Woord en Daad

Mission and vision 

Woord en Daad connects people worldwide in their efforts to overcome poverty and to realize dignity for every individual. The Christian perspectives of justice and compassion motivate us each day to contribute to a sustainable change that benefits all people. 

Core values 

Five core values can be derived from our mission, vision and strategy. These guide our choices at various levels and determine our policy. Our core values are: 

Co-responsibility – Responsible for yourself, your neighbor and God’s creation 

Fellow creature – Creature of God, equal and unique 

Compassion – Close to and alongside people who suffer 

Stewardship – Treating human beings, resources and the environment with care 

Interdependence – Independent in choices, dependent in collaboration 

In our organization, Lisa Berberian plays a central role in driving the success of our School Improvement Program. Lisa is an educational consultant and has been focusing on curriculum development, monitoring and evaluation, curricular support and technical guidance for in-progress teacher training programs to improve program delivery and results-based decision making.  

Lisa actively contributes by generating reports for government entities and engages with current and prospective stakeholders. Her continuous analysis of the education systems in Guatemala and Colombia based on engagement with alliance and consortium stakeholders informs our strategic approach, aligning our efforts with evolving educational landscapes. 

We suggest the creation of a strong tag-team with Linda Agbotah, who is PMEL expert in the SIP team (program monitoring, evaluating and learning). By closely collaborating, Lisa and Linda will not only enhance the effectiveness and impact of the Leap Challenge but also significantly contribute to the development and dissemination of knowledge within our team. This collaborative approach will foster broader and stronger capacity-building across our organization. 

Our consortium, comprising four organizations, Guatemala Prospera, Universidad Mariano Galvez, AMG Guatemala, and Woord en Daad, represents a diverse and international team united in our commitment to empower teachers in Guatemala. To effectively be engaged in the LEAP project sprint amidst other organizational priorities, we have strategically structured our team with a core team and supporting members to maximize capacity-building and project impact. 

As described in the previous question, we suggest a Lead tag-team with Lisa and Linda.  

Lisa will lead project coordination and ensure seamless knowledge retention within our consortium. Lisa is fulltime working for this SIP and therefore she can dedicate herself to the LEAP Project. Linda's expertise in PMEL will be instrumental in assessing and enhancing the impact of the LEAP Project sprint and our interventions. Linda is responsible for PMEL of a lot of other projects but can clear her calendar so she will be available during the Project Sprint, bringing in her knowledge of other projects at the same time. 

In the core team we also want to bring in Paola Pantaleón, who serves as a Local Consortium Coordinator, leveraging her local knowledge and networks for effective project implementation. Irma den Hollander, educational expert from Woord en Daad, brings specialized insights into curriculum development and educational strategies, enriching our project's educational components. Also Paola and Irma will be fully available during the Project Sprint. 

The backup team will support the core team and as needed, specific supporting team members will be brought in to lend expertise and facilitate comprehensive project execution. Ruth Rodriguez (head of education) and Mario Catalan (PMEL) from AMG Guatemala contribute their educational expertise and experience, making sure there is a continuous connection with SIP implementation. Nidia Giorgis, from Universidad Mariano Galvez, can provide valuable insights into research-based curricula and educational concepts. Sander, a senior Regional Advisor at Woord en Daad, offers strategic guidance and regional perspectives to optimize project outcomes. 

We cannot emphasize enough our deep commitment to significantly elevate the impact of our project. That is why all four organizations are committed to a have team members available as needed for the minimum of 4-6 hours a week during the LEAP project sprint. This allocation allows for focused attention on project milestones while maintaining momentum across other running initiatives. Given our consortium structure with four organizations, our team is flexible and well-positioned to balance the demands of the LEAP Project alongside other organizational priorities. For the LEAP project to have sustainable impact in this consortium, it's very important to build capacity in all these four organizations and work effectively and efficiently at the same time (as we have been working the last years with a low-cost/high impact program). 

The School Improvement Program re-ignites ‘from the inside out’ and empowers educators to provide effective and transformational education in Guatemala. 

The problem our School Improvement Program seeks to address in Guatemala is multifaceted and rooted in systemic challenges within the education sector. Guatemala faces significant educational deficiencies, not only impacting teacher competency but also contributing to negative learning outcomes for students, particularly in vulnerable communities. 

