EduQuality’s Cluster Model: A Powerful Engine for Female Educational Leadership in the LAC Region

EduQuality’s cluster model brings together groups of 4 to 12 affordable private schools in close geographic proximity, forming a “Self-Improving School System” (SISS). In these clusters, school leaders and teacher mentors collaborate regularly to share best practices, drive school development, and support one another through challenges. This bottom-up structure fosters innovation, resilience, and autonomy.

And in the LAC region, it is overwhelmingly female school leaders who are steering this transformation.

The Cluster Model: Turning Isolation into Innovation

The cluster model addresses one of the greatest challenges in low-fee private schools: isolation. Many of these schools are run independently and lack the infrastructure of formal school systems. Clusters fill that gap by forming learning communities rooted in trust, support, and peer learning.

Clusters are not just groups - they are ecosystems. School leaders gather for training, share challenges, and co-develop solutions. Teacher mentors work together to refine classroom practices. Education Specialists lead sessions and provide guidance, with the ultimate goal of building self-sustaining improvement models.

The Power of Women in EduQuality

Across Colombia, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic, there are 342 schools participating in EduQuality. An astonishing 280 of those schools are led by women - an impressive 82% of school leadership. Of the 52 school clusters, 42 are led by women. These numbers are not just statistics; they reflect a deep commitment to leadership, collaboration, and equity.

Women in these roles are not just administrators. They are educators, mentors, community builders, and change agents. They bring empathy, organization, emotional intelligence, and a deep understanding of their communities - traits that align closely with what cluster leadership requires.

In a SISS, leadership is not about hierarchy; it’s about facilitation, vision, and shared responsibility. Female cluster leaders naturally excel in this space. They build trust among peers, foster inclusive conversations, and sustain motivation through empathy and resilience. These women are turning their schools into beacons of quality, and their clusters into hubs of innovation.

Stories That Inspire

Ms. Quisquella Peña, founder and director of Colegio Gregorio Hernández in the Dominican Republic, exemplifies what female leadership looks like in EduQuality. A former public school teacher, Ms. Peña built her school from the ground up to serve a vulnerable community. Under her leadership, the school joined EduQuality and quickly became a model in its cluster, not just for its academic improvements but for its culture of compassion and excellence. Her leadership transformed her school - and inspired neighboring schools to raise their game.

In Guatemala, Sandra Salguero, director of CECADA, a school for adolescents with hearing disabilities, is redefining what inclusion looks like. Through EduQuality, she led her cluster in incorporating inclusive education strategies. Her approach - rooted in personal experience and a relentless commitment to equity - has inspired other school leaders to adopt more inclusive, student-centered practices.

And in Colombia, Miriam Jiménez, leader of Centro Educativo Santa Marta and winner of the EduQuality Global Awards, has used her leadership to rebuild community trust after years of challenges brought on by the pandemic and social instability. By engaging parents through creative initiatives, she has elevated not just academic results but also community resilience.

These are not isolated stories - they are representative of what happens when women lead with purpose.

Why Women Thrive as Cluster Leaders

Cluster leadership in EduQuality is grounded in three key areas of partnership competence: coordination, communication, and bonding. According to the framework introduced by David H. Hargreaves, a SISS depends on leaders who can co-create vision, manage healthy dynamics, and build systems that endure.

Women, often through lived experience, are adept at these relational and strategic skills. They tend to foster inclusive dialogue, build trust quickly, and guide peers with humility and strength. They do not impose - they empower. In contexts where resources are limited and challenges are high, this leadership style makes all the difference.

Female cluster leaders in LAC often go beyond the checklist. They motivate participation, resolve conflict, organize learning exchanges, and ensure that all voices - especially those of newer or smaller schools - are heard. Many also lead cluster WhatsApp groups, coordinate logistics, and serve as sounding boards for peers. These roles are demanding, yet they consistently rise to the occasion.

The Future is Collaborative - and full of feminine energy

As EduQuality prepares new cohorts of schools in the LAC region, the legacy of current female leaders sets a powerful precedent. Their clusters have not only improved their schools - they have built frameworks that others now follow.

Moving forward, EduQuality will continue identifying Centers of Excellence - schools that have implemented the program successfully and are now serving as models for new schools. Many of these centers are led by women. Additionally, outstanding school leaders are invited to join the EduQuality Alumni Program, where they co-facilitate training sessions with our Education Specialists, mentor new school leaders, and help deepen the program’s sustainability.

Clusters are not just about professional development. They are about building communities of practice that endure, led by people who believe that every child deserves quality education. In LAC, it is women who have taken this belief and turned it into action.

What we see across the EduQuality program is more than school improvement. It is a quiet growth in educational leadership, rooted in collaboration, mutual respect, and the belief that change starts from within. And at the heart of this movement, we find women - leaders in every sense of the word.

Their stories remind us that when given the tools, trust, and space to lead, women do more than manage - they transform. They build bridges between schools, strengthen communities, and leave a legacy of excellence.

And that’s something worth celebrating, supporting, and scaling.