| Evaluations

This report presents the findings of baseline data collection for the Assessment of Learning Outcomes and Social Effects (ALSE) project in Afghanistan, an initiative funded by USAID through grants to the University of New York (NYU). ALSE is a comprehensive multi-year impact evaluation that aims to expand and deepen our understanding of ways (1) to maximize primary school learning and access through community-based education (CBE), and (2) to sustain these gains in learning and access into the future. The program operates as a randomized control trial using mixed quantitative and qualitative outcome assessments and measurements. ALSE assesses a CBE program implemented by CARE and CRS (funded by Canada) in 180 villages in the six central Afghan provinces of Bamiyan, Daykundi, Ghor, Herat, Kapisa, and Parwan. In this baseline data report we describe the geographic, demographic, and educational context of the communities we are studying. We also characterize some key patterns in access to education, demand for education, and children’s verbal and mathematical aptitude. The data collection for this report, which was undertaken in the summer and fall of 2014, will help set the stage for future data collection. [150 pages] Read More...

This report presents the findings of baseline data collection for the Assessment of Learning Outcomes and Social Effects (ALSE) project in Afghanistan, an initiative funded by USAID through grants to the University of New York (NYU). ALSE is a comprehensive multi-year impact evaluation that aims to expand and deepen our understanding of ways (1) to maximize primary school learning and access through community-based education (CBE), and (2) to sustain these gains in learning and access into the future. The program operates as a randomized control trial using mixed quantitative and qualitative outcome assessments and measurements. ALSE assesses a CBE program implemented by CARE and CRS (funded by Canada) in 180 villages in the six central Afghan provinces of Bamiyan, Daykundi, Ghor, Herat, Kapisa, and Parwan. Phase Two of the ALSE project tests a model of CBE sustainability under the management of three community-level institutions—Community Development Councils (CDCs), Education Subcommittees (ESs), and School Management Shuras (SMSs). Two of the research consists of four steps: (1) a baseline “institutional-capacity assessment” of the three institutions; (2) capacity-building training for the three institutions; (3) the “handover” of 69 randomly assigned CBE classes from management under an NGO to management by the three institutions; and (4) a comparison of education access and learning outcomes between villages where CBE classes were managed by community institutions and those that continued under NGO management for one academic year. This Phase Two Baseline Report focuses on steps (1) and (2) above. The institutional capacity assessment was conducted in late 2016 in 184 villages across six provinces in Afghanistan. The results presented in this report shed light on the current functionality and management practices of the institutions prior to their involvement in the management of CBE classes in their respective villages. [47 pages] Read More...