Skip to content

ICGS Global Action Research Collaborative on Girls' Education Application - C'27

OVERVIEW:

The International Coalition of Girls' Schools Global Action Research Collaborative on Girls’ Education (GARC) is the world’s first action research program that engages girls’ school educators from around the world in informed, collaborative, and disciplined action research. The program builds both a network of girls’ school educators from around the world and a library of valuable and relevant research on girls’ education.

This program is designed as an entry level introduction to action research and is accessible to all classroom teachers, regardless of their experience with formal research. With regular training meetings and research advisors assigned to each fellow, there is support and guidance throughout the 18-month program culminating in the presentation of research findings at the ICGS annual conference each June.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE APPLYING:

Participation in GARC requires that your school be a member of ICGS. (View our Membership Directory here.) It also requires approval from your Principal/Headteacher/Head of School. The program also requires you to secure the support of an in-school mentor, who may be different from your head of school. Signed documents from both your Principal/Headteacher/Head of School and in-school mentor will need to be submitted with this application.

If you are selected to become a GARC Fellow, there is a one-time $1250 USD participation fee due at the start of the program, and Fellows are required to attend and participate in two consecutive ICGS conferences for training and presentations. The sponsoring school is responsible for registration fees, travel expenses, accommodations, and all other associated expenses and must agree to support the educator before an application is submitted.

Before completing the application, please thoroughly review the application process information.

Please also spend some time reviewing and becoming familiar with the Research Topic that will guide the work of the 2026-27 cohort: Creativity as Catalyst: Teaching for Possibility in Girls’ Schools.
WHAT THIS APPLICATION ENTAILS:

All those interested in being considered for a GARC Fellowship must complete the application below in its entirety. This entails sharing your contact details, and your answers to two open-ended essay questions. You may want to spend some time drafting your answers to those questions separately, and then enter them into the appropriate fields below.

Your application will not be considered complete until ICGS has received the following:
  • Your answers to all questions below
  • Upload the following forms here:
    • A signed permission form from your Principal/Headteacher/Head of School
    • A signed mentor guidelines form from your in-school mentor
  • A two-minute video describing who you are and why you would like to participate in this initiative to be linked in the application below.
Questions may be directed to garc@girlsschools.org. Responses are due no later than October 24, 2025.
Demographic Information
1.First Name(Required.)
2.Last Name(Required.)
3.Email Address(Required.)
4.Your School Position/Title(Required.)
5.What grade levels do you teach? (select all that apply)(Required.)
6.What race/ethnicity best describes you? (optional)
Participation in GARC requires that your school is a member of ICGS. View our Membership Directory here.
7.School Name(Required.)
8.Head of School/Principal/Headteacher Name(Required.)
9.Head of School/Principal/Headteacher Email Address(Required.)
10.School Address (city, state/province, zip/postal code)(Required.)
11.Country of Residence(Required.)
Open-Ended Responses
Answer the following two questions in 300 words or less per question.
12.What is the idea you'd like to explore related to creativity in girls' schools?

In what ways do you anticipate it will benefit your students, your fellow teachers, and your school? (Note: You do not have to have a research question developed prior to this program.)(Required.)
13.Given the 18-month time commitment to this program, including travel in June to two consecutive ICGS conferences for in-person training, describe how you intend to balance your school responsibilities with your participation in GARC.(Required.)
In-School Mentor
Please identify a school-based mentor to whom you can go for advice on your action research program and support with balancing school responsibilities.
14.In-School Mentor First Name(Required.)
15.In-School Mentor Last Name(Required.)
16.In-School Mentor Position/Title(Required.)
17.In-School Mentor Email Address(Required.)
Form and Video Submissions
18.In-School Mentor Signed Guidelines Document(Required.)
No file chosen
19.Head of School Permission Form Upload

Participating in this program is an 18-month commitment and requires attendance at two annual conferences in June 2026 and June 2027. To ensure you have the support of your school, we ask you and your head of school/headteacher/principal to sign this permission form. Once signed, please upload it here.(Required.)
No file chosen
Video Submission

This application also requires the creation of a two-minute video. This portion of the application will allow the review committee to learn more about you and your goals for participating in this action research project.

In your video, please tell us a little bit about yourself and your current role, and answer the following questions:
  • What inspired you to become a teacher?
  • Why are you interested in action research?
Your video presentation should be clear and concise. It may be recorded on your phone or on your computer using any platform that you prefer (e.g., Zoom). Please save your video somewhere that allows sharing (Google Drive, Vimeo, etc.). You will need to put the link below.
20.Video

Please share a link to your video. Make sure permissions are set to "anyone with the link can view" or the equivalent in your chosen cloud/video storage platform.(Required.)