Digital Promise Launches Initiative to Reduce Digital Learning Gap in Haiti

With support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, global nonprofit organization Digital Promise has launched a multi-phase initiative in partnership with Anseye Pou Ayiti (APA), Model School Network (MSN), Blue Butterfly, and Education Development Center (EDC) to advance digital equity and improve teaching and learning in remote and hybrid environments in selected communities in Haiti.

Having reached nearly four million students across the U.S. through the League of Innovative Schools, Verizon Innovative Learning Schools, and other networks and programs, while also engaging nearly 250,000 teachers through instructional technology coaching, the Learner Variability Navigator, and its micro-credentials platform, this international effort will enable Digital Promise to leverage and scale their expertise in new, high-need contexts. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, political turmoil, and natural disasters have disrupted education for nearly all Haitian students in recent years, compounding significant gaps and pre-existing inequalities in the Haitian education system. The digital divide has hampered schools’ responses to crises that necessitate distance learning, excluding children and families without access to power and Internet sources that would enable them to participate in online learning. This widening digital learning gap has heightened the urgency for investment in continuous quality and equitable education.

Building on their demonstrated commitment to supporting educators and school systems in creating powerful and innovative learning experiences for students, Digital Promise and their partners will establish conditions to provide piloting schools in two communities of Haiti with digital tools, resources, and professional development and training to improve access to technology and help them deliver quality teaching to all children.

“Digital Promise is proud to lead this effort to create a more adaptive, resilient education system in Haiti, in collaboration with several local organizations on the ground and with generous support from the Kellogg Foundation,” said Digital Promise President and CEO Jean-Claude Brizard. “As a native of Haiti, I understand how highly our students and families value education. All Haitian students deserve the right to a quality and continuous education that is a pathway to economic opportunity, well-being, and agency.”

In addition to funding, the Kellogg Foundation lends its long history and experience in community visioning and social change efforts. A partner in Haiti since the 1950s, the Kellogg Foundation supports development in communities in the southwest and the central area of the country in the areas of education, family economic security, and health equity.

“Eleven years ago, the Kellogg Foundation made a commitment to partner with communities in Haiti for at least a generation and assure all children have opportunities to thrive and to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society,” said Alix Cantave, senior program officer for Haiti at the Kellogg Foundation. “We look forward to joining forces with Digital Promise and their partners to continue working toward lasting, transformational change for children and their families.”

Ensuring contextually and culturally relevant content and implementing the mechanisms needed for success will require active partnership with community stakeholders and organizations. Digital Promise, Anseye Pou Ayiti (APA), Model School Network (MSN), Blue Butterfly, and Education Development Center (EDC) will design a robust pilot and learning agenda to support school systems in developing the core competencies, infrastructure and readiness needed to sustain a culture of powerful learning that leverages technology.

“We are excited about this partnership, as it's an important next step in finding creative and sustainable ways that technology can boost the educational outcomes of students in rural Haiti,” said Sara Wolf, coordinator for Model School Network (MSN).

In addition to these core partners, Digital Promise will draw on a network of experts and external content providers, including the Age of Learning Foundation, to collectively address educational inequalities in Haiti. Following a planning phase, the pilot program is expected to begin in September 2022 and will engage 20-40 pilot schools over two years.

About the Partners

Anseye Pou Ayiti (APA) focuses on recruiting and equipping local leaders in rural primary schools to transform classrooms and communities, building a Haitian-led movement of civic leaders to spread educational justice.

Model School Network (MSN) is a collective impact initiative of cross sectoral partners with the mission of unlocking sustainable solutions for holistic child well-being and redefining quality education in Haiti. The Model School Network has a region-wide focus in the lower Central Plateau and comprises three school sub-networks: EFACAP-Mirebalais, BDE-Hinche, and Summits Education.

Blue Butterfly is an educational media production organization that partners with producers in low- and middle-income countries to develop high-quality children’s media for education, health, and the promotion of respect and understanding across group divides. In Haiti, Blue Butterfly has produced educational videos for young children and their families as well as video training for Haitian teachers.

Education Development Center (EDC) is a global nonprofit that advances lasting solutions to improve education, promote health, and expand economic opportunity. Since 1958, we have been a leader in designing, implementing, and evaluating powerful and innovative programs in more than 80 countries around the world. EDC has deep experience working in Haiti with the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training and the private education sector in a variety of educational interventions.

The Age of Learning Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to fundamentally improving the education of underserved children on a global scale. The Foundation works with governments and NGOs to provide highly scalable, sustainable digital learning programs that have been proven to measurably advance academic skills, enabling children around the world to benefit from Age of Learning’s research-proven learning resources.

About Digital Promise

Digital Promise is a nonprofit organization that builds powerful networks and takes on grand challenges by working at the intersection of researchers, entrepreneurs, and educators. Our vision is that all people, at every stage of their lives, have access to learning experiences that help them acquire the knowledge and skills they need to thrive and continuously learn in an ever-changing world. For more information, visit the Digital Promise website and follow @digitalpromise for updates.

About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal innovator and entrepreneur Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life. The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Michigan, and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special attention is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.