Evidence-sharing project to tackle common education challenges across the globe

A new £9.8m project has been announced that will improve learning outcomes for disadvantaged pupils across the world by building a global evidence network.
 
The five-year project lead by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and BHP Billiton will bring together education systems and teachers in different countries to generate and share knowledge about the best ways to tackle common challenges and boost attainment. This could include how to teach reading, or how to engage parents in their children’s learning, for example.
 
Every day, teachers in different countries are working to solve similar problems, but with limited access to reliable information about what’s most likely to work. As a result, the quality of education children receive varies dramatically, both across and within countries, with children from disadvantaged backgrounds too often missing out on the skills and qualifications they need for adulthood.
 
The partnership with the BHP Billiton Foundation will allow the EEF to bring their approach to generating and using evidence to improve teaching and learning to education systems across the globe.
 
The project will develop the Teaching and Learning Toolkit, an EEF resource for teachers and schools to help practitioners identify what works, for which students, and in which circumstances.
 
It will test different teaching and learning approaches across different countries. A new global trials fund will accelerate the discovery of new evidence that is relevant both globally and to English schools.
 
The project will also build a network of evidence hubs similar to EEF’s Research Schools, in partnership with local education jurisdictions.
 
It will also establish EEF-style organisations in partner countries to act as evidence brokers and encourage the adoption of evidence-based policy at a national level.
 
Sir Kevan Collins, chief executive of the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), said: “We know that every day, teachers worldwide are striving to improve the learning outcomes of their students. But they cannot do it alone. Some of the challenges teachers face are unique, but schools face many common challenges too.
 
“With the BHP Billiton Foundation’s support, we’ll be able to give teachers and schools across the world access to reliable information and the support they need to make the best decisions about what’s most likely to transform their students’ life chances.”