IMPLEMENTATION BRIEF What is Teach ECE? Teach ECE’s value proposition Teach ECE is a free classroom observation tool that provides a Teach ECE holistically measures what happens in the ECE classroom. window into one of the less explored and more important aspects of a It does so by considering not just time spent on learning but, more child’s education: what goes on in the classroom. The tool is intended importantly, the quality of ECE teaching practices. to be used in early childhood education (ECE) for children ages 3–6 and was designed to help countries, in particular low- and middle- • Teach ECE captures practices that nurture children’s cognitive income countries (LMICs), monitor and improve teaching quality and language skills, socioemotional competencies, and executive following the Teach Primary framework. functioning abilities.2 High-quality teacher-child interactions include opportunities that allow young children to learn and explore in meaningful ways. The tool provides developmentally-appropriate descriptions and examples for children 3–6 years of age. It captures Why is it important to measure quality across a range of educational settings, including teacher- directed, child-centered, and play-based activities. teaching practices? • Teach ECE was developed with LMICs in mind and can be contextualized for different settings.3 Teach ECE includes a checklist Quality matters, especially in ECE. Process quality — meaning the quality of 1 that captures aspects of structural quality, which can also contribute the teaching practices and interactions that take place in the classroom — to improved process quality or teaching practices. Local video is a key determinant of child learning. Yet, most countries do not have footage is used to train observers on the tool and additional elements data on what goes on in ECE classrooms, especially when it comes to can be added to further contextualize the tool at the request of the the quality of teacher-child interactions. In addition, in most countries, government.4 the ECE workforce tends to be the least trained and least professionalized workforce in the education system. For that to change, a common • Teach ECE includes a complementary toolkit that helps teams framework to understand and discuss quality teaching in ECE is needed. conduct the training, data collection, analysis, and reporting. By providing a framework to measure ECE interactions in the classroom, Resources include a detailed script and training guide; a data Teach ECE contributes to the dialogue on the importance of teacher collection app; automatized programs that clean, analyze and assess professional development in ECE, and lays the foundation for systems the validity of Teach ECE scores; and Terms of References for key to provide teachers with the support they need to provide quality ECE. roles. A template report to communicate the results is also available. • Teach ECE is designed to align with Teach Primary for ease of implementation and to facilitate continuity of measurement How can Teach ECE be used? in countries. Teach ECE maintains 2 Areas from Teach Primary — Classroom Culture and Socioemotional Skills — but changes Teach ECE can be used as a tool for system diagnostic and for Instruction to Guided Learning, reflecting the increased amount professional development. As a system diagnostic, Teach ECE allows of teacher-child interaction and scaffolding that occurs in ECE governments to monitor the effectiveness of their policies to improve classrooms. ECE teaching practices. As a professional development tool, Teach ECE is used to identify individual ECE teachers’ strengths and weaknesses. The World Bank is currently developing Coach, which will help school leaders and coaches use the information from Teach classroom observations to provide targeted feedback on how teachers can improve their classroom practices. Teach ECE will also lay the foundations for the development of Coach ECE. 2 3 What does Teach ECE measure? Teach ECE framework Teach ECE differs from other classroom observation tools in that it captures (i) the time ECE teachers spend on learning activities and the extent to which children are on task, and (ii) the quality of ECE teaching practices that help develop children´s cognitive and socioemotional skills. It also includes a checklist measuring aspects of structural quality. As part of the Time on Task component, 3 snapshots of 1–10 seconds are used to record both the teacher’s actions and the proportion of children who are on task throughout the observation. The Quality of Teaching Practices component, on the other hand, is organized into 3 primary Areas as shown below: Classroom Culture, Guided Learning, and Socioemotional Skills. These areas have 9 corresponding Elements that map on to 28 behaviors. The behaviors are characterized as Low, Medium, or High, based on the evidence collected during the observation. The behavior scores are then translated into a 5-point scale that quantifies teaching practices as captured in a series of two, 15-minute classroom observations. Cross-cutting themes Teach ECE measures a number of cross-cutting themes throughout its behaviors that are shown in Table 1. Table 1: Teach ECE cross-cutting themes LANGUAGE CHILD-CENTERED INCLUSION FACILITATION ACTIVITIES Teach ECE captures Teach ECE embeds a focus on Teach ECE measures the inclusive teaching in language facilitation