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Building Teacher Skills, Boosting Student Outcomes

Empowering Teachers to Prepare Students with Skills to Thrive Beyond the Classroom

Poverty, exclusion, and gender inequity hold millions back from quality education. Effective teachers can help change that. TeachUNITED tackles the learning crisis by giving teachers the tools they need to ensure learners succeed. Our cost-effective, sustainable coaching model boosts teacher confidence and retention to give the next generation of students the skills to thrive beyond the classroom.
Global Collection 2026
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Overview

HundrED has selected this innovation to

HundrED Global Collection 2026

Updated March 2026
Web presence

2016

Established

21

Countries
All students
Target group
TeachUNITED empowers educators in rural and underserved schools with the high-impact, research-based, instructional strategies needed to increase academic achievement, help students reach their full potential, and decrease poverty. Our trainings upskill educators to close learning gaps and build school-wide capacity. We are working to improve educational systems for 5 million students by 2030.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

Teacher quality is the single biggest factor in student success, and yet, the educators within rural and under-resourced schools often lack access to the tools and support they need to be effective. This impedes students’ ability to learn and limits their future opportunities for success. TU is on a mission to provide teachers with the skills needed to unlock their students’ potential.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

TeachUNITED (TU) partners with schools, districts, NGOs, & governments to sustainably and measurably improve education quality around the world.

1. Designed by Teachers, for Teachers
Our model was built and is run by educators who understand the challenges teachers face. Our programs are tailored to help schools achieve their goals, giving teachers classroom-ready strategies to improve learning today.

2. Delivered by Local Coaches
Teachers don’t need more one-off workshops; they need consistent, practical support. Delivered over a full school year by local expert teacher-coaches, our high-touch, scalable model ensures educators implement new skills in the classroom, leading to immediate and enduring impact.

3. Driven by Measurable Impact
Every program we deliver is built on evidence and driven by real-time data to ensure lasting student impact. Educators who participate in our programs increase math and literacy rates and are more likely to continue teaching next year.

How has it been spreading?

Since our inception in 2016, TU has grown from a small pilot reaching 1,700 students to a global network of 2.3M students across 21 countries. Among other impacts, TU schools continue to outperform control averages worldwide, from 90%+ pass rates in East Africa, to surpassing controls by double-digit margins in Latin America.

TU has also dramatically expanded our geographic reach. We have now worked with 26 partners across 21 countries in Latin America and Africa, spanning from large-scale government partnerships, to partnerships with global NGOs, to relationships with small, community-based NGOs.

Designed to be simple for others to replicate, our train-the-trainer, capacity-building approach catalyzes a multiplier effect — providing support to tens of thousands of teachers. Today, over 48,600 trained educators are solving complex problems in their school systems and communities — giving students the skills to succeed within and beyond the classroom.

How have you modified or added to your innovation?

In 2024, TU launched a new direct-service Innovation Hub, which serves as a cornerstone for understanding and refining our model. These hubs in East Africa and Central America enable us to test and improve strategies that work best for diverse contexts.

We are also leveraging emerging technologies to better support educators. We recently piloted an AI chatbot in Latin America, providing 24/7 high-quality assistance to educators, and are actively developing deeper modules to help teachers integrate technology into their instruction.

Finally, we are actively working to expand government partnerships and strengthen collaboration to scale these innovations effectively. Alongside this, we are refining our approach by developing comprehensive monitoring and evaluation tools to deepen our understanding of impact as we grow.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

TU’s model is an innovative, high-touch program and long-term commitment. Embedded within each localized model are workshops, small group activities, 1:1 on-the-job coaching, and continued support. If your school or district is interested in creating lasting improvements for teachers and students, we invite you to explore our website or contact us at info@teachunited.org.

Impact & scalability

Impact & Scalability

It builds teacher capacity through long-term coaching, peer networks, and evidence-based methods, improving student outcomes in literacy and numeracy. Its train-the-trainer model creates a powerful multiplier effect, empowering local educators to sustain change. Reaching 2.3 million students across 20 countries, it offers a low-cost approach to advancing teacher quality and learning equity.

HundrED Academy Reviews

Student scores are improving, teachers reporting higher job satisfaction. Building teams from the region also builds capacity, improves sustainability for local education reform.

This innovation has high scalability, also promising for future collaborations, and partnerships around the world. It is a phenomenon which is creating a ripple effect and must be encouraged.

