GK Academy for School Teachers

Improving long-time mobility, productivity and prosperity through evidence-based intervention: enhancing learning in Schools by improving the quality of teachers.

Through scalable, sustainable, replicable and high-quality intervention in primary and secondary school education, this solution will demonstrably enhance life-time mobility, productivity and prosperity of these individuals.  Particularly, in less fortunate societies (e.g., India, Asia and Africa) and distressed neighborhoods (such as minorities and immigrants in US and other developed societies).

The scholarly and practical empirical evidence is compelling: a good teacher, that is improved learning in schools (particularly in third to eighth grades), increases mobility, productivity and prosperity by orders of magnitude.  For instance, see: http://www.rajchetty.com/  and https://www.brookings.edu/…/raj-chetty-in-14-charts-big-fi…/

Accordingly, our solution improves the learning outcomes of students in primary and secondary schools through this intervention: good-quality teachers. 

We will design an on-line portal.  This platform will be the learning source for teachers. The central component is: the teacher will have to take a Level (1 or 2 or 3 or 4) test, and score at least 80 percent.  Upon scoring 80 percent, the teacher will be certified to be competent and contemporary to teach.  A Level 1 will certify competency to teach up to fifth grade.

Our solution is portable and robust across societies and situations.  But we will begin with India for the proto-type.  More specifically, we will pilot the solution in Math for third to fifth graders in English and Hindi languages.  Over time, we scale up: first to twelfth graders, and other languages such as Arabic, Bengali, Swahili and Urdu.  We will then move to Science subjects.

Our solution is dynamic and contemporary: continuous and sustained education and re-education; scalable (hundreds thousands of teachers can be trained and educated); and the knowledge base is relatively easily updated to make it contemporary.

By all reports, the number of teachers in large parts of India (and other less developed societies) is dismal.  Quality education can be delivered only by competent teachers whose knowledge set is contemporary. We can address these challenges only through an open and scalable model – and that is precisely what we do here.  The estimates of number of School Children in India range from about 180 million to about 250 million.  The number of teachers: 4-6 million.  Probably only about 500,000 teachers are qualified.

Imagine a world of children ready to learn (and relearn) skills!  Productive citizens and workforce.  All this through effective intervention (good teachers) when it most matters.

If we want a productive and skilled workforce in the 21st century, research shows that this is best accomplished with a simple intervention:  good quality teachers (and education) in primary and secondary schools.  This is the most effective and sustained intervention. 

We propose a Solution which is accessible (at teacher’s convenience), replicable, and scalable, and recognizes the differences in learning across teachers.     

The information including the video presentations (such as the Promotion Video presentation) in the next section 'About your solution' will amplify and reinforce the Solution.

Please review the following short video presentation: 

2 minutes presentation on why our solution is innovative?

Summary:  Our Solution is Innovative because it is:

Based on sound empirical research (See: http://www.equality-of-opportu...)

Simple, elegant, doable and proven technologies;

Not only a home to empower and educate current teachers, but produce millions of credentialed new teachers (creation of new jobs and eco-system);

Certified and globally bench-marked outputs; and

Replicable, Scalable, Robust, and Universally Accessible, and Easy to update.

Our solution is technology based.  Virtual School: On-line Platform.  

But the technology that is required and employed in our Solution is simple, well-demonstrated, robust, and commonplace.  The technology of severs, databases, pop-quiz, randomization of questions, providing links to large inventory of useful information, and providing access to our own (summary) material -- short videos is well established, proven, robust and scalable for millions of potential users/consumers.

The video presentation on Why our Solution is Innovative also discusses this element.

Please review the following short video presentation

Goals for next 1-2 years, and Long-term vision and hope

Summary of our goals for next 12 months or so:  Complete the Solution/Offering for Grade III and IV Teachers in Mathematics (only in English language)  

We will be using the Schools in Chidambaram and Sivakasi are our primary partners for development.  We have already implemented elements of our Solution in these schools.

A short profile of these two Schools is provided in the Three Social Media link.  A website, some pictures, a video.  See below.  And in the video presentation.

The above short video presentation covers this element (Goals for next 1-2 years, and Long-term vision and hope)

Summary of our Vision:  In about five years, we would be offering the Solution to Teachers in Grades III-VIII in Math and Science Domains in the following languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, Bengali and Telugu.

Chidambaram and Sivakasi Schools are our partners in development.

Please review the three Social Media links, and the short video presentation on our working partners:

 Our Working Partners for Development and Testing (Two Schools)

Our customers and beneficiaries are current teachers.  And those who would like to become School Teachers.  In India, there are less than one million qualified teachers for a student population of about 200 million.

There is a huge market demand for school teachers. Our solution will not only empower the current teachers, but produce millions of new qualified teachers -- our solution will be creating jobs too.

Market place will drive our solution.  Many State Governments and India's national government support this Solution.  70 percent of Schools are Government-run/funded.

Currently, we are serving about 5,000 children in Tamil Nadu employing only elements of our Solution.  Our complete solution is in development.  We are working here with our two School partners.

Summary:

Next one year, we hope to reach about 1 million School Children.

In 2 years about 5 million.

In 3-5 years, over 50 million.  We hope to produce at least 2-3 million new qualified teachers.

Please review the short video presentation for a description of our potential beneficiaries -- School Children in very poor-resource areas:

Potential Beneficiaries: School Children from very poor-resourced areas

We have an excellent Board/Advisors/Supporters, including co-leader Dr. Lakshman Rao (MIT doctoral alum) and Dr. Nitin Nohria (Dean, HBS and MIT alum.)

We have already -- over the last two years -- discussed and vetted the Solution with all the significant stake-holders at least twice: Educationists, Policy makers, Government leaders, Schools, Philanthropers and Business leaders.

Our Solution is proven to be impactful, and it is based simple and accessible technology.

So, everything looks hopeful.

Once the complete Solution, we expect the maintenance and upgrades to be accomplished by financial support from the beneficiary state and local governments and schools.  

Since, the number of beneficiaries is expected to be very large -- certainly in thousands -- and the support required to maintain and upgrade relatively modest, the investment share of each beneficiary is expected to be very small.

For building the Solution, we are confident of Grants and Support from Government of India, and local and State Governments and India-based corporations/businesses.

Please review the short video presentation:

Why MIT SOLVE? What possible contributions to our Solution?

Summary:  We are looking for ideas/comments/suggestions from MIT SOLVE and its Community.  We are looking for spiritual and community support, and a nurturing eco-system.  For validating, endorsing and supporting our Solution.  Any financial support -- which will be a signal of MIT SOLVE's validation -- will have a huge positive amplification and catalyst effect.

Getting started, and producing the Offering/Solution for one Grade such Grade III at least in at least one domain such as Math and in at least one language such as English.  Once we produce this limited Offering, we know from extensive research that there is a large population ready to adopt this Solution and there is a large private and public support for scaling the operation.

MIT SOLVE will get us started.  We don't anticipate any challenges in adoption of our Solution.