World Education Launches its Behavior Initiative to Make People-centered Change Happen
November 17th, 2022 | Press Release
Global education organization acquires The Manoff Group as key partner in driving change
World Education and JSI have launched their Behavior Initiative, a major investment to advance people-centered change for development. The Behavior Initiative will apply social, ecological, and behavioral sciences to create meaningful and lasting improvements to education grounded in a deep appreciation of why people and systems behave as they do.
“Behavior change is core to advancing public health around the world; our impact depends on communities changing practices, attitudes, habits, norms and beliefs. Our Behavior Initiative will elevate cutting-edge, science-based approaches to designing and evaluating projects—and will ensure we are listening to the communities we are serving,” said World Education and JSI CEO and President, Margaret Crotty.
The Behavior Initiative delivers a deep understanding of human behavior and the ability to transform insight into action by facilitating collaboration between its 90 change experts and World Education and JSI’s thousands of education and public health specialists, most of whom are from the countries where the work happens. In concert with trusted government, civic, private and nonprofit local partners, World Education will enable inclusive change strategies that achieve better learning outcomes for all.
In support of this commitment, World Education also announces the acquisition of The Manoff Group, Inc. (TMG), its longtime partner in social and behavior change. TMG Executive Director Marcia Griffiths, a pioneer of behavior-centered programming, will continue to lead TMG and advance use of its behavior integration approach within World Education and JSI’s Behavior Initiative.
“I’m excited to join forces with JSI at this time. JSI’s forward-thinking view on behavior change and the organization’s ability to make a deep impact across all areas of public health and education are unmatched,” said Griffiths.
World Education will apply behavior-centered programming across key practice areas such as: early grade learning; adult education; digital solutions; HIV and GBV prevention and response; girls education; and community engagement.
The Behavior Initiative is led by JSI’s Melinda McKay, a behavioral science expert with more than 20 years of experience leading transformative change in both the public and private sectors. The Behavior Initiative will ensure lasting change by co-creating with partners, learning from and supporting local leadership, and applying new measurement methods for better decision-making and continuous discovery.
