GARC Research Findings

Each year, GARC fellows explore a theme relevant to teaching and learning in girls’ schools today. They explore the literature on the theme and craft an intervention to try in their classrooms. After careful analysis, they determine the findings of their work, many of which showcase positive ways teachers can improve the learning in their classrooms and support girls’ development and set them up for success in the future.

Action Research in Girls’ Education

ICGS Global Action Research fellows have explored many topics, from feedback to student agency and collaboration. Their findings provide actionable strategies teachers can use in their classrooms to support effective learning. Fellows’ research reports explore specific interventions that work in their classrooms to enhance learning specifically around that year’s topic. Explore some of the common themes below.

Anxiety, fear of judgment, and perfectionism can limit collaboration among girls. GARC fellows explore ways to support collaborative learning.
This cohort explored a diversity of tools, strategies, and skill-building approaches born from lessons learned, and the new post-pandemic needs of their students.
The 21-22 cohort explored strategies to build girls’ problem-solving capacity and confidence including collaborative strategies, explicit problem-solving frameworks, and using perspective taking.
The pilot GARC cohort found ways to make feedback more effective in helping girls grow in their learning.

Research in Progress

The 2025-26 GARC cohort has just begun their action research journey. They are exploring AI within a girls’ school context and will finish their work in June 2026, presenting in Toronto at the ICGS Global Forum on Girls’ Education.

2025-26 Cohort: Navigating the AI Frontier in Girls’ Schools

The 2025-26 Cohort is just beginning their GARC journey. Fellows will be exploring the efficacy and potential impact of AI on the teaching and learning of girls in areas such as student engagement, academic performance, and educational outcomes amongst many others. Ultimately, research projects for this cycle will provide evidence-based insights and guidelines for leveraging AI to its fullest potential in girls’ schools, while mitigating potential risks and ensuring equitable access to high-quality education for all students.

Join our next cohort

Become a GARC fellow. Learn more about applying to this signature ICGS program and become a thought leader in action research in girls’ education.