Feasibility Assessment to Support Technical Education in Aceh Province
USAID/Indonesia (2006)

DevTech was contracted by USAID/Indonesia to conduct a feasibility study to guide USAID and Chevron’s support of technical education in Aceh Province, Indonesia. Chevron and USAID are contributing up to $5 million to strengthen technical education at the post-secondary level in Aceh. The purpose of the study was to determine the needs and options for strengthening the relevance, accessibility, and quality of technical education in Aceh. The assessment:

• Examined labor market needs for long term sustainable development;
• Assessed long term sustainable economic growth and the skills needed in growth industries;
• Assessed the status of technical and vocational education institutions; and,
• Analyzed
• Analyzed construction and maintenance costs to build a new polytechnic institution in Aceh.

The six-person team identified long-term sustainable growth potential for the Province in the value-added processing (of agricultural and fishery products) sector, port operations and related shipping and trade industries. The team recommended that USAID and Chevron support the development of a polytechnic for process engineering skills that are applicable to and needed by these linked areas of economic activity. The full report can be downloaded here.

Program Evaluation, Sector Studies, and Technical Assistance for the Basic Education Program
USAID/Guinea (2006)

Under the ETHRD IQC, DevTech conducted a summative evaluation of USAID/Guinea’s education program, with a six-member technical assessment team. The evaluation gauged the viability of USAID’s approaches and evaluated the efficiency, management, sustainability, impact, and results of USAID’s education activities in Guinea since their inception. The evaluation team focused on the Fundamental Quality and Equity Levels project (FQEL), the Community Participation for Equity and Quality in Basic Education project (PACEEQ), as well as other major education program activities.

Using the approach described above, the evaluation team distilled lessons learned and best practices in a wide range of fields for USAID. These areas included strategic educational sector management, teacher training and supervision, and community efforts.

The full 50-page report can be downloaded from this website.

Assessment of the USAID Assistance Program to the Reform of the Benin Primary Education System
USAID/Benin (2005)

Under the ETHRD IQC, DevTech fielded a team of five technical experts to examine the impact of USAID-funded basic education programming in Benin and to propose follow-on programs. The objective of this evaluation was to assess the accomplishments of USAID support to the education sector in Benin. The assessment documented results, identified constraints, reviewed USAID/Benin’s transition strategy, and proposed programming options for future USAID-funded support to the primary education system in Benin for the period of 2006-2011.

Within the context of the evaluation, the DevTech team:

• Assessed the sustainability of current USAID-funded technical assistance and training to support school district operations and in-service training of teachers;
• Assessed the implementation and the performance of the new study program in private schools while comparing findings with the experience in public schools;
• Assessed the current teacher training model as applied in Benin;
• Identified constraints affecting the reform and provided  recommendations on short- and long-term solutions; and
• Assessed the impact and relevance of the USAID/Benin education program, specifically in terms of its objectives, expected results, approach, and the strategy adopted.

The full 40-page report can be downloaded from this website.

Evaluation of USAID Basic Education Program and Assessment of Future Programming Priorities in Education in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan

USAID/CAR (2005)

Under the ETHRD IQC, DevTech conducted a mid-term evaluation of USAID/CAR’s education portfolio. The evaluation team, comprised of four education evaluators, reviewed USAID’s basic education assistance strategy, suggested adjustments to existing programs, and recommended priorities for future assistance. Seeking to maximize USAID’s impact and sustainability, DevTech accounted for the receptivity to required changes in the education sector. It additionally looked at current needs in each country and available information on assistance provided by other donors.

The team’s June, 2005 report focused on an evaluation of the inputs and activities that were being implemented through the Participation, Education and Knowledge Strengthening in Central Asia (the PEAKS project) and Improving Basic Education in Tajikistan (the IBET project).

Within the context of the evaluation, the DevTech team:

• Assessed the effectiveness and sustainability of USAID approaches in tackling quality and access issues in primary and secondary education in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan;
• Made recommendations regarding necessary program adjustments to maximize impact and sustainability;
• Validated USAID conclusions made prior to beginning the activity which led to the prioritization of primary and secondary education over investments at other levels of the educational system; and
• Made recommendations on future assistance priorities taking into account the current needs at the time in each country.

The full report can be downloaded from this link: CAR Final Report.

Evaluation of Benin’s Basic Education Reform Pedagogical Component

USAID/Benin (2003)

DevTech conducted a mid-course evaluation of the progress and results attained by the pedagogical component of the Benin basic education reform program. This evaluation identified and analyzed the conformity, coherence, progress and impact of the new curricula, pedagogical guides, the new Math and French workbooks and textbooks, French wall charts, teacher training, student assessment and school orientation, and documentary network. The findings and the observations provided crucial information to successfully guide the progress of the reform.

Honduran Education Evaluation
USAID/Honduras - MOBIS (2001)

DevTech reviewed the Honduran Secretary of Education’s proposed preschool curriculum  to ensure that it was well-coupled with proposed education reforms and the end results anticipated from these reforms. DevTech implemented the following tasks:

• Reviewed the proposed standards for preschool education to ensure that these standards were consistent with the major goals and proposed policies for the national basic curriculum;
• Reviewed the proposed curriculum to ensure that it was consistent with the proposed standards for preschool education;
• Ensured that the proposed curriculum included appropriate content, evaluation criteria, and policies to increase student achievement in the early grades of primary education, as children continue their studies in primary schools;
• Prepared recommendations for educational material development and teacher training  onthe implementation of the new curriculum to include cost estimates for materials and teacher training programs; and
• Prepared policy recommendations to ensure universal access to preschool programs for all children five years of age. DevTech prepared a final report providing a summary of the tasks completed above, including its final recommendations.

Evaluation of Basic Education Reform
USAID/Dominican Republic (2000)

DevTech was contracted to conduct an Education Reform Evaluation in the Dominican Republic. In 1990, the Dominican Republic embarked on a process of basic education reform with the consensus of civil society organizations and the Government of the Dominican Republic. The debates led to a comprehensive 10-year reform plan — the Plan Decenal — begun in 1992. DevTech conducted an external evaluation of the Plan Decenal’s achievements. The evaluation’s main goal was to provide guidelines for a new stage of the reform process. DevTech presented an objective assessment of the reforms in order to involve all sectors of the Dominican population in the formulation of a second Plan Decenal. DevTech’s evaluation served as input for a strategic planning exercise requested by the future Minister of Education and consisted of an initial diagnosis, policies and strategies, provincial planning, and pilot project design.

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