A group of ten children are standing together outside in the grass wearing casual clothes. A few of the children are jumping in the air with big smiles on their faces. The others are also smiling and looking happy. There is playground equipment, buildings, and mountains in the background A group of ten children are standing together outside in the grass wearing casual clothes. A few of the children are jumping in the air with big smiles on their faces. The others are also smiling and looking happy. There is playground equipment, buildings, and mountains in the background

Purpose

Overview

Transformational teachers collectively explore the purpose of education with students, families, and community members. These teachers align their daily efforts to a locally rooted and globally informed vision of student leadership emerging from those conversations.

Teach For Nigeria teacher with her arms crossed and smiling with her classroom behind her

Discover

Check out this compilation of student, teacher, and family voices from around the world, all asking what is the purpose of education, and who decides and how?  And what student outcomes align with growing students as leaders of a better future?

Learn

Who decides why. Think of that as a statement, not a question. And that idea is the starting point for teachers in classrooms that grow student leadership. These teachers critically question education’s purpose as well as who has been and who should be at the center of determining that purpose. Transformational classrooms demonstrate perspectives, actions, and outcomes that align to a longer-term vision of student success that shares three characteristics:

A version of the framework highlighting the Purpose section in yellow. It defines the goal as "Students who can shape a better future" and specifies that this purpose is Collectively Created, Locally Rooted, and Globally Informed. The rest of the framework is greyed out.

“Our classrooms and the model of teaching have to change in a manner that children don’t just come to school to acquire knowledge, but rather come to school to try out the knowledge. Our schools must become hubs of solving community problems rather than just teaching about our problems.”

— Charles Obore, Teach For Uganda alumnus

Portrait shot of Charles Obore, a man wearing a suit and a beret with a feather in it and speaking into a microphone

“Our classrooms and the model of teaching have to change in a manner that children don’t just come to school to acquire knowledge, but rather come to school to try out the knowledge. Our schools must become hubs of solving community problems rather than just teaching about our problems.”

— Charles Obore, Teach For Uganda alumnus

Portrait shot of Charles Obore, a man wearing a suit and a beret with a feather in it and speaking into a microphone

Do

See how transformational practitioners and programs around the world are co-creating purpose and explore other recommended resources:

20 resource(s)
TACL
TACL Snapshot
Teach For All Insight Purpose Lens Outcome Strategy
TACL
A Collective, Contextualized Vision - Teach For Nepal
Video Learning About Learning Purpose Strategy
Languages: English, Español
TACL
Teaching As Collective Leadership (TACL) Guide
Teach For All Insight Learning About Learning Orientation Purpose Lens Outcome Strategy
TACL
Glossary of Key Language Choices in TACL
Teach For All Insight Learning About Learning Purpose Lens Outcome Strategy

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Our Glossary

In our attempt to capture the real spirit of the classrooms we have studied, we have sometimes intentionally used words and phrases in a slightly unusual way. 

We invite you to learn more about our language choices by exploring our Glossary.