The “LES” Program introduces an original quality-enhancement system into their daily practice which ultimately increases the autonomy of the teaching staff, bolsters the position of the headmaster as the leader of his school’s transformation process and improves teamwork. All this leads to improved teaching results.

A broad offer of the “LES” Program encompasses teacher training, staff workshops, conferences for headmasters, Internet courses, a systemic program facilitating the introduction of formative assessment, educational labs and post-graduate studies. Schools participating in the program develop organizational solutions professionalizing teachers’ performance and monitoring the effects of their efforts as well as sharing the best practices. The program’s implementation has resulted in quality improvement in key areas of the school’s activities: effective education (teaching and learning), the school as an institution and the school’s relations with the outside community.

In the course of the program’s 16-year history, more than 3,400 schools have participated (including more than 1,400 in the core part of “LES”, introducing them to the basics of the formative assessment). More than 70,000 teachers have taken advantage of the training opportunities offered within all components of the “LES” Program.

Since 2009 the “Online Teachers Academy” (OTA) project has been carried out. It is Poland’s largest online distance training system for teachers of various subjects in different types and levels of schools as well as kindergartens. “OTA” courses make use of e-learning and online coaching and among other things, serve to prepare teachers to use modern information technologies in their work with pupils. “OTA” offers seven year-long courses.

Since 2016/17 academic year teachers can also choose a training course on “OK Zeszyt”, the new tool that supports formative assessment. Each year ca. 1,500 teachers takes part in “OTA” training courses. The many-year experience gained in the implementation of the “LES” Program was used in the “Students’ Academy” Program.

It was completed in 2015, financed from the EU funds. Its objective was to promote math and science at the junior high school level. The program covered 310 junior high schools, 1,500 teachers and over 40,000 students. Among other things, the participating schools received grants for running student math, physics, chemistry and biology research clubs, young discoverer’s kits and an opportunity to take part in science fairs.

Since 2007, the “Post-Graduate Studies for Educational Leaders” Program has been carried out in cooperation with Collegium Civitas and the All-Poland Educational Management Staff Association. Their objective is skill-improvement training for management staff: headmasters and supervisory organs as well as the staff of the school superintendents’ offices. So far, 331 persons have received the post-graduate study program’s completion diplomas.

PAFF is a partner of the “School with Class 2.0” undertaking, promoting the use of information and communication technologies in learning and teaching. It expands on the “School with Class” mass campaign, launched in 2002 and inspired by the “LES” Program. It was conducted by the Center for Citizenship Education (currently by the School with Class Foundation) in cooperation with the “Gazeta Wyborcza” daily newspaper. By the end of 2016, all stages of the undertaking were completed by more than 9,000 schools from all over Poland. Its extensions were such initiatives as the “Teacher with Class”, “Lego, Cogito, Ago”, the “Student with Class” and the “School of Thinking”. In 2014, the “First Class Teacher” project was launched that offers training, expert support and inspiration for early childhood education teachers. By the end of 2015, almost 800 teachers joined the project.

The Foundation has disbursed $10,842,723, including $449,769 for the current edition of the program.