Early childhood education and K-12 school systems
Strengthening Early Childhood, Primary, and Secondary Education Systems to Expand Access, Improve Learning Outcomes, and Foster Student Well-Being
Education systems worldwide are facing unprecedented challenges. While enrollment has grown over the past decades, learning outcomes were stagnating even before the pandemic. Our research estimates that over one billion children globally experience learning poverty, unable to read a single sentence by the time they leave elementary school. Even in high-income countries, educational outcomes are slipping, equity gaps are widening, and a generation risks being unprepared for a future of work that is increasingly unpredictable due to automation and artificial intelligence.
Schools and education systems are contending with constrained budgets, staff shortages, and rising student absenteeism. As they navigate post-pandemic recovery, they are being asked to provide more holistic student support, address learning gaps, manage staff attrition, and identify the most effective learning recovery strategies — all while integrating new technologies, engaging parents, developing teachers, and allocating resources equitably.
NDB Holding Group’s early childhood and K-12 initiatives tackle these challenges head-on. We work with school systems to improve student outcomes at scale and collaborate with donors, nonprofits, and the private sector to innovate new approaches to teaching and learning. Our insights and services provide the data, research, and implementation support needed to strengthen education systems and ensure that every child can thrive today and in the future.
What We Do
School System Reform
Supporting Teachers and Building Leaders
Mental Health and Social-Emotional Learning
Technology in Education
Private-Sector Engagement
Examples of our work
Doubling Primary Literacy and Numeracy Rates
ndbholdinggroup assisted a national education program in designing and implementing a strategy that doubled literacy and numeracy rates within a year. This was achieved through enhanced teacher support systems—including structured lesson plans and coaching—provision of high-quality learning materials for every child, and access to learner data to enable assessment-driven instruction.
Supporting School District Recovery and Reimagination
ndbholdinggroup partnered with over 60 Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and State Education Agencies (SEAs) through a multi-year nonprofit collaboration. We provided in-depth technical assistance on key priorities such as chronic absenteeism and student engagement, academic recovery and high-dosage tutoring, teacher pipelines, and the use of generative AI. Additionally, we supported the development of toolkits, playbooks, and reports, and facilitated workshops and communities of practice to share insights and best practices.
Empowering Refugee Women and Children
ndbholdinggroup launched a program aimed at empowering women and the estimated 500,000 children living in refugee camps in Lebanon. The initiative focused on enhancing classroom experiences and improving educational outcomes through curriculum development, teacher training, and broader school governance initiatives. This work was carried out in close collaboration with NGOs such as the Alsama Project in Lebanon and the Sawiri School in Beirut and the Bekaa Valley.