within presence and quality of classrooms, defined as the classroom, defined as child-centered activities in practices that create the strategies teachers use ECE classrooms, defined increased opportunities to promote young children’s as activities where children to access learning for all language development. are actively leading or CLASSROOM GUIDED SOCIOEMOTIONAL children, regardless of Teach ECE captures teaching playing important roles, CULTURE: LEARNING: SKILLS: ability. Teach ECE explicitly practices such as engaging such as during free or captures whether a teacher in back-and-forth exchanges guided play. Teach ECE The ECE teacher creates The ECE teacher facilitates The ECE teacher fosters exhibits or challenges with children, expanding upon behaviors that capture a culture that is conducive learning to promote socioemotional skills that disability and gender bias children’s language, asking child-centeredness include to learning. The focus is comprehension by explicitly encourage children to in the classroom. Drawing open-ended questions, and the extent to which children from the Universal Design thinking aloud or narrating to themselves ask open- on the extent to which stating what children succeed both inside and for Learning Framework, children. ended questions or perform the teacher creates a will do and the objective outside the classroom. Teach ECE also captures thinking tasks, make long- supportive learning of the activity, providing To develop children’s inclusive teaching practices or short-term plans for environment and sets clear explanations of socioemotional skills, the such as use of multiple themselves, or collaborate positive behavioral concepts and connecting teacher instills autonomy, forms of representation, with peers. expectations, rather than what is being learned to promotes perseverance, adjusting learning to the on correcting children´s other learning activities or and fosters social and needs of children, and negative behaviors. children’s experiences. collaborative skills providing choices. among peers. 4 5 How does Teach ECE differ from Development and piloting Teach Primary? Teach ECE is currently in the process of being piloted and validated. As of early 2021, Teach ECE pilot trainings have taken place in 4 countries: Differences between the 2 tools respond primarily to the different the Dominican Republic, Mongolia, Pakistan, and Romania. In these age ranges and educational environments being observed. The main 4 contexts, stakeholder discussions, master coding process, and changes made to Teach Primary and reflected in Teach ECE are:5 observer training have taken place. Approximately 90% of raters were reliable across all 4 contexts (Table 2). These pilot activities as well as feedback from an Expert Panel have helped inform the revisions to the tool and ultimately provided an opportunity to ensure the tool’s 1 2 suitability for low- and middle-income countries. While fieldwork was halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the plan is to carry out the same rigorous validation process for Teach ECE that Teach Primary underwent, once conditions allow. Developmental level Guided Learning criteria Table 2: Teach ECE Reliability Exam pass rate Modified descriptions and Changed Area of examples to be appropriate “Instruction” to “Guided COUNTRY N OF OBSERVERS PASS RATE for children 3–6 years of age Learning”, reflecting the and to reflect quality across a greater amount of teacher- Dominican range of cultural contexts and child interaction and Republic 10 90% differing ECE teaching practices, mediation or scaffolding that from teacher-centered to child- occurs in ECE Mongolia 16 100% centered learning activities Pakistan 14 79% Romania 18 100% 3 4 Measurement of Checklist component cross-cutting themes Teach ECE captures aspects Teach ECE measures cross- of structural quality in ECE cutting themes of language classrooms facilitation and child-centered activities in its behaviors 6 7 Implementing Teach ECE: From conception to completion This roadmap provides a detailed timeline, cost estimate, and list of complementary resources needed to apply Teach ECE in a new setting.6 The roadmap captures the implementation process from start to finish and outlines the recommended steps teams should follow 4. Observers collect data to ensure timely and accurate data collection. The overall process EXPECTED TIME: 21–28 DAYS takes approximately 3 months. For more detail, see the Teach ECE After the observers are trained, Implementation Guide. they proceed to conduct classroom Approximately observations using Teach ECE. 3. Option 1: Implementor Training7 Data collection is either done by 3 months the government or an external to completion STEP A) CREATE MASTER CODES / EXPECTED TIME: 7 DAYS entity, depending on the context. In The Teach ECE trainer (with optional help from a master either scenario, observers collect coder or coders) prepares local master codes for the data using PAPI or CAPI. The Teach 5 implementor training. ECE team provides a do-file (Stata) that automatizes the data cleaning STEP B) TRAIN IMPLEMENTORS / EXPECTED TIME: 5 DAYS process and generates a report The Teach ECE trainer trains 5–8 local implementors on that highlights potential mistakes the tool. At the end of the implementor training, the Teach in the data. ECE trainer will choose 1–2 implementors to conduct the observer training. 