Education Project. To alleviate workforce quality constraints to private sector-led growth by enhancing the equity and effectiveness of basic, vocational, and tertiary education.
Education Project. General Education Evaluation (Rehabilitation and Construction of 47 Schools; CPD; Access to and Management of Textbooks) Given that the 47 school sites were chosen based on needs, and the sample is therefore non-random, and the textbook Activity has a national scope, targeting basically the country’s entire population of learners, evaluation methodologies that are dependent on a rigorously-defined counterfactual are not possible. However, it is planned to triangulate quantitative and qualitative methods for this evaluation, with the specific evaluation approach to be determined with the help of the independent evaluation firm to be hired and paid by MCC. In addition to assessing whether the package of general education and textbook interventions contribute to learner achievement at the 47 schools, other preliminary research questions include: • Do improved school facilities translate into an improved learning environment and lead to increases in learner achievement?8 • Does improved teacher housing attract higher quality teachers? How has a change in teacher qualifications, if any, contributed to learner achievement? • To what extent does CPD contribute to a higher quality education workforce? • Does a more efficient textbook management system increase learners’ access to textbooks and, in turn, increase in learner achievement? Does a more efficient textbook procurement and management lead to cost savings?
Education Project. General Education Evaluation (Rehabilitation and Construction of 47 Schools; CPD; Access to and Management of Textbooks) Given that the 47 school sites were chosen based on needs, and the sample is therefore non-random, and the textbook Activity has a national scope, targeting basically the country’s entire population of learners, evaluation methodologies that are dependent on a rigorously-defined counterfactual are not possible. However, it is planned to triangulate quantitative and qualitative methods for this evaluation, with the specific evaluation approach to be determined with the help of the independent evaluation firm to be hired and paid by MCC. In addition to assessing whether the package of general education and textbook interventions contribute to learner achievement at the 47 schools, other preliminary research questions include: • Do improved school facilities translate into an improved learning environment and lead to increases in learner achievement?8 • Does improved teacher housing attract higher quality teachers? How has a change in teacher qualifications, if any, contributed to learner achievement? • To what extent does CPD contribute to a higher quality education workforce? • Does a more efficient textbook management system increase learners’ access to textbooks and, in turn, increase in learner achievement? Does a more efficient textbook procurement and management lead to cost savings? Expanding Vocational and Skills Training The vocational education grants facility is undergoing an impact evaluation that compares those who are randomly selected to participate in one of the training grant programs with a comparison group of those who are not randomly selected. This methodology has proven to 8 Ideally, the evaluation would measure whether improved facilities increase learner achievement, which, in turn, spawns higher earning over time. However, given the limited timeframe of the evaluation, it will not be possible to measure impacts over a very long time horizon. As a result, quality of learning and learner performance may serve as a proxy for eventual increase in income. be feasible as there were generally more applicants for training grant slots than available spaces. The same evaluator will also evaluate the other two Sub-Activities under the Vocational and Skills Training Activity: NTF Levy and COSDECs. The specific methodologies are outlined in the evaluation design report along with a refined set of evaluation questions. Some of t...
Education Project. In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) partnered with the Safe Water and AIDS Project (SWAP) and other research partners in western Kenya to launch the Nyando Integrated Child Health and Education Project (NICHE). The goal of the NICHE Project is to evaluate the impact of community-based marketing and mobilization of local institutions to sell micronutrient Sprinkles along with other health products, including WaterGuard. Aside from Sprinkles and WaterGuard, several health products including soap, condoms, modified clay pots and bednets, are marketed to all families living in the project area, especially to those families with children ages 6-59 months. These health products are distributed by community vendors who have been offered small loans in the form of microcredit1 for promoting health-related activities. As a result, vendors are able to buy health products at wholesale and subsequently educate and sell these products at retail to their neighbors for income-generating purposes. Some additional objectives of the NICHE project 1 Small loans offered to impoverished individuals in an effort to encourage entrepreneurship and income- generation as a means to exit the cycle of poverty. are to assess the feasibility of Sprinkles distribution in western Kenya when integrated with an existing health promotion and an income-generating program and also to measure the impact of Sprinkles use on important health outcomes among young children under age three. Likewise, assessing the utilization, feasibility and effectiveness of WaterGuard among these same children has been well-integrated into the NICHE project’s goals during the 42-month follow-up. A baseline assessment of children under age 5 among 60 villages in Nyando District was conducted in 2007 and subsequently, follow-up cross- sectional surveys were administered to measure impact on selected biomarkers and anthropometry among children aged 6-59 months. Active biweekly surveillance of enrolled children was conducted to determine Sprinkles use and health status and qualitative data collection was conducted to assess acceptability of Sprinkles over time. Prior to data collection, 30 intervention villages and 30 comparison villages were randomly selected from Nyando Division (population 80,000), where the population is largely impoverished and lacks adequate sanitation and infrastructure.xxxiv Details of the sampling methodology are described elsewhere.liii In the first year of the stu...
Education Project. The purpose of the impact evaluation will be to assess the effectiveness of the Education Quality Activity through: (1) the quantity of education services provided; (2) the quality of education services provided; and (3) learning outcomes. The evaluation will include measurements taken from non-MCC target schools to establish a comparison group. The evaluation may also address the Textbook Activity and other activities that may improve school supervision.
Education Project. The objective of the Education Project is to support the efforts undertaken by the Government in the implementation of institutional reforms, defined in the Proposal for the Transformation of Secondary Education and Ruta Crítica, designed to provide quality education to prepare a diverse Guatemalan youth to be successful in the labor market. In order to achieve the objective of the project, MCC financial support will be complemented by actions undertaken by the Ministry of Education. In order for the impact of the project to be sustained and expanded nationwide, Guatemala would need to progressively increase the budget for secondary education and ensure the equitable and efficient use of those resources. The proposed Activities under this Project include:
(a) Activity 1: Improving the Quality of Education in Support of Student Success in Lower Secondary. In order to improve learning of students and promote student success (student promotion and transition rates), MCC will support the Ministry of Education to initiate programs to improve the quality of education in lower secondary schools. Specifically, the Program will support: the establishment of school networks (primary and lower secondary schools) to improve the transition from primary to lower secondary, and to implement learning communities of teachers as a platform for continuous professional development of teachers; the design and implementation of a continuing education for lower secondary teachers and principals through a one-year certificate program in coordination with public and private universities with complementary training programs for supervisors and other technical staff; pedagogical advisors to support teachers to better deliver the national curriculum; and technical assistance to develop the capacity of parents councils to monitor and advocate for the quality of lower secondary education. The Program will initiate these activities for 10 to 15 percent of the country´s public school teachers in lower secondary.
(b) Activity 2: Improving Technical and Vocational Education and Training (“TVET”) in Upper Secondary. MCC will support the Ministry of Education and other Government entities to develop new tools and strategies for TVET in order to better match the supply and demand of the labor market. This will include an assessment of the current provision of TVET in upper secondary education and will provide recommendations for coordination and harmonization of competencies and quali...
Education Project
