OVERVIEW

The United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) Assessment of Learning Outcomes and Social Effects of Community-Based Education (ALSE) research project examines how well community-based schools are helping children learn in core subjects such as literacy and mathematics.

The program examines how the transition from community management to government management affects the performance students and teachers. Implemented by New York University, the project assesses the results achieved by the Community-Based Education Enhancement Program, an activity funded by Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Development. ALSE provides a series of executive seminars to help the Afghan Ministry of Education and Afghan non-governmental organization education staff to apply rigorous and modern education research techniques and to conduct their own education research that would meet international standards.

The program also support 69 community based education (CBE) classes in Herat, Ghor, Bamyan, Daykundi, Parwan and Kapisa provinces of Afghanistan.

ACTIVITIES

• Assess the impact of community-based schools on learning outcomes
• Assess the performance of students and teachers after the handing over of the management of CBEs from non-governmental organizations to the Ministry of Education
• Provide a series of six short-term, intensive executive seminars focused on building the research capacity of Ministry of Education staff
• Provide overall technical and financial support to 69 CBE that will be transitioned from the management of non-government organizations to community

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Developed 10 training modules with facilitator guides for Community Development Councils, Educational Subcommittees, and School Management Shuras to enhance their capacities in managing community-based education classes
• Disseminated a research brief on community participation and the sustainability of rural education in Afghanistan Co- piloted 10 training modules with the Directorate of Social Mobilization and Shura at the central, district, and provincial levels. The pilots were done in Dari and Pashto languages in three villages (Parwan, Bamiyan, and Kapisa)
• Conducted a three-day training workshop on research proposal development with selected staff of the Research and Evaluation Unit (REU) of the Ministry of Education in Kabul
• Held a joint panel with representatives of the Afghan Ministry of Education, Catholic Relief Service, and Steps Towards Afghan Girls’ Educational Success during the 2017 Comparative International Education Society Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, together
• Successfully transitioned 69 CBE classes, previously managed by an NGO, to the local community management