Where Passion Meets Profession
In 21st century education, Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is crucial to teacher satisfaction, and drives student outcomes. By investing in CPD, institutions can reduce teacher turnover and empower educators to use modern methods in a unique educational landscape. CPD is more than a skill enhancement, it’s a pathway to rejuvenation, empowerment, and professional fulfillment that fosters a dynamic and effective educational ecosystem.
Evidence that speaks
Direct Impact on Pupils
The Education Policy Institute’s review emphasizes that high-quality CPD can significantly affect students’ learning outcomes. The difference in pupil outcomes due to quality CPD is comparable to the experience gap between a new graduate teacher and one with a decade of teaching under their belt.
Boosting Teacher Retention
High-quality CPD, especially induction training and mentoring programs, can enhance retention rates, especially for early-career teachers. This ensures continuity in the learning experience for students and builds a stable educational environment
Cost-Effectiveness
Teacher PD stands out as a cost-effective strategy. While interventions like one-to-one tutoring might have a more significant impact on student performance, they come with a heftier price tag. In contrast, CPD offers a substantial return on investment, both in terms of academic performance and fostering a positive learning environment
Research-Backed Benefits
According to a study highlighted by the IMSE Journal, teachers who receive substantial, high-quality professional development can boost their students’ achievement by approximately 21 percentage points. This research underscores the profound influence of CPD on enhancing classroom instruction and, consequently, student achievement.
Connecting PD to Student Learning
Effective professional development should provide teachers with not only the skills and knowledge they need but also with ways to directly apply what they learned in the classroom. When PD aligns with the materials teachers use, district and state academic standards, and assessment and evaluation of their success, it leads to improved student learning.
A Holistic Approach
Professional development affects student achievement through a three-step process: enhancing teacher knowledge and skills, improving classroom teaching, and raising student achievement. If any of these steps falter, student learning might not improve. For instance, if a teacher does not apply the knowledge obtained from professional development, then students will not benefit.
Education Policy Institute – Evidence review: The effects of high-quality professional development on teachers and students
IMSE Journal – The Effect a Teacher’s Professional Development Has on Student Achievement
WHY UPSKILL?
In an era where the dynamics of education are rapidly evolving, Upskill stands as a beacon, guiding educators and schools towards excellence, innovation, and accessible, sustainable success.
Upskill benefits
Teacher
Upskill Benefits
- Lesson planning
- Lesson delivery
- Student engagement
- Continuous assessment
- Parental/family engagement
- Community resource mapping
- Data-driven instruction
Upskill User Data Insights
- Ongoing competency development (user/learner)
- Instructional areas of proficiency and development needs (user/learner)
Head Teacher /
Instructional Leader
Upskill Benefits
- Stakeholder Communication
- Financial Planning and Management
- Strategic Planning
- Professional Development
- Annual Reporting
- Annual Reporting
- Curriculum Delivery Management
- School Improvement Planning
Upskill User Data Insights
- School-wide analysis of professional development, competency, proficiency, and supoprt needs of teaching staff (leader)
- Ongoing competency development (user)
- Instructional areas of proficiency and development needs (user)
Education
Manager
Upskill Benefits
- Stakeholder Communication
- Financial Planning and Management
- Strategic Planning
- School Transformation
- Staff Development
- Research & Development
- Curriculum Delivery Management
- School Development Planning
- District Development Planning
Upskill User Data Insights
- District and circuit wide analysis of professional development, competency, proficiency, and support needs of teaching staff (leader)
- Ongoing competency development (user)
- Instructional areas of proficiency and development needs (user)
SUCCESS STORIES
Machakos County Transformation: From Traditional Training to Digital Upskilling
Before the Upskill platform, ECD teachers in Machakos faced generic, poorly-attended trainings. Transitioning to a 3-month digital program saw 70% of the ECDE workforce engaged, with over 1,200 hours of modules completed. This shift boasted a 94% program completion rate, peer feedback, and improved teacher training practices.
Before
- ECD teachers received a full day, one-size fits all training each term Traditional PD (in-person, require payment for meal and transportation),
- high absenteeism rate and low retention rate at sessions (average of 60% attendance rate)
- No coaching or observation taking place after PD sessions
During
- ECD teachers received a full day, one-size fits all training each term Traditional PD (in-person, require payment for meal and transportation),
- high absenteeism rate and low retention rate at sessions (average of 60% attendance rate)
- No coaching or observation taking place after PD sessions
After
- Teachers completed over 800 modules (1200 + hours of PD)
- TOT lead observation,
- coaching,
- and PLCs of ECDE teachers,
- ECDE teachers giving and receiving peer-to-peer feedback
- 94% programme completion rate
Redefining Instructional Leadership in South Africa
Instill Education’s 18-month School Leadership Development Programme sought to revolutionize instructional leadership in South Africa. Through hands-on modules and actionable feedback, the program saw over 70% completion rates, with leaders dedicating 42% of their time to instructional leadership.
Piloting Digital Professional Development in Ghana
In 2022, Ghana’s National Teaching Council collaborated with Instill Education on the 8-week Upskill@Instill pilot, offering Ghanaian teachers tailored, bite-sized educational content. Backed by the Mastercard Foundation, 5,000 teachers explored 10 modules, with 87% applying learned techniques regularly. While results indicated strong engagement, challenges like data access and gender disparities surfaced. Instill Education’s ongoing mission is to innovate teaching across Africa.
Blending Traditional and Tech Methods for Optimal Education
Teaming up with Opportunity EduFinance and Chalkboard Education, Instill Education tests a blended learning model in 50 Ugandan schools. Through the Chalkboard platform, content was streamlined from 45-60 minutes to just 15-30 minute modules, ensuring practical and engaging lessons. Metrics, from user engagement to content quality, were rigorously evaluated, striving for a transformative impact in instructional leadership and teacher development.
Elevate Educators, Enrich Education:
Benefiting All with Upskill
As the growth of private schools in Africa outpaces the growth of public education provision, private school proprietors and chains are looking for competitive advantages against other school proprietors to signal to the market why parents should send their students to one private school over another. A key component of the profitability of a private school and driver of its earning potential is the quality of its teachers. Upskill is a solution to the workforce development management needs that private school owners and chains have and is designed with the end-user (teachers) in mind, because if teachers do not like the platform, school owners will not buy it. As such, the value proposition in the B2B model is two-fold: one that speaks directly to the needs of school owners who want to improve their workforce development management, and the other that speaks to teachers and the benefits that they get from using Upskill.
In addition to the offering to teachers, private school owners and education managers will also have access to data dashboards that give insights on staff development progress and coaching support needs to drive ongoing and targeted skills development within subscribed schools. School leaders will also have access to a playbook of scripted facilitated sessions that align to content on Upskill so that they can do follow up training for teachers after they have completed the learning on Upskill. These school leader / education manager-facing features are applicable for users with those roles in both the private and public sectors.
Invest in Africa's future
“The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The next best time to plant a tree is today.”
African Proverb