1. Consult with STEP C) CREATE MASTER CODE JUSTIFICATIONS / 4 EXPECTED TIME: 7–14 DAYS 5. Teach ECE resources stakeholders Implementors who successfully passed the Teach ECE training will create master code justifications for the 5 automatize data cleaning, EXPECTED TIME: 2 WEEKS practice videos, and master codes for the 6 exam videos. analysis, & validation Consult with stakeholders on what STEP D) CONDUCT OBSERVER TRAINING / EXPECTED TIME: 1 DAY Teach ECE measures EXPECTED TIME: 5 DAYS After the data have been cleaned, and discuss its The implementor(s) conducts the observer training. The another do-file (Stata) automatically applicability in the local training lasts 5 days (a four-day training with 1 day for analyzes the data, which generates 3 setting. the reliability) descriptive statistics and confirms the validity of the Teach ECE scores, 2 producing Excel/Stata graphs and 2 3 tables. These outputs are then input 1 into a pre-formatted MS Word file or a tex file (LaTeX). 1 3. Option 2: Direct Observer Training8 2. Collect video footage STEP A) CREATE MASTER CODES AND PREPARE TRAINING / EXPECTED TIME: 7 DAYS EXPECTED TIME: 2 WEEKS Collect video footage from the country The Teach ECE Trainer and the master coder(s) where Teach ECE will be applied. These certified on Teach ECE develop the training videos need to reflect the diversity of the materials. target sample, as they will be used in the STEP B) CONDUCT OBSERVER TRAINING / training to prepare observers to apply the EXPECTED TIME: 5 DAYS tool within a given context. The Teach ECE trainer conducts the observer training. The training lasts 5 days (a four-day training with 1 day for the reliability) 8 9 Teach ECE complementary toolkit RESOURCE DESCRIPTION Teach ECE This individual is a preferred hire. S/he is responsible for passing the Teach ECE reliability Implementor exam and developing a set of master code justifications under the direction and oversight (TOR) of the Teach ECE trainer. 1–2 of the implementors will be chosen by the Teach ECE trainer to facilitate the observers’ training, based on their performance. 1. Consult with stakeholders Teach ECE This individual is an optional hire and is particularly useful if the training is being conducted Teach ECE Brief, These documents provide a high-level overview of why ECE teaching practices matter for Quality for a large number of observers or in a low-capacity setting. S/he is responsible for helping Guide, & Slide young children´s learning, current shortfalls in how many countries measure ECE teaching Assurance the Teach ECE trainer prepare the materials for the training of implementors and helps Deck practices, what Teach ECE is, how it addresses these shortfalls, how it differs from other tools, manage and oversee the development of master codes for the observer training. Assistant (TOR) the differences between Teach Primary and Teach ECE, and background on the development and validity of the tool. 4. Teach ECE observers collect data Teach ECE Expert This individual is an optional hire. S/he is hired to help draft an additional element at the request (TOR) of the government. This consultant either drafts the element in full or advises government Teach ECE This document provides a step-by-step explanation on how to create a web and mobile officials as they draft the element, depending on the government’s needs and preferences. Guidelines for version of the questionnaire to be collected on computers/tablets, how to use the web Using Electronic version and the app version, and how to export the data collected. Application 2. Collect video footage Teach ECE This is a computer-assisted personal interviewing style wherein observers input scores Guide for This document provides a step by step explanation on how to select and record classroom SurveyCTO digitally, using SurveyCTO. This form makes the survey available on phone/tablets/computer Selecting & video footage for Teach ECE. (CAPI) in English. The team will have to create a SurveyCTO server to collect data using this form. Recording Teach Data can be collected using a computer or the SurveyCTO app on tablets/phones. Once the ECE Videos data is collected, it can be exported from SurveyCTO as an Excel file. This file is perfectly aligned with the pre-created do-files that will automatically label, clean, and analyze the data. Teach ECE The document is a legal form ECE teachers must sign before their classroom is recorded. By signing the form, ECE teachers not only consent to be recorded, but for their recordings to be Teach ECE Data This is a pen-and-paper interviewing style wherein observers input scores on the Teach ECE Recording observation form and manually transfer them to an Excel database. In the case where PAPI used as part of the Teach ECE training, publications, and research. It also provides the option Entry (PAPI) Authorization data collection is done, this Excel file is a template for data entry and is perfectly aligned with of permitting their videos to be made publicly available online. Form the pre-created do-files that will automatically label, clean, and analyze the data. If the team wishes to program the data entry to another software such as CSPro, a file is available that Teach ECE Video This individual is an optional hire. S/he is responsible for editing the local classroom lesson details the logic of the questionnaire. Editor (TOR) videos