Our Programs
At Dignitas, we are dedicated to revolutionizing education through innovative programs that empower school leadership teams. Our initiatives focus on three key pillars: instructional leadership, learner engagement, and classroom culture, all aimed at improving outcomes for learners.
Core Programs
These flagship programs are tailored to improve educator competency, shift classroom practice and improve learning outcomes through training and coaching support.
Ongoza
Ongoza was formally launched in 2022 in partnership with IDP Foundation and Premier Credit Kenya. Ongoza is designed to improve quality and learning outcomes through a combination of financial support, school leadership training, and improving teachers’ ability to deliver Kenya’s Competency Based Curriculum (CBC).
Effective Leadership for Early Years Learning
Our Early Years Learning Program aims to strengthen partner schools’ leadership and improve instructional quality for early-year learning to help create an environment where all children can develop all the competencies needed to achieve their full potential. Our support for school leaders focuses on: Child safeguarding and well-being in school; Improved implementation of Early Years curriculum; and Equipping teachers with Early Years instructional methodologies.
Ustadi
In partnership with Global School Leaders, Dignitas runs the USTADI School Leadership Institute (USLI), a 2-year professional development program for School Leaders (head teachers and their deputies) to improve instructional leadership and learning outcomes. Dignitas works within existing education structures to strengthen instructional leadership and coaching in a sustainable manner for ongoing improvement. Currently, the USTADI team is testing a toolkit designed in collaboration with stakeholders. The toolkit creates a pathway to scale for school leadership support by empowering Education Officers who supervise school leaders with competency and tools to support school leaders to improve student outcomes.
Stawisha
The Stawisha Instructional Leadership Institute (SILI) is our award-winning flagship program. Stawisha is a one-year school partnership program for school leadership teams committed to improving the quality of teaching and learning in APBET schools or Public Schools. Stawisha cohorts learn and grow together through a series of Leadership Academies and Professional Development Workshops, which are combined with school and classroom-based individualized coaching, and Peer Learning Communities.
School Support Programs
These research & collaboration programs provide valuable insight and evidence aligned to our mission to promote learning and help children develop the skills and strength of character to thrive and succeed
BookAid
Since 2019 Dignitas has partnered with Book Aid International with the mission to distribute library books to APBET schools in urban informal settlements around Nairobi. The initiative is designed to promote a culture of reading in schools and communities that supports literacy and learning.
Tailored for Education
Since 2012, we have been in partnership with Tailored for Education (TFE) to distribute school uniforms in partner schools in Nairobi's urban informal settlements, to boost the learners the much needed confidence to thrive and succeed in school.
Dottie Scholarship
The Dottie scholarship, launched in 2011, is intended to provide crucial support to bright young girls from marginalized communities with the opportunity to attend a high-quality secondary school and develop as leaders and role models in their community.
Research & Collaboration Programs
These provide valuable insight and evidence aligned to our mission to promote learning and help children develop the skills and strength of character to thrive and succeed.
Coaching at Scale
Coaching at Scale is a collaborative study, co-led by KEMI (Kenya Education Management Institute) and Dignitas that explores coaching as a mechanism to strengthen the workforce towards improved learning outcomes. A Coaching at Scale solution will meet the needs of school leaders and teachers, and equip schools to leverage school-based coaching support to improve the quality of teaching and learning, and ensure that every learner’s potential is nurtured.
Keep Kenya Learning
Keep Kenya Learning (KKL) is a joint effort of education organizations across Kenya to support caregivers with the information and resources they need to support learning at home.
Valuing Our Insights, Collaborations & Evidence
VOICE (Valuing Our Insights, Collaborations & Evidence) uses a collaborative approach to support program design by giving stakeholders an opportunity to ‘voice’ their ideas, opinions, insights, challenges and experiences.
Equity in Ed-Tech
The RELI EdTech Equity project is a two-year research study that seeks to understand and highlight the critical considerations that should be taken by EdTech designers and implementers in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, to ensure equitable deployment of quality education technology enabled solutions. With Dignitas [Kenya], Shule Direct [Tanzania] and STIR Education [Uganda] as the lead organizations of this work, the project brings together diverse actors to understand and highlight the key equity considerations that enable equity in EdTech interventions.
Digital Skilling for Educators
Dignitas has partnered with KNATCOM (Kenya National Commission for UNESCO) to support the development of a digital training manual, specifically for Early Years Educators and Special Needs Educators. This project will also see Dignitas develop accompanying tools and resources to support remote training and school-based implementation that shifts leadership and classroom practice towards improved learning outcomes for all.
Transforming Schooling Into Learning
TSIL (Transforming Schooling Into Learning) is a two-year research project whose primary goal is to develop training and coaching resources that equip key stakeholders, including school leaders, teachers, parents, boards of management and education officers with the competencies they need for successful curriculum delivery. The second year of the project will test the developed resources for effectiveness, adaptability and feasibility, with a particular focus on marginalised communities in Kisumu, Isiolo and Makueni.
I am a Stawisha Champion! Ever since I joined the program, my teaching life has never been the same. I have implemented most of the things we have learnt from Stawisha training.
In the past I used to pay attention to the fast learners more than time-takers. After learning about differentiated instruction, I started paying more attention to time-takers. The performance of my learners has improved and now even time-takers are doing better than before. I also improvise learning materials, using what is available locally.
Now I engage my learners using different strategies like group work. I enjoy coming to school, and my learners enjoy my lessons.
In the past I used to pay attention to the fast learners more than time-takers. After learning about differentiated instruction, I started paying more attention to time-takers. The performance of my learners has improved and now even time-takers are doing better than before. I also improvise learning materials, using what is available locally.
Now I engage my learners using different strategies like group work. I enjoy coming to school, and my learners enjoy my lessons.
Everline
School Leader