Sample subtitle in Gill Sans

MAY 20, 2005

Transitioning to First Grade in El Salvador

Challenges and Opportunities

June 28, 2007

El Salvador: National Education System

• Programming for families and children from birth to three scarce and solely focuses on health & nutrition

• 46% of young children ages 4-6 participate in Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs

• 89% net enrollment rate in primary school• First grade presents the highest repetition and

drop-out rates in primary school at 15% and 16% respectively

• 67% survival rate to fifth grade nationally, but estimates of 25% in rural areas

• Dramatic inequalities - rural/urban, poor/better off

Current Educational Priorities in El Salvador

• Universal access to kindergarten for six year olds – Juega Leyendo

• Throughout basic education a focus on:– Language – literate

citizens– Mathematics – problem

solving and logical reasoning

• Competencies based curriculum

• Assessment and results (testing continous assesment and formative assessment in 1st, 3rd and 6th grade)

Transition challenge – different cultures in ECD & First Grade

ECD programs:• Child seen as actor, subject ,

active • Child can control own

learning to some extent • Focus on socialization and

holistic development• Learning through play and

exploration

• Child progress measured against the individual’s progress

First grade:• Child seen as object,

recipient of curriculum, student or pupil, passive

• Teacher controls the learning

• Focus on academic achievement

• Learning through repetition and memorization

• Child progress measured against the curriculum and standards

First graders

Transition challenge – different home & school cultures

Home:

• Closeness with caregiver

• Flexible schedule

• Autonomy from a young age

• Familiar social network

• Learning in context through observation and trial and error

School:

• New caregiver

• Rigid schedule

• Taking direction from someone new

• New social network

• Learning out of context through memorization and repetition

Transitions Education – what is it?

• Helping to prepare children and their families for formal schooling, and

• Helping to prepare school for young children

• An articulation of ECD program or the home with First Grade

Early Childhood Development Programming

• Home and center based model

• Parent involvement key component

• Educators recruited from community and trained/supported by Save the Children

• Supporting national counterparts’ program models through technical assistance and materials

Challenges

• High turnover of ECD educators

SC’s Intervention – ECD practices in first grade

Maximize the use of ECD resources– Use ECD infrastructure and materials for

summer clubs for children who are going into first grade and for after school clubs in the second half of the year for children who are at risk of repeating first grade. Led by youth and/or ECD educators.

Challenges– First grade teachers often want to see more

drilling and repetition in after school clubs– Possible stigmatization of children– Too high demand, from higher grades, and from

non-targeted children

SC’s Intervention

Welcome to School activities• Simple activities that invite both children and their

families to school before the start of the school year, first grade teacher to ECD centre, school picnic etc.

• Promote communication between ECD and first grade• Involve the community in the education of their children

at home and at school, extending their role beyond cleaning and cooking to participate in curriculum development and delivery, defining objectives, setting standards etc.

Challenges• Chaos at the start of the school year (intermittent

attendance, lack of materials)• Teacher rotation• Parents being seen, and seeing themselves as equal

partners in the process• ECD educators being seen, and seeing themselves as

important, skilled educators

SC’s Intervention – ECD practices in first grade

Promote learning corner methodology in first grade– Allows for children to regain some power in the classroom –

autonomy of what/who they work with– Allows teachers to work with small groups– Allows children to work with and explore concrete materials– Already included as part of the national curriculum in El

Salvador yet not functioning in the majority of schoolsChallenges

– Sustainability – locally made low-cost materials essential– Scaling up – MINED has asked for learning corners

implementation on a national scale, yet training has not been accounted for

– Resistance to “just play” – teachers must be involved in play

Learning Corners

Mathematics

Social Studies

Language

Sustainability

• Transitions education is now part of the national in-service teacher training program

• $87 cost per child

• Working with national partners to strengthen services and expand reach to the most vulnerable population

Lessons Learned

• Many of the challenges in transitions education, are similar to challenges in the ECD piece of the program but they are intensified at the primary school level due to the nature and scale of the system

• Community involvement is more challenging at the primary school level since teachers and schools are seen to have the monopoly on expertise

• Engaging the whole person – mind and heart – in a process of reflection and analysis can help break down the barriers, and enable everyone to focus on the goal – a better education for children

Results

• Ministry of Education seeking resources to implement learning corners nationally

• ECD training methodologies replicated with national partners

• Uptake of education component within health initiatives (AIN)

• Transitions education project part of national teaching training strategy

• 86% promotion rate for ECD program participants (5% drop-out, 9% repetition compared to 16% and 15% national rates)

Thank you!

Children playing with puppets in one of the SC supported transitions education classrooms.