Webinar Series | Best Bets in the Philippines
In November 2023, IPA launched the Best Bets: Emerging Opportunities for Impact at Scale report. The report showcases fourteen innovations that IPA’s sector experts and scientific advisors believe hold the most promise for making an impact at scale, but require additional investment to advance along the path to scale.
IPA Philippines has chosen four Best Bets that are highly relevant in the Philippines: (i) teacher mentoring to improve student learning, (ii) digital payments to improve financial health, (iii) payment for ecosystem services to reduce deforestation and protect the environment, and (iv) cognitive behavioral therapy to reduce crime. Through a series of webinars starting in November 2024, we will dig deeper into each of these Best Bets, explore their applicability in the Philippines together with key players in these respective fields from academia, government, and civil society organizations. The webinar series will provide a platform to explore opportunities for further research and collaboration. Each webinar will follow a similar program:
| Time | Item | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 15:00 | Welcome Remarks | |
| 15:05 | Presentation of Best Bets | A presentation from IPA on the evidence available about the specific Best Bets. |
| 15:15 | Commentary on Best Bet | A commentary segment on perspectives and experiences working on the specific Best Bets by discussants from the government, academe, and service providers. |
| 15:40 | Moderated Q&A | A question and answer portion to be given by the audience and to be answered by the discussants and IPA representatives. |
| 15:55 | Presenting Project Development Efforts of IPA Philippines | A wrap-up from IPA on collaboration opportunities for the specific Best Bets. |
The first webinar in this series took place on November 21, 2024, and covered the first Best Bets topic, "Teacher Mentoring to Improve Student Learning. The second webinar will focus on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Reduce Crime in the Philippines (the date and list of speakers will be announced soon). Details of each webinar in the series will be provided below as they become available.
Webinar Series | Best Bets in the Philippines | Webinar #2: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Reduce Crime
In 2020, over 15,000 children were arrested in the Philippines for criminal activities, with the majority aged 15-18 (PCIJ, 2020). The issue of Children in Conflict with Law (CICL) not only impacts the lives of these young individuals but also their victims and the broader community, with lasting consequences for social and economic well-being. As identified in the IPA Best Bets report, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a short-term pragmatic form of psychotherapy that encourages individuals to alter their thinking patterns and behaviors, is a promising intervention to reduce violence and criminality among adolescents and young adults.
IPA Philippines is pleased to host the second webinar of its Best Bets in the Philippines Webinar series, focusing on CBT to Reduce Crime, in March. Join us for an in-depth discussion on CBT and effective crime and violence reduction strategies in the Philippines with key sector representatives from the government, academe, and civil society. More information will be available soon.
Webinar Series | Best Bets in the Philippines | Webinar #1: Teacher Mentoring to Improve Student Learning
Despite progress in increasing school enrollment in the Philippines, improving learning outcomes remains a critical issue. A 2023 World Bank report revealed that 9 of ten Filipino children aged ten find it difficult to read and understand a simple age-appropriate text, reflecting challenges posed by ineffective teaching practices. In IPA’s Best Bets report, global evidence has shown that teacher mentoring, in which dedicated educational professionals or “teacher coaches” provide training, advice, and feedback to in-service teachers, is an effective intervention that has the potential to increase student learning.
On November 21, 2024, IPA Philippines hosted the first of its four-part Best Bet Webinar Series, diving into the emerging evidence on teacher coaching to improve student learning outcomes. Participants joined an in-depth discussion on teacher development programs in the Philippines with our panel from the Department of Education, Teach for the Philippines, and Teacher Education Council. IPA Philippines was honored to guide this discussion and join forces to identify concrete collaboration opportunities to build a stronger evidence base for teacher coaching.
View the webinar slides here and the video recording below: