Program Evaluation
So, we wondered, is Child Aid really helping kids learn to read?
The answer is YES.
Child Aid evaluates and reports on the results of our programs each year. In 2016, Child Aid launched a program evaluation initiative to prove that our literacy intervention helps the children in Child Aid schools learn how to read. Phase I focused on evaluating student outcomes. Phase II will evaluate teachers and changes in the learning environment.
Student Outcomes
Our most important measure of program success is whether students are learning and improving their literacy skills. In 2016, Child Aid launched a major effort to evaluate student achievement. We measured changes in 2,000 second and third grade students’ reading comprehension skills from the beginning to the end of the school year, using a test developed by USAID and the Guatemalan Ministry of Education. The results encouraged us. Not only is our program working but the results also suggest that the increases in student skills will continue to grow the longer students attend Child Aid schools. The strong results mean the full impact and success of our program is yet to be seen.
Teacher Improvement
Child Aid’s teacher training efforts bolster effective teacher practices and improve the quality of classroom instruction. In 2020, Child Aid launches a teacher evaluation program to measure changes in the learning environment and classroom instruction. Assessing how teachers change during their four years in the Child Aid program provides the most direct information about how effective we are at helping teachers improve.
