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ICGS Global Action Research Collaborative on Girls' Education Application - C'26

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.

GARC is a comprehensive program that encompasses training, research, writing, and presentations. Fellows are invited to explore intriguing research topics as part of a collegial global cohort of educators. Their work is then shared with the broader girls’ school and girls’ education community and awards are presented to those whose work is particularly innovative.

GARC encourages applications from educators at member schools who are eager to learn about the action research process as a tool for evaluating the impact of new approaches in the classroom and as an ongoing reflective practice in evaluating the efficacy of initiatives in teaching girls. A leadership development opportunity, fellows write up and present their findings on a global stage, engaging with like-minded and passionate educators from schools and countries all over the world.

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 is 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. If you are selected to become a GARC Fellow, there is a one-time $595 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 Program Information and Participant Expectations.

Please also spend some time reviewing and becoming familiar with the Research Topic that will guide the work of the 2025-2026 Cohort of GARC Fellows: Navigating the AI Frontier 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 included below
  • A signed Permission Form from your Head of School/Principal/Headteacher, which may be emailed to garc@girlsschools.org
  • A video (two minutes in length - uploaded here) describing who you are and why you would like to participate in this initiative
Questions may be directed to garc@girlsschools.org. Responses are due no later than October 11, 2024. All fields are required.
Demographic Information
1.First Name(Required.)
2.Last Name(Required.)
3.Email Address(Required.)
Participation in GARC requires that your school is a member of ICGS. View our Membership Directory here.
4.School Name(Required.)
5.Country of Residence(Required.)
6.Your School Position/Title(Required.)
7.What grade levels do you teach? (select all that apply)(Required.)
Open-Ended Responses
Answer the following two questions in 300 words or less.
8.What is the area of research you are looking to explore and how does it connect to the topic of artificial intelligence 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.)
9.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.
10.In-School Mentor First Name(Required.)
11.In-School Mentor Last Name(Required.)
12.In-School Mentor Position/Title(Required.)
13.In-School Mentor Email Address(Required.)
Supplemental Materials
  1. After you submit your application, please be sure to download and complete the Permission Form found on the ICGS website here. This form should be emailed to garc@girlsschools.org before October 11, 2024.
  2. 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). It may be saved in an .mov or .mp4 format, and should be uploaded before October 11, 2024 to the ICGS Dropbox folder found here.
Thank You
We appreciate your interest and responses, and we look forward to learning more about you. The GARC Fellowship review committee will be in touch should we have any questions or require additional information. Please note that acceptance and declination notices will be sent via email on November 4, 2024. Click the Done button below to submit your written responses.