Our approach at T4
We are a global organisation committed to providing engaging tools, initiatives, and events for teachers to improve education. We believe in community strength and the network effects that come from bringing teachers and schools together. And we want to shine a spotlight on the great work we see happening in classrooms worldwide.
We exist to support teachers and schools as agents of change
Our ultimate goal of ensuring every child across the world achieves their full potential remains at the forefront of everything we do.
We know that no education system can outperform the quality of its teachers. That is why an investment in teachers is an investment in building resilience. It is fundamental to ensure that students are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and values to lead productive and healthy lives.
Our values
At T4 we are passionate about supporting teachers and raising the quality of education everywhere. We aim to:
- Prioritise teacher voice
- Place schools at the centre of the conversation
- Be inclusive
- Champion agency
Navigating the New Normal
As the world looks to find ways to reframe and repurpose education, potentially the most critical element of our entire mission at T4 is the teachers’ role and importance. From their overall wellbeing to their ability to respond, hold and guide our children and young adults.
Teachers are critical elements of success of the overall system. We need to ensure the teaching workforce is healthy and able to orient itself for future demands. Too often, the focus is on technology or other changes to the system. While all are contributing tools, none play as important a role in the education system’s ultimate success as the teacher.
As a result of our past experiences combined with what we have learned due to the pandemic, we are building a global community of teachers. Through teacher experiences and our set of engagement tools, we can influence change in classrooms, schools, and communities worldwide.
This juncture in time is a critical inflection point. One we have not seen for generations.
And we have the potential to make systemic educational change a reality. Together.
Our story, from idea to impact
Between April and October 2020, following school closures across the globe, we were able to bring together over 150,000 teachers and educators.
- The Teacher Round Table brought together 230 teachers to share experiences of school closures from around the world. The sentiment repeatedly voiced was one of anxiety and frustration. Whilst dealing with the effects of entire systems shutting down, no one was recognising the role teachers were playing. Even more importantly, no one was making an effort to calm their anxieties about what this meant for the profession.
- ‘The New Normal: Education Post-COVID-19’, a virtual conference focused on technology, collaboration, leadership and wellbeing. Within four weeks, 103,000 teachers registered for the event and participated by joining our online groups and subscribing to our social media channels. Within a week of the event, over 60,000 attendance certificates were claimed, showing a huge desire to associate with the effort. We also recruited over 3,000 T4 Ambassadors to promote the event amongst their networks and amplify our communications online.
- ‘World Education Week’ was held in October, to coincide with World Teachers’ Day. It involved 100 schools from around the world, showcasing their expertise with the sole purpose of inspiring others to replicate their success. 111,000 tickets were booked for World Education Week, translating to over 40,000 individual teachers attending the 100 events. Access our World Education Week 2020 Global Showcase Schools and event recordings.
Advocacy and impact
Hailed as the world’s largest grassroots education conference, our 2020 event was a collective effort that provided an opportunity for 100 schools to showcase their excellence to a global online audience. Our inaugural event had over 111,000 free tickets booked for those 100 school events. Learn more about World Education Week and our 2020 Global Showcase Schools.
Through the event, we engaged with high level policy organisations such as the OECD, The World Bank, The Brookings Institution, Education International as well as Ministries of Education including those from Ghana, Philippines, South Africa, as well as the Presidency of Nigeria.
Additionally, several schools had support from their respective Ministers and Ministries of Education such as in:
- Bangladesh
- Colombia
- Brazil
- Scotland
- Botswana
- Ukraine
- Bosnia
- Serbia
- Macedonia
- Moldova
- UAE
- Jordan
- Australia
- Pakistan.
Given the success and traction of these events, what did we learn?
- That we can go directly to teachers, at a worldwide scale, at the same time! We have proven you can reach teachers and schools directly at scale around the world.
- Teachers and schools want to ‘belong’ to a global platform. The schools that took part in World Education Week said, unequivocally, that the opportunity to learn from and share their stories with a global audience motivated their participation. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that being part of a larger movement is hugely appealing to schools and teachers.
- Teachers want to learn and want high-quality professional development opportunities. Covid-19 has brought everyone together to pursue solutions and new approaches to tackle the many challenges posed to learning. Teachers from different contexts find value in learning what works and applying to their own.
- Teachers trust teachers, schools trust schools. The consistent feedback we have received relates to teachers’ opportunity to share their experiences, tell stories of success, and provide guidance to their peers. Evidence shows that peer to peer learning is a game-changer, and our biggest learning is that teachers want to do exactly this.
T4 Structures that enable this movement and expand our reach and influence
- T4 Ambassadors & Country Ambassadors are members of our T4 Community of teachers and education advocates. Our ambassadors amplify our events on social media. We currently have over 3,500 T4 Ambassadors. Our Country Ambassadors are selected from our Ambassador group to represent T4’s interests in their respective countries.
- The T4 Alliance is a broad-based coalition of education NGOs and non-profit organisations who will provide inputs on our varied engagements and in some cases, help us design them. Additionally, our members support the recruitment of teachers and schools to our network.
- System Leader Forum is for decision makers such as Minister’s, CEOs, and globally renowned organisation leaders. Our Forum will provide insight, serve as speakers, and advocate for teachers by associating with our initiatives.
We believe that by creating these formal structures, we will navigate challenges related to the political economy of education more effectively.
Legal information
T4 Education is the trading name for BVU Ventures Ltd and is registered with Companies House in the UK (registration number: 12392815) and is also registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (reference: ZA819235).
Use of data
We are committed to protecting your data and you can access our privacy policy here.
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