- Academy member
Academy review results
Impact
Scalability
Exceptional
High
Moderate
Limited
Insufficient
Exceptional
High
Moderate
Limited
Insufficient
Read more about our selection process

Media

Document
TeachUNITED 2024 Annual Impact Report https://teachunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2024-Annual-Report.pdf
Video
TeachUNITED: Tanzania Impact
In Tanzania, we see TU-trained teachers changing their classroom practices to have more collaborative learning - motivating their students, so kids enjoy going to school. That translates directly to academic success, with nearly 10% more students able to move onto secondary school and double digit growth in both math and literacy when compared to control schools.
Video
Elimu Soko Project in Zanzibar, Tanzania
TeachUNITED was selected in November 2023 as the winning innovator for the Elimu-Soko Zanzibar Initiative. This pilot project successfully launched in January 2024 in collaboration with Hempel Foundation, Axum, Dalberg, and the Revolutionary Government of Tanzania.
Link
Power in Partnerships - TeachUNITED
Discover how collaborative government partnerships are transforming education systems in Zanzibar, empowering educators and students for sustainable impact. https://teachunited.org/power-in-partnerships/
Document
2023 Annual Impact Report - TeachUNITED achieved a significant milestone in 2023 – reaching more than one million students and 30,000 educators globally! https://teachunited.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/TeachUNITED-2023-Annual-Report-Print.pdf
Link
Engaged Educators, Engaged Students - TeachUNITED
Latin America Case Study TeachUNITED conducted an education impact study in Latin America to get a systemic view of the impact our work has had in Sarapiquí, Heredia Province, Costa Rica. To date, the organization has supported over one thousand educators in the district, improving the learning experiences of over 54,000 students. https://teachunited.org/engaged-educators-engaged-students/
Link
Empowering Local African Educators - TeachUNITED
East Africa Case Study TeachUNITED conducted an education impact study in rural Tanzania to get a systemic view of the impact their work has had in the Monduli District of Arusha Region, Tanzania. To date, the organization has reached 4,533 educators who, in turn, have improved the education of nearly 250,000 students in Karatu and Monduli. https://teachunited.org/empowering-local-african-educato
Link
Q&A with Heather Hiebsch - TeachUNITED
Harvard Social Impact Review Feature TeachUNITED was honored to be featured by Harvard Social Impact Review in the article Empowering Teachers: Tackling the Global Learning Crisis From the Front Line. We were thrilled to highlight our efforts to address the global learning crisis. https://teachunited.org/qa-with-heather-hiebsch/
Video
T02 - C01: Aprendizaje continuo; Desarrollo profesional docente | S2 E1 Continuous Training and PD
Latin America Podcast: Continuous Training and Professional Development TeachUNITED was honored to have kicked off season two of its podcast with an interview with Jesús Darío Loeza, an education expert and Coordinator of the Continuous Training and Professional Development Program of the Secretary of Education of Yucatán, Mexico. https://youtu.be/IrP-P4Z7rsM?feature=shared
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Implementation steps

Introduction
Our train-the-trainer, capacity-building approach was built for scale, reaching local educators and leaders capable of improving the education children receive in their communities for generations to come. Our participants work through the following stages as they become certified Instructional Coaches to the teachers in their local schools.
Partnership Launch
Our local teams develop deep relationships with schools, districts, NGOs, and governments. We work together to set goals for teachers and students, prioritize outcomes, customize our data-driven teacher training program, and plan a data collection schedule to ensure impact in the short and long term.
Training & Certification (6-12 months)
TeachUNITED works to train and certify local education stakeholders (school leaders and government and educational NGO staff) as Teaching Coaches to implement our program within their school networks. Participants are trained on a full suite of research-based strategies that have proven to create the greatest impact on student success — closing learning gaps of 2-3 years in a single school year.
Replication (9-12 months)
With extensive support from TU and access to all program materials, newly certified Teaching Coaches then deliver this program in their networks of schools over one full school year and measure its impact, creating sustainable, and community-led education transformation.
Alumni Program (Ongoing)
All participants gain access to our Alumni Program, which includes advanced learning opportunities, like refresher courses, workshops, vetted resources to use in the classroom, and ongoing opportunities for networking to sustain and grow skills for continuous improvement.

Spread of the innovation

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