into 15-minute segments and embedding subtitles into the training videos (where applicable). Teach ECE After data has been collected, either through CAPI or through PAPI, a pre-written do-file Program for (Stata) automatically labels the data and saves it as a first Stata dataset. Teach ECE This individual is an optional hire. S/he is responsible for translating official Teach ECE labeling the data Translator (TOR) documents from English to the local language. using Stata Teach ECE This document provides the terms for a survey firm to oversee the collection of data and hiring of field supervisors and observers to implement Teach ECE. 3. Choose and implement a training model Survey Firm (TOR) Guidelines for This document provides a step-by-step explanation on how to write master codes. A master Writing Teach code is a detailed justification for why a behavior or element, as observed in classroom footage, warrants a particular Teach ECE score, which is established by a consensus of 5. Teach ECE resources automatize data cleaning, analysis, & validation ECE Master several master coders. Codes Teach ECE After data has been collected and labeled, a pre-written do-file (Stata) automatically checks Program for for strange patterns in the data and exports the data to be checked in an Excel file. This Teach ECE This document includes all resources necessary to conduct the 5-day reliability training. This cleaning the Excel file can be shared with the team or firm responsible for data collection. In this do-file, Training Manual includes a detailed script, 5-day agenda, example bank, activities, common challenges by corrections can also be applied, following the feedback from the data collection team. The data using Stata do-file saves the cleaned data as a second Stata dataset. element, and overall tips for trainers to execute a successful training. Teach ECE Program After data has been cleaned, a pre-written do-file (Stata) automatically analyzes the data and Teach ECE This presentation is to be used during the 5-day reliability training. It is aligned to the training confirms the validity of the Teach ECE scores (Stata graphs and Excel tables). manual and includes video clips and detailed notes for participants to practice and identify for Reliability Training the tool’s various behaviors, elements, and areas. using Stata PowerPoint Teach ECE Program After data has been cleaned, a pre-written do-file (Stata) automatically analyzes the data, which Teach ECE This document provides information on the roles, responsibilities, and timeline needed to generates descriptive statistics in Excel and analytical graphs (both in Excel and Stata format). conduct the master coding process. for Analysis using Project Stata Management Plan Teach ECE MS This document is a sample report. This template has automatically-generated sections with Word Template sections (text and graphs) to be filled in with country-specific results. The graphs and tables Teach ECE This Excel file automatically calculates the participants’ reliability score and whether they produced by the do-file can be manually included in the report. Reliability Exam passed the Teach ECE reliability exam. Teach ECE Tex This document is a sample report. This template has automatically generated sections with Teach ECE This individual is a necessary hire. S/he is likely a member of the Teach ECE team, who is File (LaTeX) text to be filled in with country-specific results. The graphs and tables produced by the do-file Trainer (TOR) responsible for developing master codes for the implementors’ training and conducting are automatically integrated. the training. S/he then oversees the implementors or master coder(s) as s/he develops the master codes for the observers’ training. The Teach ECE trainer will choose 1–2 implementors Teach ECE Stata/ This individual is an optional hire and is particularly applicable if the project calls for a highly to lead the observers’ training, based on performance, if implementors are trained. Analysis (TOR) technical analysis of the Teach ECE findings. S/he cleans the data and conducts an in-depth analysis for use in an extended report or presentation. 10 11 How much does Teach ECE cost? What World Bank Task Team Leaders The cost to implement Teach ECE varies by context; however, the cost are saying about Teach of Teach ECE training, including cost for video editing, master coding, travel, and accommodation of trainer are estimated at ≈$8,000 USD. These costs may vary based on the consultancy rate of the Teach ECE Applicability in Policy dialogue Teach training Trainer, which ranges from $300–$400 USD per day. This estimate local context does not include facilities for the training, or data collection costs, which will vary depending on the sample size and location. It also “For our new project, “Teach provided the “Preparing for the does not include additional translation costs. we had to produce a evidence needed Teach training involves baseline of teaching to have a real collecting videos and The manual is currently available in Arabic, English, French, practices in a very conversation regarding creating master codes Mongolian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, and Urdu; translating the tight timeframe — our the challenges using the tool. The manual to another language costs $600–$1,000 USD. Moreover, the counterparts put a teachers’ face in process