Towards resilience: Enhancing teacher agency at the Schools2030 Global Forum

Participants at the Schools2030 Global Forum in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Teacher agency or the ability of teachers to make choices and decisions that shape their professional growth has for long been an ignored concept even when research largely suggests that it is related to stronger learning and social outcomes.

Teacher agency empowers teachers to innovate, respond to student needs and foster a more dynamic and effective educational environment. This is what makes it an important component towards achieving improved learning outcomes. A teacher without agency lacks initiative, confidence and can sometimes be overwhelmed by demands of their job. This affects the way they teach and nurture learners.

At LGF, addressing teacher agency is key in our agenda of building the capacity of educators. As a result, in collaboration with the Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child (GC-DWC), University of Notre Dame under Dr. Nikhit D’Sa, we are working with teachers from Schools 2030 schools in Uganda in a study that aims to understand the relationship between teacher agency, teacher well-being and student learning and development.

This collaboration is the reason we are participating in the Schools2030 Global Forum in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan under the theme: Teacher Leadership for Climate Resilience: How might we transform learning through school and systems pathways for the future of the planet? The Global Forum brings together education leaders and change-makers from around the world to explore how Schools2030’s model is working to strengthen collective educational response to climate challenges.

We are privileged to take part in such global conversations and research projects that aim to enhance teacher agency, well-being, and leadership as we explore innovative methods of transforming learning.