Written by Levina Wentzel
The Schools Transformation Assessment (STA) is a three-part tool used to evaluate the impact of Middle and High School programs and engage students with Transformation Goals and SDGs. Participants complete assessments throughout their program (TA1, TA2, and TA3). STA results tracked student growth by evaluating how well they understand the concepts and experiences presented to them. The 2024 Schools Transformation Assessment data provided the beginnings of an overview of growth and development across our five Transformation Goals.
Key Findings
Intercultural Competence
Most groups demonstrated impressive intercultural competence advancements, with many achieving remarkable scores of 80% or above in the final assessment. This notable growth suggests that the experiential learning environments provided, particularly through interactions with diverse African communities, effectively enhanced understanding of cultural diversity. However, a few groups faced stagnation or minimal progress in this area, and actual demonstrations of intercultural competence on the ground were not as readily engaged with by participants. This raised questions about theoretical and practical knowledge, and whether we are doing enough to help students bridge the gap between knowing and doing, and assessing that accurately.
Leadership
Leadership skills exhibited varying trajectories, with many students starting with moderate to high ratings but experiencing a decline in the final assessment. This decline suggested that although initial leadership development activities were impactful, sustained growth required more focused attention. Adjusting programming to offer consistent leadership opportunities could provide the necessary support for skill cultivation.
Personal Growth
Personal growth was a strong area, with most groups showing steady development. Most participants reflected positively on their experiences, highlighting an increase in self-awareness and resilience. Some participants experienced a dip in scores between the second and third assessments. This was likely due to external factors like group dynamics or travel fatigue, indicating that personal growth is not always a straightforward journey, and highlighting the need for support systems to help students navigate challenges. We are also working on revising the assessment structure to mitigate assessment fatigue on the ground.
Collaboration
Collaboration scores showed mixed results. Early assessments indicated effective team engagement, but many groups saw a decline by the third assessment. This trend suggested that challenges such as differing work styles, communication breakdowns, or insufficiency of structured collaborative activities emerged as the program progressed. Refining teamwork exercises and providing better guidance could help address these issues.
Global Citizenship
Global citizenship, which reflects students’ understanding and engagement with pressing global issues, maintained relatively strong scores throughout the assessments. Most groups sustained or improved their scores over time, indicating a deepening sense of social responsibility and connection to the global community. Nevertheless, there remains room for improvement, particularly in reinforcing this theme during the later stages of the program.
The 2024 TA3 results showcase a transformative year for participating students, marked by noticeable progress in personal growth and intercultural competence. However, areas such as leadership and collaboration necessitate ongoing attention to ensure that all participants can build on these foundational skills. Through critically assessing these findings, we remain committed as an organization to, alongside our partners, refine future programs to better address the evolving needs of our students and ultimately foster a more lasting impact.