Government spending on education, at 3.2% of GDP (according to the 2022 World Bank data), remains insufficient to adequately support quality education initiatives. In 2018, only 2.8% of graduating teachers reached Mathematics proficiency, and 28.7% reached reading proficiency. In 2018, results indicate that teachers showed 50% accuracy in reading answers, 37% accuracy in Mathematics, and 54% accuracy in teaching strategies (www.cien.org.gt), underscoring a critical need for enhanced competency development. 

Moreover, teachers in Guatemala face challenges stemming from an under appreciation of their profession. Teaching is often viewed as a last-resort job option, particularly in the rural areas within the public sector. This perception contributes to a lack of motivation and professional fulfillment among teachers, impacting their effectiveness in the classroom.  

The effects on learning outcomes for children in such a context are already negative and on top of that years of distance learning during Covid-19 continues to magnify exponentially the inequality in terms of ‘access and quality’ especially by vulnerable communities within an already struggling educative system. For example, students were 2.4 percent less likely to advance to the next grade than pre-pandemic level (2023, Worldbank). 

Additionally, student completion rates in Guatemala fall below regional averages, with primary completion at 87.01% (compared to 91.42% regionally) and secondary completion at a mere 37% (64.79% regionally) as per the 2022 International Data and Economic Analysis from USAID. Furthermore, results from the 2022 PISA assessment show that Guatemalan students perform below the OECD average in mathematics, reading, and science. 

Our program recognizes that addressing these challenges requires a holistic approach that goes beyond mere skills development. While competency-building is crucial, equally vital is fostering a sense of value, dignity, and purpose among teachers. This holistic perspective acknowledges teachers as integral beings whose personal and professional development are intertwined. Strengthening the "I am" of the teacher (cultivating motivation, self-worth, and core beliefs) lays the groundwork for sustained quality education delivery. 

Therefore, our solution not only aims to enhance teachers' technical skills but primarily to nurture their vision for learning and their role in shaping future generations. By prioritizing the comprehensive development of teachers, we seek to create a transformative impact that uplifts educators, enriches the classroom experience, and ultimately improves educational outcomes for all current and future students in Guatemala. 

With our School Improvement Program (SIP) we want to equip teachers in the public sector with 21st century social-emotional and pedagogical knowledge and skills and support system change necessary to prepare Guatemalan children and youth to excel in their academic and professional careers, transforming their economic and social situation. 

Teachers play a crucial role in education and learning outcomes of students. With our focus on marginalized communities and a systemic change mindset, we aim to make an impact with teachers in our SIP. Together with the Ministry of Education, equipping teachers from the inside out to provide increasingly effective and transformational education, making them aware of their crucial role in impacting children’s learning outcomes positively and bringing passion into the classroom. 

We believe that change can come from within. The focus on integral evolution of teachers, by linking professional development (the skills and knowledge I have, what I do as a teacher) with community networking and personal growth development (who I am as a person/teacher, ability to reflect on your capacity and strengths/weaknesses to see your areas of growth), ensures a sustainable process and solid educational transformation. 

The SIP consists of four phases, one phase per year. The most important part of the SIP is a teacher manual (Manual de Crecimiento Docente). Each phase (yearly manual) has ten modules (for example: Growing as a professional, Differentiating Instruction for Learning, Teaching for Learning), sub-divided into weekly lessons, making a total of forty lessons per phase. Teachers go through this manual in roundtable sessions, with a trained facilitator, that leads the learning process.

Each phase has it's own method, with the Roundtables being in the center of the approach: 

• PHASE 1: Roundtables (5-8 teachers, 1 trained facilitator), personal, duo and group reflection, self-assessment, action assignments. 
• PHASE 2: Roundtables , co-evaluation, practical activities to be carried out in groups, in pairs and individually, case studies, deepen theoretical concepts with practical examples.  
• PHASE 3: Roundtables, analyze and apply specific teaching-learning strategies, peer classroom observation using an adapted version of the World Bank TEACH tool, implementation of literary strategies to promote reading and writing. 
• PHASE 4: Roundtables, review of lessons learned in phase 1-3, work on specific educational projects on personal, classroom and school level.

The teacher manual approach is supported by a closed Facebook group (5000+ members) for dissemination of teaching and learning materials in textual, visual and video format. It is a space for sharing and community building as well.  

The SIP is locally embedded (based on the national Education Curriculum of Guatemala and builds on the existing value-oriented personal growth curriculum ‘Transformation is in me’ and it's success with the roundtable method), while also enriched with relevant international quality education fundamentals.  

