42 LCSHD Paper Series Public Disclosure Authorized Department of Human Development 20963 Secondary Education in El Salvador: Public Disclosure Authorized Education Reform in Progress Carolyn Winter Public Disclosure Authorized April 1999 Public Disclosure Authorized - The World Bank Latin Americaand the Caribbean RegionalOffice Human Development Department LCSHD Paper Series No. 42 Secondary Education in El Salvador: Education Reform in Progress Carolyn Winter April 1999 Papers prepar.e in ths. series are nt lOrmal pUb licatitOs of e worlai an ..They p-reset preliminary -an,d.unpolished .res ult ITOf'country' 'nalsis or re-'searc thfat is' cirulated- t..encou..cit.... age... discussion......... 'ad co t; any n...d o h . ... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~p .....i..-....... I . -...... ..... -.--...---......... ..........--.--- should take 'it,,provisional 'harater.'T raccountoffindings,"interpr'tatio's' a"d cncusionsxpressed. -- - -- -~ ~~~~.---in--this.- -p-aper are ..... etirelythose. .. .. -. --............. o.fsthe, . au.thors - ....1 - . andeshould. ---. not- be attarib0utedainany -mannertothe W-orld:Ban its affliated organization members .ofits Board' ofEecutive 'Direct'o-rs..ornthecounthries ent. tthey The World Bank Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Ofefce Currency Equivalent CurrencyUnit = Colon US$1.00 = 8.70 Colones (Exchange Rate Effective March 1998) Fiscal Year 1 January - 31 December Academic Year 15 January - 31 October Vice President, Latin America and the Caribbean Region Mr. Shahid Javed Burki Director, Central America Country Management Unit Ms. D.W. Dowsett-Coirolo Director, Human Development Sector Management Unit Mr. Xavier Coll Task Manager Ms. Maria Madalena R. dos Santos ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This report was prepared by Carolyn Winter (HDNED) for LCSHD. Madalena dos Santos (LCSHD) provided general oversight for report preparation. The report draws extensively on a series of background papers prepared by John H.Y. Edwards (Consultant) and also benefited from input provided by Cesar S. Guerrero (Consultant), Gene Lamb (Consultant), George Psacharopoulos (HDNVP) Mitesh Thakkar (HDNED), James Williams (Consultant), Yael Duthilleul (ECSHD), Suhas Parandekar (LCSHD) and Diane Steele (DECRG). Useful comments on drafts were provided by Ricardo Rocha Silveira (LCSHD) and Andrea Guedes and Cynthia Hobbs (LCSHD). Acknowledgments are also due the staff of the Ministry of Education, El Salvador, who provided and shared information so readily and willingly. Benjamin S. Crow (HDNED) formatted and processed the report. i TABLE OF CONTENTS ExecutiveSummary ........................................................ iv Section1. EducationalReform for EconomicGrowth and Globalization............................... 1 Introduction......................................................... 1 HumanCapital in El Salvador......................................................... 2 EducationReform for a GlobalizedMarket ......................................................... 3 SecondaryEducation in El Salvador......................................................... 3 An Overviewof SectorFinancing ......................................................... 4 An Overviewof SectorAdministration ......................................................... 5 Section2. IncreasingAccess with Equity......................................................... 7 Introduction......................................................... 7 SchoolEnrollment Trends ......................................................... 7 Accessto SecondaryEducation ......................................................... 8 Inequitiesin Accessto SecondarySchool ........................................................ 10 Strategiesto ExpandSecondary School Access with Equity................................................ 12 Section3. EnhancingEducation Quality and Relevance........................................................ 14 Indicatorsof EducationQuality ........................................................ 15 Diversityin SecondaryEducation Providers and QualityDifferences .................................. 17 Strategiesto ImproveEducation Quality ........................................................ 22 Section4. InculcatingSocial and CivicValues ........................................................ 33 Introduction........................................................ 33 The World of El SalvadoranYouth ........................................................ 33 Social AlienationAmongst Youth ........................................................ 34 The Consequencesof SocialAlienation ........................................................ 36 Strategiesto AddressSocial Alienationthrough the Schools................................................ 36 Section5. Prioritiesand Strategies........................................................ 42 References........................................................ 45 Figures I. EducationLevel (in years) of EmployedLabor, 1996................................................... 2 2. El SalvadorSchool System Coverage .................................................... 9 Tables 1. Returnsto Educationby Levelof EducationalAttainment ............................................ 3 2. PublicExpenditures on Education:Selected Countries ................................................. 4 3. SecondaryEducation Enrollment Rates, SelectedLatin American and CaribbeanCountries, early-/mid-1980s .................................................... 8 4. FamilyConditions of Youth of SecondarySchool Age: Out-of-School and In-School............................................... 10 ii 5. Direct Costs (colones) of Secondary Education by School Type and Curriculum Track ............................................................. 11 6. Esfimated Repetition Rates by School Type and Curriculum Track ............................ 16 7. Employers' Perceptions of Workers with Secondary-level Education ......................... 17 8. Mean Characteristics of Better and Poorer Performing Schools .................................. 18 9. Educational Inputs in Poorer and Better Performing Secondary Schools..................... 18 10. Schools' Allocation of Resources (in percent)............................................................ 18 11. Education Inputs in Urban and Rural Schools, 1996................................................... 19 12. Public and Private School Student Performance (%/o)on the Achievement Test ........... 20 13. School Facilities and Characteristics by School Type ................................................. 20 14. Public and Private School Expenditures per Student (1996 colones)........................... 21 15. Standardized Test Score Results by Secondary School Type and Curriculum Track ... 22 16. Secondary School Curriculum Track Offerings, to 1996............................................. 24 17. Changes in Student Enrollments by Curriculum Track, 1997 ...................................... 25 18. Outcomes of the Consultative Fora's Deliberations on the Formaci6n Docente.......... 29 19. Economically Active Population, Aged 10 to 18 Years, by Occupational Category, 1996............................................................. 34 20. New Curriculum for Secondary General Education Program ..................................... 37 Boxes 1. Educational Inputs Linked with Improved School Performance.................................. 15 2. The Chilean Curricular Reform............................................................ 23 3. Objectives of the New 1996 Curriculum............................................................ 25 4. What Work Requires of Schools ........................ .................................... 27 5. Improving Parents' Information About Schools: The United Kingdom's Approach .... 32 6. School-linked Service Networks-The High School Program in New Jersey, United States............................................................ 38 7. Making School Boards Work-Approaches Used by New Zealand ............................ 40 "Our vision as a nation is to transform El Salvador into a land of opportunities, with equity.... We want to make the country attractive to national andforeign investment, and incorporate ourselves into the world production chain... .El Salvador has a magnificent opportunity to make a great leapforward in quality. We either enter the process of globalizaion now, or other countries will do it We either are among the first, or we get there at the end, to take what is left in the world market ... The country demands a modern, efficient, and competitive private sector, [whichk in turn demands a modern and efficient public sector capable of creating an enabling environmentfor private sector development" Excerpts from a speech by President Calderon Sol, February 2, 1995. iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In 1992, El Salvador emerged from a prolonged period of civil conflict and economic upheaval. Since that time, the country has moved decisively to rebuild its economy, and it is now emerging as a major competitor to the fast growth economies of the region. El Salvador has rightly recognized that its continued economic growth rests on its ability to become a competitive player in the broader global market. This global market is dominated by exchanges of technologically advanced goods and services produced by a soundly educated, highly adaptable and flexible labor force. To enter this global market, El Salvador will need to look further afield to global economic leaders' experiences