Teacher Professional Development Program

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The general objective of this technical cooperation is to assist the Ecuadorian Ministry of Education in improving the quality of basic education for all children, but especially those from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds. The TC will achieve this by addressing one of the greatest challenges common to education systems of countries across Latin America and the world: how to improve the quality of in-service teachers in such a way as to directly improve student's learning outcomes. This operation builds on evidence generated by rigorous studies examining the impact of teacher quality on student learning outcomes, including the IDB's own groundbreaking longitudinal study, "Closing Gaps", which has further advanced the field of knowledge on the relationship between teaching practices and student learning. At a time when governments across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are searching for effective professional development strategies to improve teacher quality, the outcome of this TC – an evidence-based, field-tested mentoring package for in-service teachers along with implementation guidelines – will serve to not only inform policy in Ecuador but also to provide a concrete intervention specifically tailored for countries in the region.The quality of an educational system depends in great part on the quality of its teachers. That said, in countries across Latin America and the world, most teachers fall far short of their potential to transform children's lives, and to date policy makers and governments have lacked the knowledge and tools to support in-service teachers in a way that produces improved student learning. To this end, the specific objective of this TC is to develop and pilot an evidence-based teacher professional development program providing ongoing mentoring for in-service elementary school teachers to directly improve their pedagogical practices. The pilot is unique in that it gives teachers individualized and specific support to improve practices in their classrooms, to have more effective interactions with their students, and to make the most out of their day-to-day classroom experiences to maximize student learning in an ongoing mentorship context. Furthermore, there is no evidence to date of any evidence-based, practical ongoing professional development programs aimed at improving teacher quality anywhere in all of Latin America and the Caribbean, and in this sense our project fills an urgent need and introduces an innovative and proven method for achieving this goal.The pilot will culminate in a stand-alone mentoring package with step-by-step implementation protocols and training materials that can be implemented in any country in the region including Ecuador. This package will serve as a model for other countries – including more developed countries – to identify and train teachers to successfully become excellent mentors providing individualized, practical and ongoing support to their peers to improve everyday practices in their classrooms and in turn improve student learning.