Worldfund and Excelencia Educativa Launch IFCE in Mexico

August 2009

On August 3, 2009, Worldfund and Mexico-based Excelencia Educativa launched the first annual Instituto de Formación para la Calidad Educativa (IFCE) principal training program in Taxco, Guerrero.  The goal of the year-long, post-graduate program is to develop effective public school leadership in Mexico.  Participants receive 248 hours of training through an introductory week-long intensive workshop, and six 30-hour modules during the academic year that are complemented by individualized coaching.  Excelencia Educativa designed the IFCE curriculum, which includes content from New Leaders for New Schools' highly effective inner city principal training program in New York.  Tamsa, A.C., the foundation of multinational steel pipe manufacturer TenarisTamsa, also played a key role in the development of the program.

During the week of August 3, 2009, fifty principals from public schools serving indigenous students in Tlapa, Guerrero participated in the first week-long workshop.  Forty two principals and teachers from public schools in Puerto de Veracruz, Veracruz participated in the second workshop during the week of August 10, 2009.  The inaugurations of the program in Veracruz and Guerrero will take place on September 4, 2009 and September 11, 2009, respectively.

Worldfund conceived the idea for developing a principal training program in Mexico some 18 months ago. Based on four years experience working with public school teachers and nearly seven years experience working with high functioning private schools serving the poor, we came to appreciate how critical the principal's role is in determining the quality of a school.

Surprisingly, we were unable to find any intensive training program for Mexican principals.  Accordingly, we decided to take the ball in our own hands and launch, ourselves, a principal training program, drawing from the experience of Tamsa, A.C. in education in the state of Veracruz, Mexico and one of the best teacher training organizations in Mexico, Excelencia Educativa, with content from arguably one of the world's best principal training programs, New Leaders for New Schools.

Funding and support for IFCE have been generously provided by Becalos, TenarisTamsa, the Secretary of Public Education of Guerrero, the Secretary of Public Education of Veracruz, Programa Escuelas de Calidad, and Deutsche Bank.

Click here for more information about IFCE.