Teaching at the Right Level – Learning how to improve teacher support through mentoring and monitoring
Teaching at the Right Level
Credit
GPE/Carine Durand

Project Abstract

This project explored how governments in Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, and Zambia can improve foundational learning by enhancing teacher support systems within the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach. The initiative focused on testing scalable innovations in mentoring and monitoring—such as peer mentoring, remote support, and data-driven decision-making—to help teachers deliver tailored instruction effectively.

Evidence showed that combining in-person and remote mentoring, leveraging technology, and engaging teachers in innovation design led to improved teaching practices and student learning outcomes. The project emphasized cost-effective strategies and government-led implementation to ensure sustainability. 

Project Details

Completed
Implementing Organization(s):

Implementing Countries:

Main Theme:

Duration:

42 months

End Date:

Jun 2024

Project Impacts: Policy and Practice

The project led to policy and practice changes in all three countries, with strong evidence uptake by Ministries of Education:

Zambia

  • The Ministry of Education adopted a teacher point system for national recognition.
  • A large-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) was launched to evaluate continuous professional development (CPD) innovations.
  • WhatsApp-based CPD and mastery challenges showed promise in improving teaching behavior.

Nigeria

  • Kaduna State piloted and expanded a teacher-led peer mentoring model, resulting in over 50 percentage point gains in math and literacy.
  • Kebbi State launched toll-free remote mentoring lines for teachers, supported by government mentors.
  • Multiple states scaled up TaRL faster than anticipated, integrating innovations into their systems.

Côte d'Ivoire

  • Pedagogical Advisors were trained to use school-level data to prioritize mentoring visits.
  • A hybrid mentoring model combining in-person and remote support was piloted and scaled to over 400 schools.
  • The Ministry of Education endorsed the innovation and supported a randomized evaluation.

Across all three countries, success was driven by early and sustained collaboration with government stakeholders, including co-design of innovations and integration into national systems. 

“Teachers are open to and seek additional support to implement TaRL effectively in the classroom.”
Final Technical Report, TaRL Africa

Updates and Activities

Research Outputs