of master master-coded videos and descriptions for the Teach ECE training are large emphasis on classrooms. With coding local videos both the quality of the this information we is a crucial step in currently only available in English; additional translation and subtitling instrument and its were able to engage the implementation fees may apply for use in contexts where master coders do not adaptation to the local the government on of Teach. When understand English (≈$2,500 USD). context. Teach allowed specific ways the Bank implementing Teach, us to meet both of can support these we had a lot of these requirements and teachers to strengthen questions from our our deadline in a very their competencies and client on whether cost-effective way.” pedagogical skills.” we know what the behaviors and Francisco Haimovich Franco Russo, elements mean, and Paz, Uruguay Philippines whether our observers could understand Table 3: Teach ECE cost options “At first, I was skeptical “Teach gave us the them. After master to use a high inference chance to discuss coding the videos, we No translation Translation tool in Mozambique. several issues with the trained and certified However, the simplicity government, including observers, which 1 video editor’s time x 1 day ✓ ✓ of Teach and the fact it the importance of took a few attempts uses local videos made observing teachers, to get right. Despite 1 coder’s time x 6 days preparation ✓ ✓ it possible implement which was relevant all this, we reached with a high degree of to introduce a culture an extremely high 1 trainer’s time x (5 days training + 5 days ✓ preparation) ✓ reliability.” of monitoring and reliability rate of 96%. feedback. It helped us In the field, the strong Marina Bassi, 1 roundtrip airline ticket ✓ ✓ to identify gaps in the training really paid Mozambique teacher professional off, as we reached 1 accommodation x 7 days ✓ ✓ development extremely high IRR. component of our Through this process, 1 per diem x 7 days ✓ ✓ project and plan we were much more innovations for the knowledgeable of the 1 translator’s time x (10 days translating future.” ✓ tool and were able to manual + 8 days transcribing video footage + 7 days translating master codes) Helena Rovner, convince our partners Uruguay and observers that 1 designer’s time x 2 days designing manual ✓ this was done in the right way.” $8,000–9,000* $14,000–16,000* Koen Martijn Geven, Pakistan 12 13 Endnotes Araujo, María Caridad, Dormal, Marta, and Schady, Norbert Rüdiger (2017). Child care quality 1 and Child development. Vol. 779. IDB Working Paper Series. Washington, DC: Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). http://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0000664 National Research Council (2001). Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers. Committee on Early Childhood Pedagogy. Barbara T. Bowman, M. Suzanne Donovan, and M. Susan Burns, editors. Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington,  National Academy Press. DC: OECD (2018). Engaging Young Children: Lessons from Research about Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care: Starting Strong. Paris, France: OECD Publishing. It should be noted that it is impossible to draw a clear line between ECE teaching practices 2 linked to cognition and socioemotional development; the science of early childhood has shown that these domains develop in complex, interconnected ways, and that adult mediation is crucial for their development (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000). Many evidence- based ECE teacher practices impact children’s socioemotional development as well as their cognition; however, more emphasis is usually given to the cognitive. Explicitly including an Area focused on socioemotional outcomes (which includes executive functioning) serves to increase the visibility of children’s socioemotional skills to ECE teachers, as well as to other stakeholders and policymakers, thus ensuring a holistic focus on cognition and socioemotional development in the classroom. Under cognition we include cognitive, language, and literacy development as well as other domains such as mathematics or science development and understanding; under socioemotional skills, we will be describing social and emotional competencies, including self-regulation or executive function. This ensures that the Elements and behaviors described in the manual are contextualized 3 and anchored in the local setting. For example, while Teach ECE states that the ECE teacher should treat all children respectfully, evidence of what is respectful may vary depending on the country and can be adapted. The tool is designed to be modular, which allows users to create additional elements that 4 are relevant for the local curriculum and standards of effective ECE teaching practices. For example, an additional feature was piloted in primary in Uruguay, where the local assessment agency developed 2 new elements for the tool in reading and writing. For more detail on behavior-specific differences between Teach Primary and Teach ECE, see 5 Annex 1B. The timeline and cost may vary slightly based on the sample size, survey and/or context- 6 specific realities. There are 2 approaches to preparing Teach ECE coders: Implementer or Direct Observer 7 Trainings. Implementer Training, which is preferred, involves hiring a member of the core Teach ECE team, who will train an implementor, who will then train observers, in a cascade model. The Direct Observer Trainings mean that a member of the core Teach ECE team directly trains 8 observers, working with least one certified master coder on master codes for local videos prior to the local Teach ECE trainings for observers. 