Central American peace scholarships, May 1987

educational opportunities. Interim evaluation covered the period 1985-87, and was based on document review and interviews with the program"s administrators, trainees, and others. CAPS has been relatively successful in both in-country academic preparatory training and in U.S. short-term training; long-term academic training has not yet been completed. The academic preparatory programs, which are implemented by the Academy for Educational Development (AED), are very good, despite some problems, (e.g., lack of unified administrative direction and inadequate teacher orientation). English-language training in particular is effectively providing participants with the skills they need. Recommendations are to: (1) consolidate the English-language and preparatory courses into a unified program under a single director; (2) refine the recruitment, screening, and selection process to include a standardized information form, training of interviewers, and gathering of reference information; and (3) refine the academic program and provide pre-service/inservice training to preparatory teachers. Short-term U.S. training is managed by Partners of the Americas and Winrock International. Although little hard data exist to assess impact, those interviewed believe they have benefited technically and professionally and most express very positive views of their experiences in the United States. There is also evidence of increased productivity and organization on the part of returned scholars who had participated in agricultural or business-oriented courses. However, two problems were noted: (1) participants were given very short notice as to orientation dates, and the orientations themselves were usually no more more than half a day; and (2) follow-up activities (e.g., diploma ceremonies, meetings) were not as effective as they could have been. Recommendations for short-term training are to: (1) provide more information to potential grantees, sponsors, recruiters, and interviewers about selection criteria and nontechnical objectives; (2) standardize the application form and the interview process, and build a data base of information; (3) inform nonselected candidates as soon as possible; (4) notify scholars early about orientation programs and develop orientations that focus on the purpose and nature of CAPS; and (5) build follow-up activities into the program and hire a full-time specialist to conduct these. Lessons learned pertain mainly to the in-country academic preparatory component: ensure that start-up time is adequate and that management needs have been addressed explicitly.