Blog

One of STS’s goal for activities in Tanzania in 2023 is to generate evidence of the effectiveness of the Whole Child Model—our claim that if children receive adequate education, health, and community support, they will thrive in school. To make this claim, we need to know two things: How well are students learning? How doRead more

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While teachers and curriculums are an obviously important aspect of education, an often-overlooked component is the support from a student’s community – their family members, friends, and others. Through the Whole Child Model, STS engages members of a student’s community to serve as allies and see how important they are to children learning and thrivingRead more

For those who fear for the future, look no further than today’s youth who are not only dreaming but also planning for a better tomorrow. Last spring, I wrote about a group of high school girls who took a school assignment to the next level.Read more

The name “School-to-School International” is based on the idea that linkages can help improve children’s learning. Education often considers “links” as connecting ideas to reality. For instance, if a teacher wants children to learn the word “goat,” does she write g-o-a-t on a blackboard or bring a goat into the classroom? When there are noRead more

For the first time in three years, I was able to travel to our Whole Child Model implementation schools in Tanzania. My objective: to see if teachers who attended our trainings are able to apply the strategies we introduced.Read more

In my last post, I explored how the well-intentioned question “how can I help” is often not the right question. Instead, international development should look to balance doing to or for with doing with. In today’s post, I want to share a recent example from our work with the Whole Child Model of how challengingRead more

In the “helping professions”—education, health, social services—our usual lead question is, in many ways, misleading. “How can I help?”Read more

In 1983, I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer teaching English in the Central African Public. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of working in dozens of African countries, mostly in person. Whether visiting a country for several days or living there for several years, my experiences were richest when I worked side-by-side with myRead more

What does it take to educate a child? Worldwide, policymakers tend to have a similar answer. Build schools. Train teachers. Provide materials. Monitor performance.Read more