Institutional Support

The ERP/EQUIP1 program encourages systemwide reforms by experimenting at lower levels of the educational system (i.e., schools, community, and local government authorities) to test and demonstrate effective strategies for educational improvement. Egypt’s newly developed educational standards provide the framework for the reform overall and the project activities in particular.

The Social Legacy Program (SLP) reaches out to youth and other vulnerable groups in the Europe and Eurasia region, giving them the tools they need to become local leaders and promote social change. Due to widespread socio-economic insecurity and a dramatic collapse in basic social services, these groups face great barriers to finding work and gaining viable skills, while the region on the whole struggles to make the transition towards market-oriented, democratic societies.

EQuALLS2 is an EQUIP3 associate award that aims to increase access to quality education and livelihood skills in areas affected by conflict and poverty in the Philippines. With specific emphasis on the Muslim areas of Mindanao, the EQuALLS2 project targets schools, barangays (barrios), and municipalities to strengthen formal and alternative education and reintegrate out-of-school youth into the economy.

Most teens work by the time they graduate from high school. Although work can be a positive experience, it also has risks. Every year 100,000 teens are seriously injured on the job. To improve the safety of young workers, the center provides training for the staff of school and community-based job readiness and placement programs, preparing them to teach teens about occupational safety and health. The center also provides seminars, technical assistance, and resources to employers of youth and to other education and employment-related organizations serving youth.

EDC’s Gender, Diversities, and Technology Institute works at the intersection of gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, culture, and sexual orientation seeking to understand how technology can support the development of democracy and human rights. Projects focus on increasing participation in and distributing ownership of the “new knowledge society” brought about by emerging technologies.

dot-EDU was an information and communication technology (ICT) intervention mechanism for USAID Missions seeking to improve education systems in their respective countries. dot-EDU sought to assist developing countries in strengthening learning systems that improve quality, expand access, and enhance equity through carefully planned applications of digital and broadcast technologies. The dot-EDU mission had two foci. First, dot-EDU provided training and technical assistance to support USAID Missions in developing and implementing technology-assisted applications.

This National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded research project examined teacher retention, particularly of science and mathematics teachers within the Boston Public Schools (BPS), by addressing these research questions: (1) What are the hard and soft costs to schools and to the district of having teachers come and go? (2) What explains why some schools tend to retain their teachers while other schools are less able to do so? and (3) What can the district and BPS do to reduce teacher turnover? CSE researchers gathered cost data at the district level.

The e-BIZ project’s mission is to help Macedonia’s small and medium enterprises compete globally and domestically by giving them access to information and communications technologies (ICTs). Having access to ICTs enables the country’s businesses to attract and communicate with customers, employ efficient supply and distribution channels, and modernize their business processes. The strengthening and expansion of business that results from ICTs leads to the creation of new jobs. e-BIZ is an initiative of USAID’s dot-ORG program.

EDC HHD Asia was selected by Hewlett Packard as a Center of Excellence in Asia Pacific for Micro-Enterprise Development Programs in April 2008. As a Center of Excellence, EDC will be managing and supporting 58 Microenterprise Development Centers (MEDCs) in countries such as China, India, New Zealand, Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam, amongst many others. EDC will manage the Web portal posting information on new developments in regional economies, providing access to training curriculum and forums for MEDCs to share their best practices to support the growth of Micro Enterprises.

The FunWorks is a digital library of career exploration resources for youth ages 11 to 15. The FunWorks provides “real world” experiences and uses children’s current interests and passions, such as music and sports, to help them explore exciting future careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The site was designed for and by children—over 300 young people have participated in the design and launch of this one-of-a-kind collection from the initial concept to design, usability testing, and launch.