The SIP is currently impacting more than 60.000 teachers in all 22 departments in Guatemala in three cohorts (started in 2021). 

Our program is a private (consortium) initiative, funded by a Dutch ngo, and operates on a budget of just a few hundred thousand dollars.

To measure the impact of the SIP, a rigorous process has been implemented to gather qualitative and quantitative data from the participating educators. A variety of methods are implemented to triangulate information from the personal and professional development resulting from the implementation and educational practices promoted by the teacher's manual. This is all based on our four year results framework (based on three levels: I am, I think, I can) which identifies the changes we aim to promote amongst educators, students, and community members which we collectively refer to as “the educational community.” We employ the following methods: 

1 Surveys 

We have implemented surveys using mixed-method questions through Google Forms, achieving high participation rates annually ranging from approx. 6000 to 10,000 teachers and directors already engaged.  

Examples of questions/statements: 

• One thing I have done to increase my students' engagement in learning is: ...
• My involvement with the Teacher Growth Manuals has increased my satisfaction.
• If someone asked you to explain your role as a teacher in the teaching and learning process, what would you say? 
• Please describe 2-3 strategies you apply to address the individual needs of your students. 

2 Focus Groups 

Organized both live and virtually with representation from all departments of Guatemala, our focus groups serve as dynamic platforms for tracking teachers' progress throughout program phases. By engaging participants in lesson planning exercises based on real-world scenarios, we assess the integration of learned concepts into classroom practices. Moreover, we explore teachers' perceptions of values in education, fostering alignment between personal beliefs and teaching methodologies, by using questions like: 

• "Please write in the chat or comment out loud the words that come to mind when you think of 'values as a teacher'" 
• "Do these values the group shared align with the teaching and learning plan you just created together? If so, how? Can you share some examples?  
• I notice that some of the students are having a hard time understanding the topic. I respond to this through..." 

3 Interviews  

In-depth interviews with teachers and directors offer rich narratives that highlight the personal and professional impact of our program. These interviews delve into participants' identity as educators, providing qualitative insights into the transformative changes facilitated by our SIP. 

4 Testimonials 

We collect testimonials from teachers and directors, capturing firsthand accounts of program effectiveness and the positive outcomes experienced within educational settings. These testimonials serve as compelling anecdotes that underscore the value and significance of our program. 

5 Formative data collected throughout the year through Facebook 

On Facebook we collect ongoing informal data about the progress and engagement of teachers. The most trending and in-demand topics on the Facebook page are those related to learning differentiation, inclusive teaching, how to help students with specific needs, how to help students with specific behaviors. We use this information for the (re)design of the manuals and for input for to-be-developed products. 

The data gave us valuable insights in the impact of our SIP on the different levels:

I am 

"The teacher growth handbook has helped us value the socio-emotional aspect in students and in parents” 

The participating teachers in the program demonstrated strong commitment to a range of values emphasized in the manuals, including responsibility, respect, honesty, solidarity, and tolerance. They view their role not just as educators of academic content but also as facilitators supporting students' holistic development, including emotional and life skills. 

Several teachers recognize the program as a “humanist” program, which emphasized the importance of taking responsibility for being a positive example, transferring values and modeling positive attitudes and actions that respects the importance of individuality and the collective.   

Weekly round tables with peers provided a space for teachers to apply and strengthen these values, improving teamwork, problem-solving skills, and intentional planning. Several teachers recognize improvements in strengthening coexistence between peers, their teamwork aimed at solving common problems and commitment to analytical and intentional planning.

I think 

"Being an observing teacher is more comfortable than being observed. Observing other’s classes has improved my professional practice.” 

Through the analysis of teachers' experiences we begin to see evidence of an increase in the feeling of purpose in being a teacher and the commitment to update and prepare continuously. Reflected in focus groups and reverberated in surveys, the opportunities presented by the program which allow them to grow professionally, has made them feel more comfortable, encouraged, and in turn personally and professionally satisfied. 57% of respondents at the end of phase one and 75% at the end of phase two recognized a great increase (much or totality) in their job satisfaction and 70% and 76% in their personal satisfaction respectively. 

Teachers empathized how much they learned from sharing with and observation of peers. 

I can 

“The handbook has been key in marking a before and an after in my lesson planning, lesson development, and lesson wrap up.” 

We learned that teachers feel strengthened in their teaching and learning strategies. Adapting to the development needs of their students, teachers from higher levels mentioned a diversity of techniques that they apply to motivate the interactivity and leadership of students in their classroom as recreational activities, concept maps, work based on projects, among others. "Before I taught the same way as I taught last year, now I research the internet to expand my lesson plans".

