Escuela Nueva and Large-Scale Instructional Innovation in Colombia

• In Event: Large-Scale Instructional Innovation and the Power of Education Research

Abstract

Purposes: Escuela Nueva (EN) is presented as an example of local instructional innovation turned into effective national policy. The strategies and conditions under which it was brought to scale, and the role of research in supporting its scale-up are discussed.

Context: Initiated in Colombia in the 1970s as a model to provide primary education in remote rural areas, EN became national policy in the 1980, reaching approximately 20,000 rural primary schools across the country. In 1989, the World Bank selected it as one of the three most outstanding social reforms in the developing world. EN has inspired educational reforms in several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and more recently Vietnam, some of which have adopted the model as national policy. To date, the EN model has reached more than 5 million children, becoming one of the longest lasing bottom-up educational innovations in the world.

EN transforms the conventional school and way of learning from a teacher- centered instruction to a child-centered, participatory learning approach with a flexible promotion mechanism that allows students to advance from one grade to another and complete academic units at their own pace. It integrates curricular, community, teacher training and administrative strategies in a systemic and cost-effective way, involving all stakeholders. Additionally, it instills democratic behaviors, a new role for the teacher as a facilitator and a new concept of “interactive and dialogue-based” learning textbooks. Teachers are trained with similar methodologies as those they will apply with their students thru practical, experiential workshops. They exchange, support each other and promote positive attitudinal change through teacher’s learning circles.

EN has demonstrated significant improvements in student achievement in rural and urban schools (Psachoropoulos, Rojas & Velez, 1992), improved self-esteem and peaceful behavior of children (Forero-Pineda, Rodríguez & Molina, 2006) and reduction in dropout and repetition rates (McEwan, 1995, 1998).

Perspective: Successful large-scale instructional innovation is conceptualized as a result of the combination of key design features – technical, financial, and political viability – and the strategic capacity of innovation leaders to mobilize social and political support.

Methods and data: Available literature on EN and the knowledge/experience of one of its founding leaders were reviewed with the explicit intention of understanding how and under what conditions the EN model was brought to scale and the role of research in supporting the innovation.

Conclusions
Key design features of EN, and important strategic decisions of its leaders on a large-scale explain the successful expansion of EN. Key design features include technical, financial and political feasibility. The access to institutional power by leaders of EN and some strategic decisions of its leaders were also important factors that allowed the large-scale expansion of EN. Finally, research played a central role, demonstrating positive impact of EN on student learning and teacher attitudes, which in turn helped mobilize social and political support and deflect opposition.

Significance. This presentation advances knowledge about the processes and conditions for successful large-scale instructional transformation, arguably one of the most pressing challenges of educational systems around the world.

Author

• Vicky Colbert, Fundación Escuela Nueva