The Whole Child Model
School-to-School International has pioneered this development
approach rooted in the
understanding that for students to thrive,
their basic needs must be fulfilled.
Education
Quality learning and teaching begins in early childhood and continues in the primary school classrooms where instruction is activity-based, children learn in a language they understand, and all children are encouraged to learn.
Health
Children learn best when they are healthy and free of hunger. Things like water and latrines at the school, trained teachers, first aid kits, and controls on the quality of food at school can help.
Engagement
Children learn best in well-organized school environments and supportive homes and communities, and benefit from contact with children from other places.
STS’s program in Guinea is multifaceted and well received. It implements health and nutrition programs that help create and maintain healthy environments in schools. It educates communities and teachers on the importance of equity-focused approaches to classroom instruction. And, of course, it provides girls’ scholarship every year since 2013.
I found the STS modules much easier than the ones I used previously. The STS modules are complete and ready to use “off the shelf,” where all I have to do is follow the STS procedures and ask the questions. I find the students actively participating more.
Before the training, my wife would leave the boys alone but make the girls do housework. But now, the boys wash dishes, the girls wash dishes. The boys sweep the house, the girls sweep the house. There have been a lot of changes at home. Right now, we take studies seriously at home.
Everyone keeps an eye on attendance at school, especially for girls.
I support my girls and…encourage them to study with the boys.
Measuring the Impact of the Whole Child Model
We've implemented the principals of the Whole Child Model in
2
countries since 2002.
In Guinea
by the end of the 2015-16 school year, there were
0
Schools Supported0
Teachers Trained0
Students Reached0
Scholarships Grantedthrough the work of the Whole Child Model.
In Tanzania
beginning with its expansion in 2018, the work of the Whole Child Model hopes to reach
0
Primary students0
Elementary Schools
UNDERSTANDING THE TWOFOLD PROBLEM.
1 – Children are not learning. Many never attend school; others drop out due to poor learning conditions, insufficient access, or home obligations. Over 59 million children will not go to school this year—half of them live in sub-Saharan Africa. Of the nearly 30 million elementary-age children who are out-of-school, half have never stepped foot in a classroom. Girls are impacted far more than boys, accounting for 55% of out-of-school children. In Tanzania, girls are more likely to become child brides than they are to attend high school.
2 – School alone is not enough. In sub-Saharan Africa, where STS is concentrating its Whole Child Model efforts, only half of students are likely to meet international learning standards. The average class size is 42 and sometimes exceeds 200. Many teachers do not earn enough to bring their families out of poverty, and 40% of children are stunted from malnutrition in Tanzania. Additionally, less than 14% of the population has access to electricity, and only 3% has a flush toilet. In conditions like these, even the most gifted children struggle to do well in school.
To succeed in school, children not only need good teachers but a safe and orderly school environment, sufficient health, nourishment, and support from their families and communities.
STS’s SOLUTION
For 17 years, School-to-School International (STS) has been developing the Whole Child Model—a holistic approach to education based on the understanding that for students to thrive, their basic needs must be fulfilled. Rooted in years of research and professional experience, the Model focuses on three areas of need—education, health, and community engagement—so that all children can learn more effectively.
Since 2002, STS has partnered with 36 schools in Guinea to support more than 8,000 students through active learning, local language instruction, teacher training, and girls’ empowerment. We have developed school health policies, provided medical supplies, and constructed wells and latrines. And we have trained school managers, deepened parental involvement, and hosted cross-cultural learning opportunities to increase community engagement in education. Now we’re expanding to Tanzania.
STS’s IMPACT
Our research in Guinea shows that when girls participate in our Whole Child Model girls’ scholarship program, they score significantly higher in reading and math than other students. Our efforts led to increased hand washing and use of toilets. Teachers and students showed improved knowledge of hygienic practices. Parents increasingly monitored the sanitation status of schools and established more equitable divisions of chores between their sons and daughters.
Our commitment to effective and healthy school environments and supportive communities has made STS a valued partner in the international development community.
BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION.
Your commitment to STS’s Whole Child Model can help students learn and stay healthy with the support of their communities. With your donation, they can thrive.