Empowering teachers as leaders: the impact of teacher-led learning
Since 2020, the Teacher-Led Learning Circles for Formative Assessment (T3LFA) project, launched by Education International (EI) with support from the Jacobs Foundation, has empowered teachers across seven countries to lead student-centered, formative assessment practices.
Through structured Learning Circles, teachers in Brazil, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Malaysia, South Korea, Switzerland, and Uruguay received the tools, training, and professional support needed to develop and implement effective assessment strategies tailored to their local contexts.
Celebrating achievements at the closing conference
The T3LFA project concluded with a two-day conference on 8-9 November in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where teachers, unionists, and academics from the participant countries gathered to celebrate three years of impactful work. The conference highlighted the project’s achievements in advancing teacher-led, student-centered assessment practices and fostering teacher leadership. In her opening address, Education International’s past president, Susan Hopgood, emphasised the significance of this work: “This project has provided a point of resistance against the relentless march of standardisation by focusing on assessment for improvement, rather than control.”
Throughout the conference, sessions and panels underscored the power of formative assessment in empowering teachers and transforming student learning. On the second day, Malaysia’s Deputy Director General of Education, Haji Shafruddin, praised the project’s impact: “This project has been incredible in strengthening teachers and empowering assessment. The transformative role of formative assessment in reshaping our education system needs to be acknowledged. Through this process, we see the true power of education.”
The final day also spotlighted EI’s global campaign Go Public! Fund Education, with participants discussing the recommendations of the UN High-Level Panel on the teaching profession to strengthen advocacy for teacher status and well-being. Social dialogue was emphasised as essential in ensuring that education and teacher policies are developed with teachers at the center.
Launching the final international report
The conference also marked the release of the T3LFA Final International Research Report, authored by Professor Carol Campbell, University of Edinburgh, and her research team. This comprehensive report captures the experiences and outcomes of three years of work across the seven participating countries, drawing on data from teachers, facilitators, union representatives, and researchers.
Through a substantial multi-methods study, the report documents the transformative impact of teacher-led, formative assessment practices on both teacher leadership and student learning. Findings highlight how formative assessment practices—such as feedback, self- and peer-assessment, and the use of learning intentions and success criteria—enhanced teachers’ confidence and agency while supporting student engagement and learning outcomes.
The report also emphasises key factors in effective professional learning, including active collaboration, differentiated support tailored to teachers' contexts, and adequate funding and resources. The achievements of the T3LFA project exemplify how teacher-led learning circles foster professional growth and demonstrate the potential of formative assessment to strengthen education systems.
For more on the T3LFA project and to access all the related research, please go here
