Founded on the belief that education is every child's birthright, Bridge International Academies is a global chain of private schools dedicated to making the highest quality education available to children everywhere. By developing a technology-driven approach to teaching and classroom management, Bridge delivers the same exceptional education to every child, in every classroom. Each day, Bridge reaches over 100,000 children in emerging communities across Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Liberia, and India. 

Founded on the belief that education is every child's birthright, Bridge International Academies is a global chain of private schools dedicated to making the highest quality education available to children everywhere. By developing a technology-driven approach to teaching and classroom management, Bridge delivers the same exceptional education to every child, in every classroom. Each day, Bridge reaches over 100,000 children in emerging communities across Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Liberia, and India. 

In 2016, Bridge International Academies and the Government of Liberia signed an agreement to launch a public-private partnership to launch 25 new Bridge Academies throughout the country.

The initiative presented an opportunity to go beyond ensuring more children learning in classrooms. To build a powerful engagement strategy for launch, our team spent three weeks in eight different communities in Liberia. Immersed into daily life, we spent time with parents, educators, and local leaders in order to uncover meaningful insights.

In 2016, Bridge International Academies and the Government of Liberia signed an agreement to launch a public-private partnership to launch 25 new Bridge Academies throughout the country.

The initiative presented an opportunity to go beyond ensuring more children learning in classrooms. To build a powerful engagement strategy for launch, our team spent three weeks in eight different communities in Liberia. Immersed into daily life, we spent time with parents, educators, and local leaders in order to uncover meaningful insights.

• Contextual inquiry
• Expert interviews
  
• Quantitative surveys using local researchers
• Focus groups
• Inquiry into social science best practices on social change research

• Contextual inquiry
• Expert interviews
  
• Quantitative surveys using local researchers
• Focus groups
• Inquiry into social science best practices on social change research

To ensure a full understanding of our project, we explored a number of themes in our research plan.

Project Goal: What is the main value the Bridge brings to schools and communities?
Research Goal: Understand the educational needs, frustrations and aspirations of educators, parents and the community.  

• Parenting: What are parents' dreams and hopes for their children's future? How does the child's school impact parenting
• Teaching: What are the challenges, needs and aspirations that educators have?
• Learning: How do educators and parents know that learning is happening? What are markers of signifiers of success and progress?
• Education: What are the different ways the community views education and the school system? What does a good education look like and what does it provide? 
  

To ensure a full understanding of our project, we explored a number of themes in our research plan.

Project Goal: What is the main value the Bridge brings to schools and communities?
Research Goal: Understand the educational needs, frustrations and aspirations of educators, parents and the community.  

• Parenting: What are parents' dreams and hopes for their children's future? How does the child's school impact parenting
• Teaching: What are the challenges, needs and aspirations that educators have?
• Learning: How do educators and parents know that learning is happening? What are markers of signifiers of success and progress?
• Education: What are the different ways the community views education and the school system? What does a good education look like and what does it provide? 
  

As the Associate Director of Global Customer Strategy, my work for Bridge focused on CX, with an emphasis on launching in Liberia. 

I did this work in partnership with Jennifer Giroux, then a consultant at ReD Associates, and now Vice President and Head of Global Insights & Strategy at Bridge.

We also hired a local research team of four in Liberia. This team was essential to our work.

As the Associate Director of Global Customer Strategy, my work for Bridge focused on CX, with an emphasis on launching in Liberia. 

I did this work in partnership with Jennifer Giroux, then a consultant at ReD Associates, and now Vice President and Head of Global Insights & Strategy at Bridge.

We also hired a local research team of four in Liberia. This team was essential to our work.

Through our fieldwork, we came away with some key research findings.

Public schools tend to be places of powerlessness, where educators, parents, community leaders, and students are constantly disappointed and frustrated with the state of their school.

Public school educators (whether teachers or administrators) often feel like strangers in their communities and are constantly in search for respect. Hungry to be celebrated, appreciated and admired in their communities.

Parents who send their kids to public schools often feel a sense of failure.They constantly wish that they could send their kids to a private school – a place they perceive as one that provides a system of learning they can trust.

In unstructured learning environments, students struggle to see the reason for staying in class. Children often leave school grounds the first opportunity they get, which is usually well before the school day ends.

We translated our findings into an engagement strategy. Details are confidential, but a summary is below.

Through our fieldwork, we came away with some key research findings.

Public schools tend to be places of powerlessness, where educators, parents, community leaders, and students are constantly disappointed and frustrated with the state of their school.

Public school educators (whether teachers or administrators) often feel like strangers in their communities and are constantly in search for respect. Hungry to be celebrated, appreciated and admired in their communities.

Parents who send their kids to public schools often feel a sense of failure.They constantly wish that they could send their kids to a private school – a place they perceive as one that provides a system of learning they can trust.

In unstructured learning environments, students struggle to see the reason for staying in class. Children often leave school grounds the first opportunity they get, which is usually well before the school day ends.

We translated our findings into an engagement strategy. Details are confidential, but a summary is below.

The new Bridge schools in Liberia have had promising results. The Ministry of Education recently gave Bridge an 'A' rating on the basis of 'significant quality of implementation' and agreed to open 43 additional schools in the second year of the pilot, for a total of 68 Bridge schools operating in Liberia.

Liberia, Desperate to Educate, Turns to Charter Schools, New York Times  

The new Bridge schools in Liberia have had promising results. The Ministry of Education recently gave Bridge an 'A' rating on the basis of 'significant quality of implementation' and agreed to open 43 additional schools in the second year of the pilot, for a total of 68 Bridge schools operating in Liberia.

Liberia, Desperate to Educate, Turns to Charter Schools, New York Times  

WORK

WORK