Supporting leaders to improve school management

Working with education leaders for the future of Timor-Leste

It’s long been known that education drives development outcomes including stronger economies and increased opportunities for students. But when it comes to making decisions about school management, teaching implementation and other critical markers of success, it can be hard to gather the required insights to make informed decisions.

The Eskola program was designed in partnership with Timor-Leste Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports to provide school leaders and Ministry decision makers with the information they require to improve the education system for both students and teachers.

Collecting meaningful data to inform change

Eskola is an online platform, accessed using a tablet-based application. The app allows principals and Ministry officials to gather important evidence to inform change through classroom observation reports, peer learning activities, and numeracy and literacy exam results. This information, accessible via simple dashboards, is used to monitor progress against agreed criteria and track ongoing performance.

At a school-level this data is used to improve processes and teaching practices.

At a regional-level it is informing broader education policy making and sector improvements.

Better communication and information sharing

Eskola’s chat feature enables two-way communication channels and reporting between principals at different schools, as well as principals and Ministry staff.

From this, stronger communities of practice among principals have emerged, furthering the leaders’ professional development through sharing of information, resources and policy documents.

Teachers benefit from receiving improved communication and updates from leadership, including prompts for monthly inspections, and notifications based on triggers such as a missing report or student results.