Current portfolio
Initiative 1: Middle Tier
Our first initiative at Always Learning Labs is shining a spotlight on one of education’s most overlooked powerhouses: the middle tier. District and sub-district officials are essential to the daily functioning of education systems, yet their potential to drive change is often untapped. When equipped with the right tools, guidance, and routines, these officials can transform how foundational learning reforms reach classrooms at scale.
In this portfolio, five teams, each made up of government district counterparts working hand-in-hand with implementing partners, are leading implementation research projects.
Spanning Sub-Saharan Africa and India, these IR projects are embedded within large-scale FLN programmes and address live challenges faced by middle-tier officials. By working directly with the government, the research is co-created, ensuring insights are practical, scalable, and relevant to the people and systems they aim to improve.
Teams are using IR to test and refine tools and strategies, from coaching models to data systems, that improve instructional support while simultaneously generating policy-relevant insights. Collectively, this portfolio contributes to global understanding of how education systems can recognize, enable, and strengthen this often underutilized middle tier layer.
At a glance:
Implementation research driven by and with the middle tier to support instruction, through better coaching mechanisms, data use, incentives, or guidance.
Organizations deeply embedded within multiple districts, driving large-scale, evidence-based FLN programs.
$150,000 USD in flexible funding, including optional technical assistance valued at up to $50,000.
Sub-Saharan Africa & India.
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