How Ede Osagiede is Driving Change in his School
| by Alex Skov
Osamuede “Ede” Osagiede is a changemaker. As a lifelong learner, he is consistently determined to help motivate and upscale his students, his schools, and his fellow teachers. Transitioning across countries and roles throughout his career — he is currently a middle school principal in Guinea — Osagiede prioritizes seeking out new instructional methods and critically evaluating his own practices.
It’s no surprise, then, that Osagiede believes effective teaching requires measuring actual student growth and adapting strategies to meet unique classroom needs. His current emphasis is tracking measurable progress through MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) Growth data.
“I believe strongly that if I’m instructing, then my instruction should have some level of impact,” Osagiede said. “The data should reflect my instruction.”
By placing actionable data at the center of his methodology, he empowers both his colleagues and his students to take ownership of their learning. It’s also a natural extension of Osagiede’s strategic commitment to lifelong learning.
Building a Foundation in Global Education
Osagiede is originally from Nigeria, where his passion for teaching quickly evolved into a larger mission. Early in his career, he worked on a project that aimed to revamp primary education within the country.
“I was one of the guys who trained teachers for that project,” Osagiede said, “and with my team, we trained over 7,000 teachers as a pilot.”
He had already worked as a high school mathematics teacher, but the ripple effect from this undertaking opened his eyes to bigger picture possibilities within the educational sector.
“The Rwanda government came to copy that project, so that was the first project that opened my mind to the endless possibility that was in the educational setting, that I could do more than just being in the classroom or running a school,” Osagiede remembered.
Seeking to broaden his horizons, Osagiede moved to a private international school in Liberia where he taught science using the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and common core curriculum. This transition exposed him to new teaching methodologies and reinforced his belief that pursuing knowledge is the key to unlocking new professional doors.
“When I got into Liberia for the first time, I realized that I could go global through teaching,” Osagiede said. “I never knew that for at least 7 years working back home [in Nigeria] — I never knew that I could go global just by teaching or doing things around education — but I guess I wasn’t satisfied. I kept asking questions and I kept looking for opportunities.”
As Osagiede continued to express an interest in professional development, he met an academic coordinator who encouraged him to earn his U.S. teaching license through Moreland University.
“The truth is I had no money to pursue that, but I discovered something [else],” Osagiede said. “I saw that at that time Moreland was running some free professional development courses, so I did about 4 or 5 of those courses to the extent that when I finished the second course, the owner of my school bought me lunch. I was told to come and train the staff on the things I had learned.”
Osagiede’s insistence on learning paid off in the form of this new professional opportunity, which in turn led to another big step in his career.
“The same woman who introduced me to Moreland just looked over at me one day and said, ‘You need to move to another school in Conakry, Guinea, and go work there,’ so literally I was recommended to go work in my present school,” Osagiede shared. “So what happened was, when I was doing the interview, the [school] director said to me, ‘There’s a certification program we do, and we pay 50% for students. Are you interested?’ I asked, ‘Is it Moreland?’”
The director said yes, and Osagiede gave an enthusiastic confirmation. Four months later, he officially started the TEACH-NOW Teacher Preparation Certificate Program and then enrolled in Moreland’s M.Ed. Add-On program specializing in educational technology. As he completed his M.Ed. coursework, Osagiede also added a new title to his professional resume: middle school principal.
Transitioning from a classroom teacher to an educational leader is a significant career milestone. It requires balancing the daily demands of school administration with an ongoing commitment to personal growth. Osagiede managed this transition by applying the practical strategies he learned during his programs directly to his new leadership role, modeling a growth mindset for his staff while empowering them to take risks, try new instructional methods, and ultimately deliver better educational experiences for their students.
Transforming a School’s Culture
Before becoming a principal, Osagiede was already taking a proactive approach to addressing student skill gaps. Noticing that students were struggling with fundamental math concepts, he began asking critical questions about the curriculum flow from elementary to high school. To truly understand students’ issues and areas for improvement, he reoriented the way his school was using MAP Growth data, fundamentally changing how teachers approached their lesson planning.
“I was dissatisfied with the way MAP assessments were conducted in my school,” Osagiede recalled, “so I was allowed to come into that space and I revamped the way the assessments were conducted, the environment in which they were conducted, and I started pulling out data.”
His director took notice. He connected Osagiede with a data-focused education professional in London to learn more about setting and reviewing target outcomes for teachers and students.
It led to Osagiede overseeing his entire school’s MAP data and assessment flows, then pushing for the purchase of a schoolwide IXL account to help improve students’ reading and math scores and ensuring his school maintained its accreditation.
“[Those are] some of the things I’ve done,” Osagiede said, humbly, “but it’s from my passion of seeing students grow.”
The Power of Lifelong Learning
Osagiede’s journey from teaching in Nigeria to leading changes in multiple schools across multiple countries is a testament his persistence and to the power of lifelong learning. By continually seeking out new knowledge through opportunities like Moreland University’s professional development courses and teacher certification and master’s degree programs while embracing tools like MAP Growth data to gain better insights, he has empowered countless students and educators.
If you want to drive change in your own school or community, start by looking at the tools and opportunities available to you, and never stop learning.
Moreland is ready to support you and your teaching goals. Complete your free application to our 100% online 9-month TEACH-NOW Teacher Certificate Preparation Program or one of our 12-month master’s degree programs today. It takes less than 15 minutes to take this important step in your teaching journey.
