Global Education Leaders’ Partnership

Global Education Leaders’ Partnership (sometimes referred to as Global Education Leaders Program), or GELP is a group of education reformers operating in and across countries, with a particular focus on pushing the digitisation of learning.

GELP was initiated, funded and managed by the technology giant Cisco until 2011 and since then has been run by the UK-based Innovation Unit.

It says is ‘dedicated to reimagining the future of education at a global scale’.

A Cisco project

GELP began life as a series of ‘white papers’ for technology multinational Cisco.

According to Cisco, it 'launched the Global Education Leaders Program (GELP) in September 2009 to challenge and support education leaders ready to implement the vision outlined in the white paper Equipping Every Learner for the 21st Century. The program provides an ongoing professional learning process, a virtual support community, and use of collaborative technologies. The work is ground-breaking, challenging, and necessary to lead education transformation. New leaders from new jurisdictions (including developing countries and emerging economies) continue to join the GELP community, creating a truly global movement.'

In July 2011, Cisco transitioned ownership and management of GELP to the the Innovation Unit.

‘Transforming’ education

GELP describes itself as a ‘community of key education system leaders, policy-makers, thought-leaders and world-class consultants collaborating to transform education at local, national and international levels. The aim of these transformations is to equip every learner with the skills, expertise and knowledge to survive and thrive in the 21st century.’

GELP Jurisdictions Australia Brazil British Columbia, Canada Chaoyang District, Beijing, China England Finland India New York City, USA New Zealand Ontario, Canada South Korea USA Innovation Lab Network CCSSO Victoria, Australia

Redesigning Education: the book

In 2013 GELP published Redesigning Education, which provides GELP’s blueprint for reforming education systems (summarised above).

Redesigning Education was launched at RSA

Funding

GELP says it is, or has been, supported by the following companies and foundations: *Innovation Unit

• Ellen Koshland Family Fund
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• Cisco
• Promethean

GELP also says it ‘draws on specialist contributions from a wide range of partners, including to date [2013]:

• Hay Group
• Harvard Graduate School of Education
• McKinsey & Company
• Bridge
• Asia Education Foundation

People

GELP is led by the Innovation Unit.

• David Albury, design and development director, GELP
• Valerie Hannon

ex-Director, DfES Innovation Unit (c2005) Amelia Peterson David Jackson Julie Temperley Damian Allen, Innovation Unit

Steering group

• Lynn Olson, advisor on Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation US ‘college ready’ programme.