Teach For All is exploring how to develop teachers who can support students holistically, emphasizing the empowerment of educators to test evidence-based approaches, generate insights from their experiences, and experiment with innovative teacher development models. Through a collaboration between Teach For All’s Global Institute for Shaping a Better Future and Enseña por Colombia, supported by Universidad de Los Andes and funded by the Jacobs Foundation, a participatory research process was implemented using the Action Learning Framework. This approach combines implementation with rigorous research, translating practice into evidence and evidence into improved practice. Inspired by the Teaching As Collective Leadership framework, Enseña por Colombia designed a holistic student outcomes intervention that strengthened social and emotional learning (SEL) instruction while supporting teacher and coach wellbeing.
The participatory research process provided valuable lessons even when expected outcomes were not fully achieved. Evaluation was treated as a tool for reflection and learning rather than only proof of success. By analyzing implementation, observing outcomes, and iterating on the approach, the team gained insights to refine teacher development strategies that promote holistic student growth.
Over a year, Enseña por Colombia designed, implemented, and reflected on a new intervention that included a SEL training module with practical classroom strategies and efforts to enhance teacher and coach wellbeing. Diverse stakeholders, including teachers, coaches, school representatives, and community members, contributed to the design. Pilot implementation showed gradual adoption of SEL strategies and increased use of SEL language among teachers and students, highlighting the importance of hands-on practice during training.
In the second year, a randomized control trial across 46 schools assessed the intervention’s impact. Quantitative results showed similar outcomes for most students, though students in grades 6 to 9 experienced gains in self-leadership and relationship skills. Qualitative feedback revealed improvements in perseverance, motivation, collaboration, empathy, and communication, while teachers reported stronger leadership skills, better lesson planning, and improved teacher-student relationships.
A program-wide evaluation using a matching difference-in-difference strategy across 27 control schools indicated that Enseña por Colombia teachers positively influenced primary-level reading and math, especially for girls, and improved self-leadership in older students. Classrooms were more inclusive and respectful, with teachers applying TACL-aligned practices such as relationship-building, classroom climate management, and effective lesson planning.
Despite not achieving all targeted outcomes, the project yielded valuable insights, including the importance of collective leadership, adaptive and reflective practices, and supporting teachers in both technical skills and sustaining beliefs for meaningful change. Enseña por Colombia is now strengthening recruitment, training, and alumni engagement to emphasize academic and non-academic learning while cultivating leadership mindsets.
The Action Learning Framework demonstrated the power of collaboration between practitioners and researchers, showing that iterative learning, reflection, and adaptation are essential for developing teachers who can foster holistic student growth. Teach For All continues to support partners in measuring holistic outcomes, learning from transformational teacher development programs, and engaging in participatory research to improve student learning across social, emotional, and academic domains.
