Private initiatives in primary education

The project, which will be implemented in two phases, will focus on (1) institution building (EDUCA), (2) teacher training, (3) achievement testing, (4) Spanish and math learning materials, and (5) a management information system. During Phase I, a U.S. PVO will strengthen EDUCA"s technical, organizational, and administrative capacity to implement the project. EDUCA staff will receive in-country and U.S. training in fundraising, marketing, leadership, strategic planning, team building, and management information systems. In preparation for Phase II, local subcontractors will begin development of in- service teacher training programs and mathematics, Spanish, and achievement testing materials, and carry out a census/survey of private primary schools in the Santo Domingo area. Full implementation of project activities will occur during Phase II. The project will establish four professional development centers to serve as the focal points for project activities. As Phase II"s chief emphasis, the project will provide in-service training for public (certified) and private sector primary school teachers (certified and non-certified) and school administrators; this effort will include revising the professional self- instructional modules used by the Secretary of State for Education, Fine Arts, and Culture (SEEBAC), the Dominican agency responsible for training public school teachers. In addition, achievement testing will be implemented to monitor student progress (at the end of the fourth and eighth grades), and the project will develop, revise, and disseminate Spanish and mathematics texts, teachers" guides, and other instructional materials. Finally, the project will establish a management information system to gather data on participating primary schools in the Santo Domingo area, analyze achievement test results, and catalogue educational materials acquired by EDUCA.