Los Angeles, CA – October 9, 2009
Juárez & Associates was awarded a new contract from USAID / Reforma Educativa en el Aula, effective September 2009 to September 2013, whose overall objective is to ensure education reform in the classroom and the application of effective, innovative approaches to increase and improve basic education opportunities in Guatemala.
The purpose of this Task Order is to complement and build on USAID/Guatemala’s successful implementation of the Education Standards and Research Program (Programa de Estándares e Investigación Educativa, 2005-2009) as well as programs of the USAID/Guatemala “Better Educated Rural Society” strategy (1999-2004) to enhance
equitable access to quality intercultural bilingual education. It also builds upon gains made in the past decade in the areas of curriculum policy, teacher training, applied research, monitoring and evaluation, information technology and improved classroom management, as well as systems to promote transparency and accountability throughout the public education apparatus.
Under the Reform Project, Guatemala will reach its development goals by gaining substantial improvement in the quality of its human resource base. In order to develop a better educated population, USAID will, through the efforts of J&A, provide technical assistance needed to improve access to education, as well as the quality, equity and efficiency of basic education, by:
- Focusing on increasing teacher effectiveness
- Improving classroom-learning environments
- Fostering effective first and second language acquisition and reading
- Extending access to under-served populations, women and indigenous groups
- Expanding parents’, communities’ and stakeholders’ participation in student learning.
Project interventions will be implemented under the rubric of the following general components:
- Institutional strengthening for effective quality of education in the classroom
- Improved teacher professional development
- Standards, life competencies, curriculum, materials and testing for effective first and second language acquisition and for student learning
- Increasing opportunities to learn
Technical activities will also include interventions implemented under subcontracts and grants that will contribute to the United States Government’s foreign assistance objective “Investing in People.”
