Reaching the Underserved: Complementary Models of Effective Schooling Joseph DeStefano, Audrey-marie Schuh Moore, Ph.D., David Balwanz, and Ash Hartwell DECEMBER 2007 The originalMeeting EFA series is available for download on the EQUIP2 website http://www.equip123.net Case Studies Afghanistan Home-Based Schools Afghanistan Community Schools Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) Primary Schools Egypt Community Schools Ghana School for Life Guatemala PRONADE Honduras Educatodos Mali Community Schools Zambia Community Schools Working Papers and Issues Briefs Cost-Effectiveness of Complementary Approaches How Do Complementary Models Meet the Educational Needs of Underserved Populations in Developing Countries? Reaching the Underserved Through Complementary Models of Effective Schooling EQUIP2: Educational Policy, Systems Development, and Management is one of three USAID-funded Leader with Associates Cooperative Agreements under the umbrella heading Educational Quality Improvement Program (EQUIP). As a Leader with Associates mechanism, EQUIP2 accommodates buy-in awards from USAID bureaus and missions to support the goal of building education quality at the national, sub-national, and cross- community levels. The Academy for Educational Development (AED) is the lead organization for the global EQUIP2 partnership of education and development organizations, universities, and research institutions. The partnership includes fifteen major organizations and an expanding network of regional and national associates throughout the world: Aga Khan Foundation, American Institutes for Research, CARE, Center for Collaboration and the Future of Schooling, East-West Center, Education Development Center, International Rescue Committee, Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation, Michigan State University, Mississippi Consortium for International Development, ORC Macro, Research Triangle Institute, University of Minnesota, University of Pittsburgh Institute of International Studies in Education, Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children. Reaching the Underserved: Complementary Models of Effective Schooling Joseph DeStefano Audrey-marie Schuh Moore, Ph.D. David Balwanz Ash Hartwell DECEMBER 2007 Table of Contents i Forward.........................................................................................................................................................1 Acknowledgements........................................................................................................................................2 of Contents Table Contributors..................................................................................................................................................3 The Challenge of Achieving Education For All: Quality Basic Education for Underserved Children...............7 Meeting EFA: Reaching the Underserved through Complementary Models of Effective Schooling..............21 Meeting EFA: Afghanistan Home-Based Schools.........................................................................................41 Meeting EFA: Afghanistan Community Schools..........................................................................................57 Meeting EFA: Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) Primary Schools..................................69 Meeting EFA: Egypt Community Schools....................................................................................................83 Meeting EFA: Ghana School for Life............................................................................................................93 Meeting EFA: Guatemala PRONADE.......................................................................................................105 Meeting EFA: Honduras Educatodos.........................................................................................................123 Meeting EFA: Mali Community Schools....................................................................................................133 Meeting EFA: Zambia Community Schools...............................................................................................146 Complementary Education Research Methodology......................................................................................159 Forward How can we provide equitable access to a quality basic education for all children? The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) supported Educational Quality Improvement Program (EQUIP) ad- Forward dresses this question, through applied research and education projects in a variety of developing countries. USAID support and research on complementary models extends back to the early 990s, with well-known examples in Ethiopia and Mali. USAID’s A Literature Review of Community Schools in Africa offers an overview of complementary programs operating in Africa. This review noted that the costs of community schooling programs, and the role and scope of government and other stakeholder involvement remained unclear, and therefore, required more research. Research also indicated that finance and expansion of current public systems will not be sufficient to meet the goals of Education for All (EFA). Many countries that have undergone expansion of access to public education still face significant disparities in school enrollment and attendance rates at sub-national levels, and fail to reach a high proportion of children who are outside of the government system. Completion and student learning have also continued to be sys- tem-wide challenges that many Ministries of Education struggle to address. To understand how these challenges might be addressed, EQUIP2 reviewed the experiences of ‘complemen- tary’ models that successfully reach underserved populations. These models are often created as a partnership between communities, NGOs and the government, focus on numeracy and literacy skill development and help enroll previously excluded children into the public school system. The community-based focus of these models enables them to meet the needs of the communities the programs are designed to serve, helping to overcome some of the limitations of government schooling. EQUIP2 identified nine case examples of complementary, community-based approaches to schooling from around the world, and developed a research methodology for analyzing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of those models. Data were gathered on student enrollment, completion and learning, management, gover- nance, organization, costs and financing. A particularly noteworthy aspect of this research was a full com- parison of both the costs and learning outcomes associated with students in complementary programs versus regular public schools. Research findings challenged some of the prevailing notions about what it would take to reach Education for All and suggested that the critical features of these models could offer insights to govern- ment schools to assist them in reaching the underserved populations and helping all children to complete their education and learn. The cases in this book demonstrate that complementary education programs can provide a unique and critical role to addressing EFA goals – particularly for disadvantaged and underserved populations. Moreover, the results of complementary education program are frequently equal to or better than to the government schools in terms of improving access, completion, and learning outcomes. EQUIP2 research suggests four features critical to the success of complementary programs: • Locally recruited teachers and ongoing, regular supervision and training; • School-based decision making and community-based management and governance; • Small schools located close to the communities they serve; and • Mother tongue instruction is used to deliver a simplified curriculum devoted to basic literacy and numeracy skills. This book includes a chapter, which frames the research questions; a chapter outlining the research methodol- ogy; a synthesis of the case study findings; and the nine case studies. This research demonstrates that the poor- est, most vulnerable children in any country can enroll in school, complete a primary education, and learn to read. It is our hope that this research will be a useful contribution to efforts to achieve Education for All. Patrick Collins USAID Education Officer EGAT Education/USAID 2 Acknowledgments This book is the result of a three-year effort to examine the cost-effectiveness and critical features of nine complementary education programs in eight countries. Central to the completion of this book has been the extensive support of organizations implementing complementary programs. Implementer sharing of program implementation and evaluation documents with our research team has helped authors in their sincere effort to share local voices and perceptions about the challenges and opportunities facing comple- mentary models. We would like to extend our warmest regards and sincere thanks to all who provided ideas, insights, and feedback on a variety of issues in both the individual case studies and the synthesis paper. Contributing to the ongoing dialogue on complementary education and to individual case studies are: ministry staff, including those supporting policy, financing and implementation of several of these programs; staff of international development agencies; funding and technical assistance agencies; universities; community groups; NGOs and teachers and district education staff. The accumulated knowledge, experience and feedback from individuals