J&A is providing technical assistance and technically solid interventions to achieve national impact, including sound policies, cost-effective technical reforms and accountability systems strengthening, focused on the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Guatemala. The goal of this activity is to contribute to achieving USAID's Regional Strategy (in particular "Better Educated People") by ensuring that more boys and girls progress efficiently through their years in the educational system and receive the quality education they need to become productive and conscientious citizens.

J&A is assisting the MOE to establish a national system of research and evaluation which will permit regular monitoring and evaluation of the performance of the public education system through the use of indicators to measure results.

 

Desired results include progress toward:

  • Universal primary education
  • Expansion of pre-primary and lower secondary education
  • Strengthening the national education system
  • Institutionalization of decentralized teacher training and professional development
  • Modernization and decentralization of the administrative system and curriculum
  • Democratization and citizen participation in education
  • Reduction of illiteracy
  • Restructuring the non-formal education system
  • Budget allocations with transparency, quality and optimal use of resources

The following contracted results in increased and improved Social Sector Investments are limited to the Education Sector in Guatemala:

  • Increased and more efficient expenditures by the Ministries of Health and Education
  • Increased and more effective decentralized investments in health and education

The indicators for measuring progress toward these results include:

  • Primary education completion rates (by gender)
  • Public expenditures on education as a percent of GDP (context indicator)
  • Public expenditures on primary education as a percent of GDP
  • Primary education budget spent on children who drop out, repeat or fail
  • First grade failure rates (by gender)
  • Rates for completing first through third grade in three years (by gender)
  • Net enrollment in primary grades (by gender)
  • Net enrollment in lower secondary grades (by gender)

This project contemplates activities to assist the Guatemala Ministry of Education in:

  • Developing standards and evaluation instruments for secondary education
  • Developing performance measures for teacher training and evaluation
  • Leading a national dialogue to develop citizen core competencies and life skills to help boys and girls meet the challenges of a more competitive global economy, multicultural society and rapidly changing future.

In order to accomplish these goals, the project seeks to:

  • Develop and validate learning standards for grades 7 to 12 and core students' competencies for secondary education
  • Lead a national dialogue with civil society, private sector, government, donors and others to identify, reach consensus, develop and communicate students' and citizen’s core competencies and life skills
  • Develop instruments, protocols, analyses and reports to assess secondary education students
  • Develop instruments, protocols, analyses and reports to assess teachers
  • Develop a proposal for a flexible organizational structure for the administration of a national system for teacher training and assessment