Translate complex evidence into
actionable insights for policymakers
SYSTEMS INFLUENCE
Systems Influence
Translating evidence and community voice into policy and practice change
At SEED, we understand that influence isn’t just about having evidence, it’s about amplifying the voices of those closest to education challenges and ensuring that policy decisions reflect lived realities. Our systems influence work brings together evidence, grassroots perspectives, practitioner insights, and government decision-making to shape reforms that matter for the affordable non-state education sector.
We view influence as the bridge between what people experience on the ground and what policymakers enact in law and regulation. For SEED, research and evidence do not float in isolation; they are shaped by networks of school owners, teachers, parents, and learners, and used to advocate for system improvements that improve lives.
We go FAST & FAR when we go together.
Coalition of Low-Fee Private School Associations in Lagos State
Our Approach To Systems Influence
Rather than viewing influence as a one-way transmission from evidence to policy, we see it as a conversation among actors across the education system. This dynamic interplay ensures that evidence is not abstract, rather it reflects people’s realities and informs policy solutions that work for them. To support education system reform, we:
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Support evidence-informed policy
dialogue and reform processes -
Facilitate structured engagement
between government, practitioners
and communities -
Mobilise stakeholder networks
around shared, evidence-based priorities -
Strengthen the use of data and
learning within government decision cycles
Education systems work best when those who live the system such as teachers, school leaders, parents, learners, are not only sources of data but co-owners of reform conversations. SEED’s approach ensures that influence is the result of collective voice, shared evidence, and mutual respect between communities and policymakers. Our work strengthens not just policies on paper, but the relationships and shared understandings that make policies real in people’s lives.
Our key influence workstreams include:
- People-Informed Evidence Translation: We translate evidence into policy dialogue materials (briefs, memos & synthesis outputs) that weave in perspectives from practitioners and community actors. These outputs foreground not just data, but stories of system experience, highlighting both structural challenges and context-grounded ideas for reform.
- Government Engagement with Practitioner Priorities: SEED facilitates structured engagements between government policymakers and networks of school leaders, educators, and community representatives so that policy discussions are informed by frontline insights, not just abstracts. These engagements are co-designed, not convened in isolation. SEED also collaborates with federal and state education institutions to embed evidence into governance mechanisms, policy deliberations, and system reform initiatives. These partnerships enable sustained engagement beyond one-off consultations.
- Strategic Convenings and Multi-Actor Platforms: We bring together diverse system actors, from grassroots practitioners to federal and state policymakers, around shared evidence and shared commitments to change. These convenings prioritise conversation, negotiation, and mutual learning, reflecting the voices of those affected by policy decisions.
- Network Mobilisation for Collective Voice: SEED supports education associations, grassroots school networks, and community groups to organise, articulate priorities, and engage in policy spaces collectively. Influence is strongest when voices are amplified, not isolated. SEED also supports coalitions and thematic working groups that amplify evidence-based perspectives and coordinate collective action across the education ecosystem.
SEED partners with government, grassroots networks, associations, and civil society to strengthen influence that is rooted in evidence and powered by the voices of those most affected by education policy. We welcome opportunities to collaborate with actors committed to people-powered, evidence-informed education systems change.