Global School Leaders (GSL) requests proposals from data collection organizations with a presence in Sierra Leone to conduct research activities for our Lead FLN (Foundational Literacy and Numeracy) Pilot Programs funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

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Background to Lead FLN

Lead FLN is a collection of evidence-informed guidance tailored for school leaders in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). Lead FLN provides school leaders with insights into FLN, explaining its significance, outlining how children develop literacy and numeracy, and offering strategies for school leaders to support, promote, and lead foundational learning. Lead FLN is a public good, freely available for use by school leaders, practitioners, researchers, and all those interested in improving FLN. 

Proposal Requirements

A. Implementation and Evaluation of Lead FLN Programs:

GSL aims to create school leader training programs that are based on Lead FLN but tailored to the context in Sierra Leone, and we will look at how these school leader training programs enhance teacher-led FLN programs. We are working with two non-profit partner organizations - National Youth Awareness Forum (NYAF), and EducAid,  that are implementing foundational learning programs directly with teachers. In these partnerships, which will last one year, 

• NYAF and EducAid will train teachers on FLN

• GSL will provide customized context-specific learning modules for school leaders

• NYAF and EducAid will also provide the Lead FLN training as an add-on for the school leaders for some of the schools. 

These partnerships will allow us to assess the effectiveness of adding school leader training to teacher-focused FLN programming. Each partnership will involve a different form of school leader support:  

• The program delivered by NYAF in 75 schools (50 treatment + 25 control) will utilize videos and asynchronous learning material hosted on an online platform as the primary learning method, coupled with a few workshops (this program is technology-intensive and uses a blended learning approach).

• The program delivered by EducAid in 75 schools (50 treatment + 25 control)  will utilize workshops as the primary learning method, along with physical workbooks to guide the offline mode of learning  (this program is workshop-driven).

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B. Research Questions:

1. What is the impact of adding School Leader training to a teacher-focused FLN program?

2. How does a technology-intensive and blended-learning approach compare to a more workshop-driven learning approach in terms of its effectiveness?

C. Research Design

We will utilize a Randomized Control Trial (RCT) design for both programs (75 schools each; 150 schools in total) to assess the additive effect of school leader professional learning on FLN. The main purpose of this pilot RCT is to explore the implementation fidelity, efficiency, effectiveness, and validity of the two program designs. This research will help us improve the LEAD FLN design and the research instruments. We will assign the 75 schools into three groups for both programs:

• 25 schools where NYAF and EducAid provide only teachers with FLN-focused professional learning or support;

• 25 schools where NYAF and EducAid add school leader support in the form of Lead FLN;

• 25 control schools with no intervention in both programs.

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D. Research Location:

NYAF will implement the program in Bonthe, Moyamba, and Pujehun districts of Sierra Leone.  EducAid will be implementing the program in the Tonkolili, Bombali, and Falaba districts.