Empowering schools and their communities to collaborate with neighboring schools in El Salvador

• In Event: Evaluations of MCC investments in education programs in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Morocco

Proposal

This presentation focuses on an evaluation of the Integrated Systems of Full-Time School (SI-EITP for its acronym in Spanish) model, a program funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) as part of the Education Qualitive Activity of the compact signed with the Government of El Salvador. The SI-EITP model brings together neighboring schools of all grade levels into a cohesive system or cluster, fostering collaboration among the schools' representatives to develop joint action plans, optimize and share resources, exchange expertise, and engage families and the community. The SI-EITP model aims to (1) increase enrollment, continuation, and completion of lower secondary and upper secondary education; (2) extend the length of the school day from 25 hours per week to at least 36 hours per week in grades 7 to 9; (3) enhance students’ active learning in core subjects and the use of information technology; and (4) improve school management and resource-sharing across schools in the Integrated Systems. MCC commissioned an evaluation of the program utilizing a mixed method approach. To address impact-related questions, we used a random assignment design assigning eligible groups of schools (systems) either to the SI-EITP model or to a control group without the program. To address implementation and sustainability questions, we conducted performance evaluation triangulating evidence from monitoring data, a school principal survey, qualitative interviews, and program documents. The presentation will describe the final findings. Among the preliminary findings, we observed that most components of the program were successfully implemented during the 2019 school year. However, the short duration of the program resulted in schools, teachers, and students receiving most of the services within a single school year. This high intensity of services presented challenges, including teachers facing difficulties completing all the required trainings, shortages of substitute teachers to cover absences, and limited space in schools undergoing renovations or construction. We did not find impacts on students’ dropout and academic achievement at the end of school years 2019, 2020, and 2021. But some findings on progression from lower secondary to higher secondary were found. Despite school closures in 2020, implementers made efforts to transfer program responsibilities to the Ministry of Education, but not all activities were sustained.

Author

• Larissa Campuzano, Mathematica