LAC Education Support Contract Annual Report: Fiscal Year 2020

Under Task 1, Sector Assessment, DevTech completed a Rapid Assessment Education and Risk Analysis (RERA) in the Dominican Republic. The purpose of this report was to gain a broader understanding of the risks, needs, assets, and capacities of the education sector and enable future USAID education sector programs to better address issues of risk, particularly violence, in and around schools. DevTech is also in the process of completing a RERA in Colombia to understand the impact of the migration of Venezuelans on the Colombian education system. The RERA will inform the future design of USAID education activities to support affected school communities. The RERA in the Dominican Republic focused on a primary data sample of 30 schools in 26 municipalities in 9 provinces. The RERA reached 1,305 respondents through 172 focus group discussions and 38 key informant interviews. Focus groups were conducted with students, teachers, parents, and community members. A desk review was conducted prior to data collection, as well as during report writing. The RERA provided several conclusions based on contextual risks, education, and school community resilience, including the impact of the pandemic on school communities, the challenges faced by Venezuelan migrant students, and the efforts made by schools to adapt remote learning. Under Task 2, Monitoring and Evaluation of Education Programs, DevTech received final approval of the LAC Reads Capacity Program (LRCP) Performance Evaluation. The purpose of the LRCP Performance Evaluation was to inform midcourse adjustments in program implementation for the remainder of the LRCP and to inform ongoing and future regional and bilateral USAID programming that addresses similar subject matters and key stakeholders. Under Task 3, Preparation for Education Skills-Building Workshops, there were no activities conducted during this period. Annex A of this report includes a progress summary of indicators for the first year of the LAC Contract. The LAC Education Support Contract, awarded to DevTech Systems, Inc., began implementation in October 2018, with the objective to provide on-demand support services to the Education team in the USAID Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, Office of Regional Sustainable Development (LAC/RSD). The contract is divided into three main tasks: (1) Sector Assessment, Design, and Implementation Support; (2) Monitoring and Evaluation of Education Programs; and (3) Preparation for Education Skills-Building Workshops. DevTech will work with USAID/LAC and bilateral missions to provide rapid access to cost-effective expert technical assistance and logistical services required to strengthen the design, management, monitoring, and evaluation of regional and bilateral education programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. The RERA in Colombia was conducted to gain a snapshot of Colombia's education system, particularly for Venezuelan migrants, and to obtain an understanding of the resilience of affected school communities. Planning was initiated prior to the pandemic but pivoted rapidly to accommodate the changed circumstances. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, data collection was conducted completely remote with support from the Centro Nacional de Consultoría. Quantitative and qualitative data collection began in May, with 457 respondents surveyed. The RERA provided several conclusions based on contextual risks, education, and school community resilience, including the impact of the pandemic on school communities, the challenges faced by Venezuelan migrant students, and the efforts made by schools to adapt remote learning. The findings from the RERA were broadly disseminated.