In this report, the authors present findings from a one-year mixed-methods study of the Teach For Pakistan (TFP) teacher leadership development program. They examine the program’s impact on whole-child development and perceptions of teaching quality and TFP Fellows’ contributions to the school community. They find evidence of improved academic achievement among students of TFP Fellows and make recommendations for further developing the program.

Teach For Pakistan Evaluation

Quantitative and Qualitative Study Findings

Jonathan Schweig, Elaine Lin Wang, Sabrina Lee, Kata Mihaly

ResearchPublished Feb 27, 2025

In this report, the authors present findings from a one-year mixed-methods evaluation of the Teach For Pakistan (TFP) teacher leadership development program. They examined the program’s impact on whole-child development, perceptions of teaching quality, and perceptions of the contributions of TFP Fellows to the school community. To do so, they conducted a quantitative study whose sample included 80 principals, 162 teachers, and approximately 4,899 students from 80 government or public schools in Pakistan’s Islamabad Capital Territory. The research team administered assessments in English, mathematics, and science to measure student academic achievement, and they used surveys to measure social and emotional learning outcomes, teaching and classroom conditions, and school climate. For the qualitative study, the research team drew from a subset of 16 TFP schools that participated in the quantitative study to conduct interviews and focus groups with various stakeholders (TFP Fellows, non-TFP teachers, principals, students, and students’ parents).

In the quantitative study, the researchers found evidence that student academic achievement improved more for students of TFP Fellows than for students of non-TFP teachers, but they found no evidence that other outcomes were more improved among TFP Fellows. In the qualitative study, the researchers found that stakeholders perceived notable academic development among the students of TFP Fellows. Stakeholders also perceived that TFP Fellows’ approaches to teaching and interacting with the school community reflect goals of the TFP program. The authors conclude by providing recommendations for how the TFP program can build on its work training and supporting its Fellows.

Key Findings

  • Student academic achievement improved more for students of TFP Fellows than for students of non-TFP teachers. Students in treatment classrooms scored between 0.15 and 0.41 standard deviations higher than students in comparison classrooms on mathematics, English, and science assessments.
  • There was no quantitative evidence that student SEL improved more for students of TFP Fellows than for students of non-TFP teachers. Similarly, quantitative estimates did not point to meaningful effects of the TFP program on perceptions of teaching quality and the quality of the learning environment. There were also no significant differences in school climate for schools with TFP Fellows compared with schools with no TFP Fellows.
  • Qualitatively, interviewees perceived that students of TFP Fellows have developed academically, particularly in English, mathematics, and critical thinking. They also reported observing improved grit and confidence, collective responsibility, and agency.
  • In the qualitative study, stakeholders converged on several notable characteristics of TFP Fellows’ teaching approaches and classroom environment: They teach for mastery and conceptual understanding, motivate students to learn, cultivate a caring classroom environment, and empower students to lead.
  • In the qualitative study, stakeholders perceived that TFP Fellows made school-level contributions, particularly in the areas of fostering parental engagement, ending corporal punishment, and shifting toward a student-centered approach to classroom management.

Recommendations

  • Consistent with existing policies, TFP should continue to encourage its teachers to engage in key practices, such as fostering students’ sense of self (e.g., grit and confidence), teaching students to collaborate, empowering them to lead, and engaging parents in their children’s education. These practices were identified by multiple stakeholders as notable for improving whole-child outcomes.
  • TFP should consider implementing targeted SEL interventions and curricula with explicit instructions on SEL to improve the skills identified in the program’s theory of change. Prior research shows that explicit instruction is the most effective way to improve SEL skills, although TFP might wish to pilot-test such an intervention to ensure that it is appropriate for the Pakistani context.
  • TFP should use multiple modes to measure student outcomes and obtain a comprehensive understanding of student progress. Self-reporting on SEL measures using surveys has known limitations. TFP might consider alternative data collection, such as performance-based SEL measures or third-party independent observations.
  • TFP should consider providing additional supports (e.g., programming, contextualized coaching) to help TFP Fellows navigate school contexts in which principals or non-TFP teachers might disagree with their methods. These trainings can be extended to principals and non-TFP teachers.

Topics

Document Details

  • Copyright: Teach for All, Incorporated
  • Publisher: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web-Only
  • Year: 2025
  • Pages: 103
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/RRA1870-2
  • Document Number: RR-A1870-2

Citation

RAND Style Manual

Schweig, Jonathan, Elaine Lin Wang, Sabrina Lee, and Kata Mihaly, Teach For Pakistan Evaluation: Quantitative and Qualitative Study Findings, RAND Corporation, RR-A1870-2, 2025. As of April 30, 2025: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1870-2.html

Chicago Manual of Style

Schweig, Jonathan, Elaine Lin Wang, Sabrina Lee, and Kata Mihaly, Teach For Pakistan Evaluation: Quantitative and Qualitative Study Findings. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2025. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1870-2.html.
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This study was sponsored by Teach For All and conducted by RAND Education and Labor.

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