Project description
The Instructional Core project is named for Richard Elmore’s (2008) conceptualisation of teachers, students and content as the core of school-based learning. His model posits that any significant improvement in educational outcomes depends on improving the quality of instruction (teachers), the engagement of students and the relevance and delivery of the curriculum (content). Improving any of these components in isolation is insufficient for enhancing educational outcomes; rather, the quality of learning depends on strengthening all three, and the interactions between them.
Over three years (July 2025 – June 2028), our project intends to investigate significant challenges facing all three elements of the instructional core. This will be done through six research topics:
- Teacher assessment ability and student readiness
- Absenteeism and student engagement
- Textbook and workbook availability and use
- Teacher training in the PGCE and Bachelor of Education programmes
- Teacher mobility patterns and implications for policy
- The Funza Lushaka bursary programme and teacher supply
These topics are best viewed as an integrated whole, rather than as separate research endeavours. Each topic aims to identify strengths as well as weaknesses, with the aim of providing actionable insights that can create a more effective and cohesive education system. This has the potential to bring about accelerated educational progress.
Funders and Partners
This project is funded by the FEM Education Foundation (FEMEF).
Project outputs
No outputs at present
