Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Africa which began as a joint venture between Pratham and J-PAL is now an independent organization registered in Kenya, with our headquarters in Nairobi. We strengthen children’s foundational literacy and numeracy skills by using the evidence-based Teaching at the Right Level approach. TaRL Africa supports governments and organizations in over 12 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa. We have teams working directly with governments in Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Zambia. Additionally, we provide remote support to partners in other African countries. We build the capacity of governments and organizations to design, deliver and scale impactful programs, while learning and sharing how the approach can be improved for different contexts.
Mission
To support every child across Africa build foundational skills for a better future.
History
- 2016
- 2018
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
The first TaRL program to be developed with Pratham and J-PAL support in Africa was piloted in 80 schools in Zambia.
TaRL pilots are launched in Nigeria and Côte d'lvoire
TaRL Africa is launched after J-PAL and Pratham receive funding from Co-Impact.
TaRL programming across the continent adapts and grows in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
TaRL Africa sets up a regional team in Kenya and works with partners across 12 countries.
TaRL Africa is registered as an independent organization.
TaRL programming is reaching over 4 million children through direct government support programs and partnerships.
How we work
TaRL Africa works with governments and organisations to design and develop the processes, practices and resources required to deliver effective TaRL programming that increases learning outcomes. Our support harnesses the deep technical expertise of Pratham, one of our founding partners, and over five years of experience molding TaRL programmes across several African countries.
TaRL Africa works with governments and organizations to design and develop the processes, practices and resources required to deliver effective TaRL programmes that increase learning outcomes. Our support harnesses the deep technical expertise of Pratham, one of our founding partners, and over five years of experience molding TaRL programmes across several African countries. We work with partners to co-design context-specific and evidence-informed delivery models and supporting processes. This includes designing lean teaching-learning materials and assessment tools; how TaRL will be delivered at a school level; how data will be collected, entered, analyzed, and used for action; and how training and mentoring models will enable scale. We also build the necessary skills of our partners. We equip a pool of educators with TaRL technical knowledge and practical experience to train and support others to deliver TaRL. TaRL Africa’s technical support and coaching continue throughout implementation to cultivate a cadre of leaders of practice with the know-how and passion to continually adapt, improve and grow the programme in their context. We appreciate that effectively scaling-up is a nonlinear, long term process, and as such provide strategic and learning support along the way. We work together with partners to course-correct and adapt as necessary throughout this process, while building their skills to do the same into the future. We believe that governments are key actors in ensuring that all children receive foundational skills. We provide deep and direct in-country support to governments in Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, and Zambia, as well as remote support to partners working with governments to deliver TaRL programmes in several countries.
At TaRL Africa, we believe investing in innovation and learning is key to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of accelerating children’s foundational skills acquisition. We have an ambitious learning agenda which outlines several critical questions we aim to answer.
We learn in a number of different ways at TaRL Africa. Our team analyzes and reflects on program data, field experience, as well as independent process monitoring and qualitative research. This unearths key challenges and helps us prioritize when innovative ideas are required.
We accept that innovation can be challenging in large-scale systems, so we have created space and support required for new ideas to be tried. We nurture innovation through supporting NGOs who have new ideas and the flexibility to trial them. We also facilitate innovation through TaRL Africa learning labs in Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya and Zambia where potential solutions to common challenges are incubated in a few schools.
We also understand and value impact evaluations and aim to support several rigorous evaluations over the coming years that will answer key questions about how to adapt the TaRL approach to the African context so that it can be scaled effectively and sustainably.
We believe there is great power in collective action and that collaboration is necessary to make meaningful strides to address the learning crisis in Africa. TaRL Africa offers open access training and resources to support TaRL adoption in Africa. We also connect organizations and create spaces for coordination, problem-solving, and learning.
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