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General Findings
Well positioned: The MBE is well aligned with the GOI decentralization policy and MONE/MORA strategic plans, especially in the areas of improving the quality of teaching and learning, increasing the involvement of local communities in schools, improved governance and accountability through the strengthening of school committee capacity, and the increased availability of instructional materials.
Dramatic Visible Change: For the most part, MBE-assisted schools undergo a dramatic visible change in the physical characteristics of the school. Although the schools are not always in tip-top shape, the often old physical infrastructure has been spruced up with minor and sometimes major repairs frequently made by parents. Classrooms are often newly painted in bright, light colors and many classrooms have become a showcase for student work and learning materials, one of the most striking impacts of the MBE program.
Energy and Enthusiasm: Although most teachers in MBE-assisted schools are not well-trained in the formal system and are not certified at the new GOI required level (S1), MBE-assisted schools show a marked increase in the amount of enthusiasm and energy in the classroom. Most of the classrooms have been reorganized away from traditional seating into small work groups of 4-6 students and teachers were often observed presiding over student-centered exercises. Some teachers lead classes using excellent, well-thought out active-learning exercises and techniques that might rival the best and most teachers appear to be learning the methods recently introduced.
Improved School Management: With few exceptions, district officials and school principals demonstrated good management practice and a commitment to transparency and accountability. Generally, principals had developed school strategic plans in concert with a wide group of stakeholders and were reasonably articulate in the short to long-term needs and priorities of the school. School budgets were nearly always displayed prominently. Some principals exhibited fairly sophisticated knowledge of teacher evaluation processes and incentives, teacher and school development needs, and how to access resources for school improvement.
Very Active Parental Participation: Most schools appeared to have parents and parent organizations that were very active in the schools. The level of involvement varied widely with some parents working as volunteer teacher-aids, repairing or building classrooms, or providing nutritional supplements and teaching materials to the schools, while others simply cleaned the school rooms periodically. The parents appeared to be energized by the new attitudes of the teachers and principals and the focus on improving the quality of education within the school.
Engaged School Committees and Community Leaders: In all but a very few schools, school committee members and community leaders were present and appeared to be actively involved in the management and governance of the school. School committee members and community leaders provided input into school development plans, reviewed school budgets, developed performance standards, and assisted in developing additional revenue streams or in-kind assistance to assist in the implementation of the school development plan.
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By and large, the school committee and the community leaders appeared to play a prominent and useful role in the school. The willingness of community leaders and school committee members to participate in meeting with the evaluation team, often on the basis of a last minute invitation, was impressive and a measure of what high regard the MBE project is held in the communities.
Lessons Learned
Clear and Focused Conceptual Framework: The MBE has a very clear and focused conceptual framework that the evaluation team found was well understood by all stakeholders at all levels. This clear and focused conceptual framework appears to be an important factor in the success of the program.
Well Sequenced and Coordinated Whole School Approach: It was very clear to the evaluation team that the well sequenced and coordinated whole school approach adopted by MBE where teachers are actively supported by the school principal, other teachers, and the wider school community is instrumental in the effective implementation of student focused learning.
Start Small and Build on Success: The MBE approach demonstrates very clearly the advantages of starting small and then building on success, both in the origins of CLCC and in MBE implementation itself.
Do what you do well: There has been a tendency in the past for donors and the GOI to maximize the number of schools that receive project interventions. A more effective approach, observed within the MBE experience and approach, is to limit the number of schools to ensure that the investment in individual schools is sufficient to facilitate a whole school development and involve enough personnel to provide sufficient critical mass for a sustainable change.
PAKEM Plateau: The MBE program's most significant outcomes have been in improving the classroom learning environments, with less spectacular progress being made in improving teaching methodologies. In some classes observed the lessons were still largely didactic, while in others teachers were able to implement the very best student-centered teaching practices.
A more focused classroom monitoring approach coupled with targeted training materials responding specifically to deficiencies in teaching methodologies may produce better results and might avoid the possible plateau that we may be seeing in teaching methodologies.
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Conclusions
The MBE project has had impressive impacts on district and school management, community involvement, and teaching and learning. Despite the very obvious impressive progress made by the MBE project, there are a number of improvements in the MBE model that can be made. These include:
Further improving teaching methodologies and learning resources, especially advanced student questioning techniques, classroom management, and student assessment;
Further strengthening teacher and principal professional development that is school based and performanceled;
Further strengthening and reinforcing school management practices by encouraging better management practices at the sub-district, district and provincial levels;
Further encouraging community participation by providing incentives to continued community involvement in schools; and
Further encouraging system-wide policy review and dialogue.
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