth Impact fosters interest in the program and cultivates new champions at the national and local levels.

Strategy 5: Highlight how the innovation builds on existing teaching practices

One of the challenges in scaling education initiatives is gaining the support of teachers. Youth Impact addresses this challenge by linking TaRL to pedagogical approaches that teachers are familiar with from their pre-service training. By framing TaRL as a “refresher” to their existing knowledge and training, teachers view it as an extension of their good practices. This approach has been effective in cultivating teachers and school leaders as champions of TaRL. Furthermore, TaRL’s use of cost-effective and simple learning materials resonates with potential champions, as it taps into their memories of how they learned in school themselves.

Conclusion

Successfully scaling education initiatives requires the active involvement and support of champions, who play a crucial role in increasing visibility, building political will, fostering support, mobilizing resources, and creating an enabling environment for scaling. The partnership between Youth Impact and the government of Botswana in scaling TaRL provides practical insights into how champions can be identified, cultivated, and supported. By implementing strategies such as selecting champions committed to co-designing the scaling plan, pursuing a “follow the leader” approach, leveraging existing champions to create new ones, building enthusiasm through visible impact and real-time data, and highlighting how the innovation builds on existing teaching practices, Youth Impact has effectively scaled TaRL within Botswana’s education system. These strategies can serve as a blueprint for other community-driven education initiatives seeking to scale their programs and make a lasting impact on education outcomes.