India School Fund (ISF) Ensure effective delivery of quality education and drive entrepreneurship to break the vicious cycle of poverty in rural areas. ISF Make a difference in the world

2 Timeline: Steadily progressed from a dream to opening fully functional school in 2 villages. Inspiration for ISF January 2005 April - May 2005  HBS students raised $35,000 for ISF  ISF created July 9 th 2007  Grand opening for 200 students grade one, two, three 2006  Research and Development (R&D)  Construction of school and infrastructure  Community mobilization July 20 th 2009  Opening of second school in Samarua village 2010: 277 students

Problems in Rural Education Public school, Rajugela (UP state) Insufficient SchoolsIneffective SchoolsInadequate Schools More than 4 million children are not in school. More than 70% of 5 th graders lack basic math and reading skills. Nearly 60% dropout before secondary level.

4 Root Causes Sub- standard Educatio n No accountability for performance Isolated and scarce qualified teachers Colonial-age curriculum and methods Lack of considerations for local realities and customs in rural areas

Solution: The Individual Ladder of Learning 5 The multigrade classroom methodology was developed 25 years ago by Rishi Valley’s Institute for rural education, which was awarded the 1st prize for “The Most Innovative Development Project” at the annual Global Development Conference in Dakar in 2004  The multigrade classrooms enable teachers to support student progress along an individual “ladder of learning”.  Children of different ages work in small groups based on their status on the ladder of learning.

Enabling Students 6 School Village (a) ISF Satellite System * Teacher training * Monitoring * Ongoing support * Curriculum design School Village (b) School Village (c) School Village (…) School Village (e) School Village (d) Students use “achievement cards” according to their learning status on the ladder, regardless of age, gender, caste, etc. Student-centric classrooms - no frontal teaching. Self paced learning, so no child feels left behind. Community based curriculum. The hub-and-spoke model enables economies of scale: the Principal is responsible for student performance across the satellite system (6-8 villages, 1400 students) The hub-and-spoke model enables economies of scale: the Principal is responsible for student performance across the satellite system (6-8 villages, 1400 students)

The satellite system must be aligned with the comparative advantages in the local economy to foster the emergence of an industry cluster The ladder of learning enables integration of additional modules needed for local economic development Long Term Strategy A Rural Business School (RBS) that leverages education

8 Planning for the Rural Business School (RBS) program Rural Business School (RBS) – The middle school program to empower the youth: If education is strategically designed and accessible at middle school level, children of years old will develop the skills needed to become entrepreneurs, employees or graduates from higher education I can start and run a micro-business or get into college or learn vocational/technical skills that would help me become an empowered citizen We need a flexible curriculum and focus on three primary outcomes – Entrepreneurship, Employment and Higher Education. We also need to promote community engagement and hygiene for a safe and supportive learning environment.

9 Measuring Success Student Outcomes Stake Holder Satisfactio n Parents Village Education Committee Effective & Efficient Operations Standard Curriculum Teacher Retention Staff Evaluation & Training Budget, diversified sources Financial Performance Using Key Performance Indicators to evaluate and track all aspects of student education results in a constant endeavour to do better

10 Input Outcome Process Output  Higher education level relevant to local market needs for talent  Higher income level  Improved health, elimination of preventable diseases Systemic Approach to macro-economic development in rural areas Summary  Technical skills: Literacy-math- science, entrepreneurship, vocational  Soft skills: communication, negotiation, critical and creative thinking  Life skills: health maintenance, resourcefulness, financial literacy Education and skills development Empowered citizens  Entrepreneurs  Employees  Graduates of higher education  Greater freedom and control over live Transformation of poor villages into economically self-sustaining rural communities  Fix the problem of ineffectiveness  Increase supply of local schools  Create local demand for new skill set Financial & technical resources

11 Children of Rajugela thank you! For more information, please contact Annie Bertrand, President & Co-founder To donate, please go to the main page of ISF’s website: Thank you Shukriya