Advancing Student Learning and Success in the Middle East and North Africa

Diverse and complex educational challenges require innovative yet contextual approaches. Through the USAID Teaching and Learning for Education Excellence in the Middle East (TALEEM, or “knowledge” in Arabic) activity, MSI, a Tetra Tech company, will conduct a variety of multi-country research, training, and analytical support activities with the goal of advancing student learning and success across the region.  

We will produce on-demand analyses for education strategy development and policy reform for USAID missions, test new and cost-effective strategies aimed at achieving student learning with the potential to scale, and train USAID and education sector staff on emerging priorities. These activities will enable the Bureau for the Middle East and its missions to expand the evidence for effective education programming and apply the evidence to MENA contexts.

MSI views local partnership as critical to success. Alongside our local, regional and U.S.-based partners, we will collaborate with USAID and engage local stakeholders, including relevant ministry of education authorities, throughout project implementation. TALEEM will also help with surge capacity and support MENA missions to achieve their strategic goals and aid host country governments to deliver on their commitments of education for all. TALEEM’s partners include Ana Aqra from Lebanon, Integrated from Jordan, Education for Employment, and U.S. women-owned small business Knowledge Partners.

This activity will build on MSI’s 30 years of experience in the MENA region. We are currently providing on-demand support and analytical services to the Middle East Bureau and its missions through the MENA Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Services activity.  Under the Governance Integration for Stabilization and Resilience in the Middle East and North Africa (GISR MENA) task order, we have completed a number of assignments, including working with the Middle East Bureau’s Office of Technical Support to develop a platform to improve access to learning, research and materials and facilitate peer exchanges across MENA mission staff. We work regularly with MENA ministries of education to support their student assessment and research capacity.

Additionally, we are working on USAID-funded Quality Instruction Towards Access and Basic Education Improvement (QITABI) 2, a five-year activity to support the Lebanon Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) in developing and implementing interventions to improve early-grade reading in public schools. We also work with the USAID-funded Morocco Reading for Success – National Program for Reading (RFS-NPR), a five-year project that is providing technical and capacity building support to the National Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MNEVT).