International Center Topic Areas: Education

TOPIC AREAS - Education

We are working on a number of interventions related to education for children and youth. Several of these projects assess program impacts on early-grade reading and math performance; others seek to reduce school dropout or support progression to secondary and/or tertiary education.

Examples of Projects

Latin America and Caribbean Reads Evaluation (Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Peru). We are rigorously evaluating and costing U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) investments in early literacy and access to education in conflict settings in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region. Most of the evaluations will be multiyear, and some will be multi-country. Approximately half of the evaluations are expected to use a randomized controlled trial design while the remainder of the evaluations will likely be quasi-experimental evaluation designs. Capacity building is a central feature of this project. Read more.
Learning Partner for the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program. We are serving as the learning partner to the MasterCard Foundation in designing and implementing a monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) framework for the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program. Mathematica will help MasterCard to (1) create a MEL results framework ; (2) conduct relevant evaluation activities; (3) facilitate convenings to harmonize MEL activities of implementing partners and share lessons learned; and (4) produce and disseminate study findings and other learning products. Read more.
School Dropout Prevention Pilot Program (India, Tajikistan, Cambodia, Timor Leste). We are designing, implementing, and rigorously evaluating evidence-based school dropout prevention pilot interventions in four Asian countries—India, Tajikistan, Cambodia, and Timor Leste. Working with the project’s partners, Mathematica has designed rigorous impact evaluations of the pilot programs in each country. Read more.
Impact Evaluation of the Threshold Program Improving the Education of Girls in Niger (IMAGINE). Mathematica conducted a rigorous evaluation of one component of the Niger Threshold Program called IMAGINE (IMprove the educAtion of Girls In NigEr). Following the results of the evaluation, the MCC decided to implement a second phase of the Threshold Program focused on education and include elements that were not fully completed during the original implementation, called NECS (Niger Education and Community Strengthening). We are estimating the impacts of the Phase 2 interventions, the impacts of Phase 1 interventions a number of years after their completion, and the overall cost effectiveness of the investments. Read more.
Impact Evaluation Design and Implementation Services for the Burkinabé Response to Improve Girls' Chances to Succeed in School (BRIGHT 1 and 2) Programs (Burkina Faso). The Burkinabé Response to Improve Girl’s Chances to Succeed (BRIGHT) program was designed to improve the educational outcomes of children in Burkina Faso. We designed and conducted an evaluation of the impact of constructing "girl-friendly" schools and related interventions on school enrollment and attendance of girls. Mathematica is currently assessing the impacts of the expanded program on key outcomes, conducting cost analyses and overseeing data collection efforts. Read more.
Impact Evaluation of Education, Training, and Productive Development in El Salvador. Mathematica has designed and implemented the evaluation of a human and productive development initiative implemented by the government of El Salvador together with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). Over the past five years, we have refined the evaluation methodology, monitored and advised MCC on the evaluation implementation plan, finalized the evaluation design, designed and overseen quantitative and qualitative data collection and conducted analysis and reporting. Read more.
Consulting Services for Harvard Graduate School of Education to Evaluate Un Buen Comienzo (UBC), a Pre-School Program in Chile. Mathematica provided evaluation consultation to the Harvard Graduate School of Education for the evaluation of the Un Buen Comienzo (UBC), a program that aims to strengthen language, literacy, and health teaching practices in preschool education in Chile. The intervention consisted of a six-month professional development program implemented in 64 schools in low-income areas. Mathematica’s work included study design, instrument design, data collection plans, implementation monitoring and presentation of findings.
Evaluation of the Children and Youth Programmes Initiative Supported by the Atlantic Philanthropies (Ireland and Northern Ireland). The Atlantic Philanthropies requires research and evaluation support for its initiative to invest in and study the effects of programs for disadvantaged children and youth (DCY) in Ireland and Northern Ireland. We conducted on-site consultation, participated in 20 expert advisory committees, and valuated strategy. In 2011, Mathematica, serving as a subcontractor on this grant, collected information from grantees about their evaluations and conducted a review of the program.
Jamaica’s Social Safety Net Reform Impact Evaluation. Mathematica conducted an evaluation of the Programme for Advancement Through Health & Education (PATH), a conditional cash transfer program aimed at alleviating poverty and increasing the human capital of poor households in Jamaica. The evaluation included implementation and impact analyses. Mathematica also provided technical assistance in instrumental development and field procedures to the Statistical Institute of Jamaica and training to local partners in impact evaluation and implementation studies.