U.S. Agency for International Development Expands Primary Education Program in the Dominican Republic
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 17, 2009
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced during her trip to the Dominican Republic a new five-year, $12.5 million, Effective School Program. In the past, the U.S. Agency for International Development had separate programs for math and language arts, but the new pilot project will take a more comprehensive approach by addressing reading, writing, and math, while also working to improve public elementary school administration. The number of schools benefitting from direct USAID assistance will increase from 200 to 450, which will in turn serve as models for broad national replication in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.
Dominican Republic Education System
The Dominican Republic's public education system faces many challenges in the development and delivery of quality education. The USAID-financed program focuses on improving basic education in math and reading, strengthening school governance, increasing the private sector investment in education and increase learning opportunities for at-risk and out-of-school children and youth. USAID resources are used to improve and encourage curriculum reform and human resource development with the long-term goal of enhancing the Dominican government's ability to meet the education needs of its citizens, resulting in increased competitiveness and future economic growth.
The goal of USAID's education program includes upgrading the quality of education for all children through teacher training, public-private partnerships and learning opportunities for at-risk and out-of-school children and youth. The primary teacher training component includes math, reading/writing and educational management. The USAID office in Dominican Republic expanded the program to impact the fourth grade curriculum. To date, more than 3,000 teachers, principals, Dominican Ministry staff, and trainers have been trained and there now exists higher quality math and reading instruction in 200 schools, benefitting more than 90,000 children. Programs have shown increases in student performance and illustrated that teacher input is the most important. There have been 42,000 Math books printed. Five hundred classroom reading libraries have been distributed containing a total of 41,000 books.
USAID's activities will also train first through fourth grade teachers in improved methodologies and better use of available materials and classroom time. Additionally, USAID programs support better school management by increasing the capacity of school administrators and the community to participate in the shared responsibility of educating children.
The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for nearly 50 years.
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