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PROJECT: |
Education for a Sustainable Society: Strategic and Business Plans for Tomás de Berlanga School |
PARTNERS: |
Scalesia Foundation (Galapagos), Stanford University School of Education, and independent educators |
STATUS: |
Funded in 2011, completed in 2012 |
Educating future generations of Galapagueños may be one of the most important challenges that the stakeholders in Galapagos have to face. The local population in Galapagos is increasing rapidly, as is the number of schools. Existing study plans and models of curricula don’t match the Islands’ reality and professional needs. The Scalesia Foundation is currently implementing changes at a pilot school (Tomás de Berlanga School) where traditional learning structures are being questioned in order to design an educational proposal that matches the reality of students who live in a Natural World Heritage Site. During the last three years, the Scalesia Foundation has started a reengineering process of the Foundation and the School in order to ensure that the educational objectives can be reached and to eventually serve as a model for other schools. After three years of changes and improvements, the Foundation identified the need to update its Strategic Plan, and accompany it with a Business Plan that will establish a clear strategy and the financial mechanisms to ensure institutional stability and long term growth.
Project Summary: The project goal was to contribute to the long-term institutional strengthening of the Tomás de Berlanga (TdB) School as a pilot educational project in the Galapagos Islands. The specific objective was to develop a Strategic Plan and a Business Plan for the School which would include an analysis of governance, human resources, infrastructure and funding sources (both earned income and fundraising). Key components of the project included:
Key recommendations include: Restructuring of the school’s administrative structure; significant changes in decision-making processes; increases in student fees; implementation of a sliding needs-based scholarship program, and implementation of a strategic professional development and teacher recruitment program. While a number of measures have been adopted, full implementation of this work will be realized in the 2013-2014 school year that begins in May.
Conclusions: This project has provided the Scalesia Foundation and the Tomás de Berlanga School with a viable roadmap for the future. The School does have the potential to serve as a model for Galapagos and a training ground for Galapagos teachers. A more sustainable, efficient Tomás de Berlanga School will allow the Scalesia Foundation to embark on other education initiatives, as was its original intent. While working on this project, GC has established connections with a number of guides and travelers who wish to make contributions to the school.
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