STiR Education

STiR Education supports education systems to reignite intrinsic motivation so every child, teacher, and official is motivated to learn and improve. Since 2012, STiR has reached over 590,000 teachers and more than 13 million children across India, Uganda, and Indonesia.

The Problem
Education and learning are not the same thing. Despite greater investment in government schools and huge improvements in attendance, children in low- and middle-income countries continue to face significant learning deficits. Over half of all children are falling short of acquiring the fundamental skills necessary for employment or societal participation. A lack of access to quality teaching is preventing quality learning.

To address the global learning crisis, we must simultaneously confront the global teaching crisis. With a staggering shortage of 44 million teachers worldwide and alarming rates of burnout and attrition, education systems face profound challenges in delivering high-quality education. Adding to these challenges, teachers are increasingly expected to address complex social issues such as climate change, gender inequality, and social justice. Consequently, many teachers feel undervalued, demotivated, and disconnected from their education systems. Merely enhancing teachers’ skills is insufficient; we must also focus on transforming their mindset and motivation. We cannot improve learning until we change the way that teachers think and feel.

The Solution
STiR Education improves learning outcomes for all children by inspiring intrinsic motivation in teachers. Through monthly meetings, teachers see that their decisions matter, they see themselves improving, they feel connected to their peers, and they feel accountable to the children that they teach. Every program activity is delivered through government systems, helping STiR achieve scale sustainably, and ensuring that they reach every child. STiR co-designs programs that understand and respond to local needs, and supports governments to deliver each activity.

STiR’s primary objective is to achieve lasting and systemic behavior change within their existing geographies. This ensures that when activities are transitioned to governments, there is a strong assurance that these initiatives will be sustained and maintained at a consistently high quality. The first program to reach this milestone was in Delhi in early 2024. The development of a new model of advisory services has enabled new projects in Brazil and Ghana, with further growth intended in 2024.

Since launching in 2012 with a pilot involving 25 teachers in Delhi, STiR is currently impacting over 590,000 teachers and 13 million children across three countries. Central to their approach is the belief that there is no more impactful educational intervention than nurturing teachers who are passionate about their profession. STiR’s model leverages peer networks to motivate and support teachers within government education systems on a large scale.