Evaluations of MCC investments in education programs in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Morocco

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) has invested in programs aimed at improving the quality of education in partnership with several governments around the world. As part of MCC commitment to country ownership, each country identifies programs that would allow them to improve education and address key challenges. To contribute to evidence-based decision making, learning, and accountability MCC conducts program evaluations of their investments. In this panel, we will present findings from evaluations of MCC investments in secondary educational programs in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Morocco. While each program is different, they each support communities, teachers, school leaders, as well as regional and national ministry of education authorities to improve the quality of secondary education. The programs support improved decision-making at different levels in the system, through improved approaches to planning and improved access to relevant information. They support improvements in pedagogical practices to support skill-development beyond the traditional academic skills so that young people can be more prepared to engage in the labor market and society at large. Improving access to data puts power into the hands of all stakeholders in the education system – including civil society to make changes. By improving pedagogical practices and the quality of education, we ensure an educated workforce that can advocate for themselves, and others for improved economic opportunities.
The first presentation entitled Empowering schools and their communities to collaborate with neighboring schools in El Salvador will discuss the evaluation findings concerning program implementation, impacts, and sustainability of the integrated systems of full-time inclusive schools model in El Salvador. The second presentation entitled Institutional strengthening and the centralization of power: A political economy analysis of middle school education in Guatemala will focus specifically on the shift in power towards more centralized decision-making and the role that civil society actors could play in the new administration to support deeper changes in middle school education. The third presentation entitled Understanding the process to support schools' voice through Integrated School Management Models in Morocco will show how an integrated school management model gives voice to parents, teachers, and school directors as they work together to improve the quality of local secondary education.
Our panel adopts a critical and reflective decolonization approach that challenges the traditional legacies influencing international development studies. We question and reexamine the dominant paradigms of the Global North that have historically guided education research and policy-making in developing countries. By emphasizing inclusivity, collaboration, and respect for diverse knowledge systems, our approach aims for a more equitable and inclusive process. We prioritize the voices and experiences of local governments, teachers, school directors, parents, and students, enabling them to take an active role in shaping their own development agendas. Our goal is to foster a culturally-sensitive and contextually-relevant approach to critical education issues, prioritizing local perspectives and needs.

Sub Unit

• Monitoring and Evaluation SIG

Chair

• Larissa Campuzano, Mathematica

Individual Presentations

• Empowering schools and their communities to collaborate with neighboring schools in El Salvador - Larissa Campuzano, Mathematica

• Institutional strengthening and the centralization of power: A political economy analysis of middle school education in Guatemala - Audrey-marie Moore, Mathematica

• Understanding the process to support schools' voice through Integrated School Management Models in Morocco - Matt Sloan, Mathematica

Discussant

• Emilie Bagby, Mathematica