14 15 What experts are saying about Teach “Teach is a magnificent example of research taken to the practical level with the possibility of providing enormous social value. The imaginative use of an observational platform as a device for monitoring what actually happens in the classroom could be absolutely revolutionary. Instead of just bemoaning the need to improve classroom teaching, this initiative turns research and evaluation into a clear improvement mechanism.” . Eric Hanushek Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University “Up to this point, the lack of open source, flexible, easy-to-learn observational measures that can be used systematically in classrooms has stood as a major stumbling block in international efforts to improve education. Observing not just what teachers teach, but how teachers teach — it is a critical step for improvement. Teach not only fills this gap but stands apart from typical observational measures in that it can be used systematically but has some flexibility built into to adjust and adapt to cultural variation. The Teach development process has been meticulous, building on a strong theoretical base and decades of empirical research. Further, as part of the validation work, Teach has been tested in more than 15 countries in four continents which represents a unique strength. Teachers in classrooms around the world hold great power in shaping our future. The Teach measure offers a unique window into this space.” Sara Rimm-Kaufman Professor of Education, Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia “Teach represents a major innovation in our efforts to improve education for all. It helps us address crucial questions such as: How can teachers create an engaging and supportive learning environment? How should teachers teach so they can help students develop strong content foundations and critical thinking skills? How can teachers nurture independent, resilient, and socially competent learners? Teach will be catalytic for enhancing learning all around the world!” . Oon Seng Tan Director, Centre for Research in Child Development, National Institute of Education, Singapore “Observing teachers in the classroom is a powerful strategy for understanding what drives learning and giving individual teachers the feedback they need to become more effective. Teach — the first-ever classroom observation instrument designed for developing countries — is an essential resource for countries seeking to improve education results. Teach combines the best features of prior instruments into an all-in-one package that analyzes teachers’ time on task, socioemotional support for students, and use of high-quality teaching practices. Its observer training materials and software are all open source and user-friendly, and Teach results can be benchmarked against a growing number of developing countries. Teach makes a huge contribution to education quality in the developing world.” . Barbara Bruns Center for Global Development and Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University “Teach provides excellent guidance for observing and rating global classroom instruction. The instrument is impressive not only for its comprehensiveness but also its specificity — naming key classroom practices and describing concrete examples of how those practices occur at different levels of quality. A useful and accessible tool for heads of school, administrators, and even teachers themselves.” Heather Hill Jerome T. Murphy Professor in Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Creator of the Mathematical Quality of Instruction (MQI) instrument “Teach provides a practical tool for educators around the world who are serious about improving the quality of classroom practice. Designed specifically for a global audience, Teach builds on a strong research base and has been tested in multiple countries. Although observation protocols have been used primarily to evaluate teaching, their greatest promise lies in the possibility of creating a common instructional vision and providing specific feedback to teachers on how to improve their instruction. Teach will no doubt provide such learning opportunities for teachers and leaders worldwide.” . Pam Grossman Dean and George and Diane Weiss Professor, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania; Creator of the Protocol for English Language Arts Teaching Observation (PLATO) instrument “Teach is a classroom observation tool that has clearly been designed with the realities of the Global South in mind. The clear explanations, well-crafted examples, and FAQs ease interpretation and ensure commonality of understanding between observers. The simplicity of the tool makes it particularly suited for the purpose of monitoring classrooms and also for capturing insights for further improvement in teacher practices. Teach is also the first-ever classroom observation tool that capture teachers’ efforts to foster soft skills.” . Sara Ruto Director, People’s Action for Learning (PAL) Network Contact us at teach@worldbank.org and visit us at www.worldbank.org/education/teach