USAID Publishes Results on Evaluation to Program of Sponsors Schools Spearheaded by the Fundación Falconbridge, Inc.

16 January 2002

USAID Publishes Results on Evaluation to Program of Sponsors Schools Spearheaded by the Fundación Falconbridge, Inc.

SANTO DOMINGO – In the Hall of Culture of the National Theater of Santo Domingo the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) made known the results of an evaluation of the Program for School Sponsorship of the Fundación Falconbridge, Inc. The evaluation was carried out by the firm of Creative Associates International, Inc., and was financed by USAID.

The Falconbridge Foundation has been developing this Program since 1990 in public schools in the provinces of Monseñor Nouel and La Vega, for the purpose of improving the educational environment and quality of education. The Sponsorship Program is based on the responsibility and participation of the communities, with a view to long-term development. It is a model of participation by the private sector in support of Dominican public education, with clear benefits for all of the participants.

The central purpose of the evaluation was to measure the achievements of the Foundation in terms of the objectives established. Also, to identify the key elements of the sponsorship model, with an eye to reproducing it in other areas of the Dominican Republic, and potentially, in other countries.

Among other aspects, the evaluation report points out the “improvement of the physical plant of the schools, management training and teaching personnel has had a very positive effect on the educational environment. The teaching personnel reports less absenteeism among students, and relatives say that their children like to attend the school.”

Among the conclusions and recommendations, the evaluation report emphasizes that “the Program of Sponsorship of Schools of the Falconbridge Foundation has produced impressive results, recognized and valued by a wide range of participants in this process within the school community, the regional community, the Teachers´ Association, and the Secretariat of Education. The experience of the Foundation provides a valuable guide for the development of programs of this type, which justifies its repercution in other areas of the country.”

This evaluation has served to decipher how the components interacted among themselves of the model of sponsorship which the Falconbridge Foundation has carried out during the past decade in order to achieve a good learning climate. USAID is interested in promoting this sponsorship model with the support of the country’s business sector and NGO’s of the country. The USAID will offer technical assistance to both the public and the private sector in the implementation of future sponsorship project, thus increasing the available resources for basic education in the Dominican Republic.

The ceremony was attended by Mrs. Elena Brineman, Director of the United States Agency for International Development, the Vice President of the Republic, and Secretary of State for Education, Dr. Milagros Ortiz Bosch, and other representatives of the pubic sector, members of the Board of Directors of the Falconbridge Foundation, representatives of the business sector, international entities, and figures linked to the educational sector of the country.