Impact

Read our 2024-25 impact report

At a glance:
532,000 children accessed a Topical Talk opportunity
91,640 children took part in regular Topical Talk discussions
10,800 teachers are teaching Topical Talk lessons

Download the report (PDF)

Executive summary

2024-25 has been a year of significant growth and impact:

Reach more than doubled

An estimated 532,000 children experienced Topical Talk discussions in 2024-25 vs. 231,000 the previous year

Active teacher numbers increased

There are now 10,800 teachers teaching Topical Talk lessons vs. 6,840 the previous year

Global presence deepened

86 countries have more than five active Topical Talk teachers. The UK remains our largest market. The most significant growth came from beyond the UK, including rapid growth in Ethiopia, Argentina and Ukraine

Regular Topical Talk discussions became more frequent

21% of Topical Talk teachers downloaded more than five lessons, resulting in an estimated 91,640 children taking part in regular Topical Talk discussions. This represents an 83% increase in regularly engaged children compared with last year

Students made significant progress in developing key knowledge and skills

98% of teachers agreed that Topical Talk improved their students’ knowledge of current affairs
86% of teachers observed a marked improvement in their students’ media literacy
Students were 9.7% more curious and 9.5% less worried by the news after participating in Topical Talk
Classes that participated in Topical Talk made an average of 7x the progress of their peers in key critical thinking and communication skills
Students who participated in Topical Talk over the course of 12 weeks made 9x the progress of their peers

Students from Tidemill Academy in a big group with hands in the air looking excited

Topical Talk Festival ignited vibrant cross-border discussions

1,728 students from 19 countries participated in the Festival over the course of seven weeks. There were 11,749 student contributions posted, averaging 230 comments per day. Students participated in five polls and published 404 Standpoints

United Public School and College, Bangladesh, pitching their Projects for Change for the Leadership for Change Prize

New Leadership for Change Prize launched

356 Projects for Change were submitted from 97 schools across 23 countries. Three winning teams received funding and mentorship and 88% of students reported believing that change can improve the world

New advisory groups launched

A Teacher Advisory Group and Student Ambassador Group were launched with 15 educators from eight countries and 18 students from seven countries, to provide feedback and collaborate on the future direction of The Economist Educational Foundation

New Communities launched

A new Community pilot was launched with 12 schools in Lagos (Nigeria), building on the strengths and learnings from our partnerships with Clayton County Public Schools in Atlanta, Georgia (USA) and Kent Catholic Schools’ Partnership (UK)