Follow-up

We used this information for data-informed decision making about, for example: 

• Development of the teacher manuals of the following phases.
• Improvement of the already developed teacher manuals, touching on issues such as varying the methodological approach, promoting the application of strategies in the classroom, adding learning capsules to help teachers summarize and internalize learning and align values, and 21st century skills with pedagogical strategies in a more direct and transversal way. 
• Enhancement of our PMEL instruments. 
• Development of content for our online community (Facebook) 
• Engagement with other stakeholders to explore initiatives of added value to the program.  

We strongly believe that teachers play a crucial role in the development of children and in the whole educational system; that's why we focus on empowering teachers. Our ultimate aim is to have sustainable impact throughout society, by developing an educational culture committed to continuous learning and improvement, ensuring the provision of significant and high-quality education.  Empowering children, adolescents, youth, and adults to become free, responsible citizens who base their thinking, feeling, communication, and actions on principles and values. This holistic vision aims to enable individuals to fulfill their purpose and contribute positively to society.

While we have observed transformative changes among teachers through qualitative evidence, we recognize the need for robust combined qualitative and quantitative methodologies to demonstrate the impact of our program especially on student outcomes, but also on parental engagement, and community dynamics. Studies show how important the role of the teacher is for students performance so we are looking for ways to measure the impact of the SIP on children's learning outcomes and performance. Understanding the complexities of attribution, we want more insight in how our approach contributes not only to transformation of teachers, but also how their transformation relates to increased educational quality, equity, and systemic change within Guatemala's education sector. Understanding the effect and impact can help the consortium determine what additional areas of focus could be crucial to further drive improved educational quality and in the end students performance and learning outcomes.

Central to our program is the emphasis on values, attitudes, and change from within, alongside knowledge and skills development. However, we face challenges in quantifying and demonstrating the value of this holistic and unique approach and the impact on student learning outcomes. We feel that we need more research here. 

Moreover, we'd like to identify the specific components and strategies of our SIP that impact student progress the most. In our teacher Manual, specifically in Modules 7 (Teaching for Learning), 8 (Differentiating Instruction for Learning), and 9 (Assessing for Learning), we empower educators to tailor their teaching methods from a perspective of learning variability, thus fostering real learning. We provide concrete teaching strategies aimed at accommodating diverse learning styles, such as effectively challenging each student and using assessments to enhance teaching practices. Which strategies are most impactful?

Another challenge we aim to tackle involves formative evaluation, specifically in the collection of ongoing data to accurately monitor teachers’ learning processes. It's crucial that this evaluation doesn't pose as a threat to teachers or impede the learning journey. 

Also, we would like to incorporate participatory methods that engage students, families, and community members to capture diverse perspectives and enrich our understanding of program impact. 

To strengthen our evidence base and align with our ToC, we recognize the need to refine our result framework and transition from a more simplified (but large scale) data collection to a more analytical, integrated participatory research. This evolution will support data-driven decision-making, offering insights into the impact of our nationwide program and guiding effective and sustainable follow-up actions.

1. To what extent does participation of teachers in the School Improvement Program (SIP) correlate with improvements in student engagement and learning outcomes, particularly among marginalized communities in Guatemala and how can we prove contribution? 
2. How are teachers changing as a result of sustained participation in the SIP and how could these changes contribute to broader improvements in the educational system in Guatemala? 
3. How can we implement participatory approaches in our research and engage students (and parents and community members) in our evaluation process? 

The 12-week LEAP Project sprint presents a unique opportunity for us to produce valuable outputs that enhance the evidence base of our SIP and contribute to systemic change in the educational sector of Guatemala. We have the following outputs in mind (but we are also looking forward to discussing this with our LEAP fellows and adjust with their input and experience): 

Improved ToC and Result Framework 

One of our primary outputs from the LEAP Project will be a refined ToC and corresponding result framework that incorporates comprehensive evaluation metrics at the teacher, parent, student, and community levels, including metrics that assess the 'I do' result of the 'I am' and 'I think' level of the teacher. We want to strengthen the synergy between our ToC and our result framework.   

Formative Research Tools 

We'd like to co-create new innovative tools to measure ongoing changes within teachers throughout the school year, next to the Facebook community research we already do. 

Summative Research Design 

We'd like to work on a research methodology, including tools, to assess student impact and learning outcomes connected to our SIP, including advise on how to go about attribution. 

