Bilingual education

Evaluation covers the period 9/78-2/82 and is based on assessments of linguistic proficiency, academic achievements, and student attendance in experimental and control schools, and on questionnaires, interviews, and observations made during onsite visits. The project is achieving is objectives. Data indicate that the audio-lingual methodology applied in the first three grades of 48 schools with 100 teachers of 1,620 children will exceed expectations for: (1) increasing Spanish-language competence in Guarani-speaking children; (2) reducing drop-outs; and (3) improving overall academic achievement. Based on independent, ad hoc, experimental projects initiated by the MOE in five departments of the country when project start-up was delayed by the late recruitment of a long-term advisor, actual project design was modified to omit the teaching of reading and writing in Guarani. It was also later decided that all training would be conducted in-country to reduce costs. As of the project"s half-way point, 24 MOE personnel have received U.S. training; 48 Paraguayan teachers have received U.S. training; 41,000 specifically Paraguayan curriculum materials have been developed; a new functional Department of Curriculum has given the MOE the capability for countrywide implementation of BE; a six-member steering committee has been directing the project. Academic scores of 225 students in 10 experimental groups were higher than control group (234 students) scores in Spanish and social studies/language; differences in mathematics and science scores were not significant. BE instructors proved highly successful in promoting repeaters. The MOE is preparing to nationalize the program and BE has assumed a higher priority in national education. The enthusiasm of both the public and the MOE as well as the balance of social, bureaucratic, and political factors in project design have made the project a quick success. Hasty application of these lessons to other BE projects should be avoided, however.