The STEPS Initiative—STEM Teacher/student Education for Primary Schools—is committed to transforming primary STEM education by providing accessible, high-quality resources. Our collection of articles and case studies showcases the tangible outcomes of this mission, highlighting innovative teaching practices, curriculum adaptations, and community engagement strategies. These publications serve as valuable resources for educators, policymakers, and stakeholders interested in replicating or learning from the STEPS model’s successes and challenges.
Commissioned by the Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (GPE KIX) and produced by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), this synthesis report distills findings from 11 applied research projects on teacher professional development (TPD) conducted across 41 countries in the Global South. Among these initiatives, the STEPS (STEM Teacher Education and Practice in Schools) project stands out as a key contributor, offering rich insights from its work between 2019 and 2024.
The report underscores a global shift from traditional, top-down models of TPD in favor of context-specific, technology-enabled, and participatory approaches—a shift exemplified by STEPS. STEPS demonstrates how teacher agency can be cultivated to transform classroom practice sustainably through its innovative integration of peer collaboration, active learning, and local leadership.
Key strategies identified in the report for scaling and sustaining effective TPD include inclusive stakeholder engagement, equitable access to digital tools, and strategic knowledge mobilization. By spotlighting southern-led innovations like STEPS, the report contributes to regional and global education policy discourse to improve teaching quality and learning outcomes in diverse settings.
NextGenU.org’s mission is to democratize education globally and to improve the health and well-being of humanity and the planet. NextGenU.org promotes research and development of knowledge assets that contribute to solving global challenges related to human and planetary health and education and supports efforts to advance education for all to help people build better lives.