Participatory Approaches 

We would like to explore innovative study designs, such as game-based research and participatory approaches, to engage children, parents, and community members in the evaluation process.  

Evaluation Instrument Review and Improvement 

We'd like to review with the LEAP Fellows our existing evaluation instruments used within our SIP and propose improvements based on best practices and emerging research methodologies. This includes refining survey questions, interview protocols, and data collection techniques to enhance reliability and validity. 

Measuring Systemic Change 

A critical output of the LEAP Project will be the development of a research design to measure systemic change from a perspective of student academic performance in Guatemala's educational sector. This might involve alignment with the government to define clear indicators of quality education and establish data-driven benchmarks for progress. By aligning our efforts with national education goals, we aim to contribute towards meaningful and sustainable improvements at the systemic level. 

Handbook/Instruction 

We'd like to develop a summarizing instruction of all new suggested study designs, tooling, instruments so the team will know exactly how to implement all of this in an integral way and put it into practice.

With our team, we will make sure there is long lasting impact of the LEAP Project sprint. Our structure with a core and supporting team and our emphasis in the process on capacity building, knowledge sharing and retention will contribute to this. Here are some ideas on what we will do to put outputs on the formative and summative level into action: 

• Implementation of the new PMEL framework: we will implement the new framework, study designs and research tools right away in a new holistic PMEL cycle . We'd like to use the handbook/instruction to inform all consortium members on how to go about this new PMEL practice.
• Improvement of facilitator training: we recognize the importance of incorporating lessons learned from the LEAP Project sprint into the training of facilitators. For example, the facilitators that are responsible for informing the teachers and leading the round tables should be aware of all formative assessment practices.
• Alignment with government: since the government is an important stakeholder, we will actively involve them in our new PMEL cycle. Not only by sharing research findings, but also by engaging them in discussions about systemic change in the educational sector in Guatemala and how to make impact visible.
• Improvement of teacher manual: we are in the middle of a continuous improvement cycle of our teacher manuals, for example, we'd like to combine Phase 1 and 2. We'll use the insights of the LEAP Project sprint to improve and refine the manuals for new cohorts of teachers.  
• Inform program development in Colombia: the information and research outcomes generated through the LEAP Project will not only benefit our program in Guatemala but also inform the development and implementation of similar initiatives in Colombia. By sharing lessons learned and adapting successful approaches, we promote cross-country learning and program enhancement. 
• Enhancing PMEL Capacity in Other Projects: beyond our SIP, we will leverage the insights and methodologies from the LEAP Project sprint to strengthen PMEL capacity across various projects of our four organizations (for example we are also working on a new result framework for quality education in Haiti with many local partners). By doing so we foster continuous improvement in other areas and projects.

We'd like to see a few long-term outcomes of the LEAP Project sprint, on different levels: 

Organization/consortium 

Our main objective is to build capacity within our consortium and ensure robust retention of knowledge gained during the LEAP Project. By actively engaging in this sprint, we aim to establish a data use case that serves as a model for measuring impact of future programs and inspires innovative educational initiatives in the SIP and beyond.  Ultimately, we seek to position our consortium as a leader in educational capacity-building, fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing among stakeholders. 

Improvement of our SIP 

For our SIP, the desired outcomes of the LEAP Project extend beyond immediate improvements to our program. We aim to implement enhancements that not only result in an improved program but also generate valuable ideas and insights for future initiatives, like establishing consultancy services based on the insights of the LEAP Project sprint. This includes developing effective strategies for utilizing data to drive decision-making and program refinement. With the information about the impact of our SIP, we'd like to secure local funding, as we believe it's very important for a sustainable teacher growth program that local funders are onboard. Moreover, we aspire to align closely with government entities to effect systemic change in the educational landscape. This alignment is crucial for driving policy reforms and implementing sustainable improvements that benefit educators, students, and communities across Guatemala. 

Measuring Systemic Change 

We aim to achieve systemic change. However, it's complicated to measure this. With the LEAP Project sprint, we'd like to explore together how we can provide compelling insights into the sustainable impact of our program on the educational sector and beyond.  

Evidence for Decision-Making and Quality Improvement 

A key outcome of the LEAP Project sprint is to equip our organization with clear evidence and insights for informed decision-making to really contribute towards quality education in the sector. Provide evidence of the quality improvement of teachers to be able to have other programs that build capacity of teachers connect to our program.