Since 1998, we have provided hundreds of thousands of students with the motivation to continue going to school. We have achieved this by providing students with scholarships, creating classroom activities and building classrooms. As we’ve grown and learned more about the students in Chiapas and their needs, we have changed our programs to ensure the best results.
To do this, we measure our programs though a randomized control trial, this helps us better understand our programs' impact. Let’s say we have a group of ten schools, five schools will be randomly selected to receive our program while five will be the comparison group. We use this method because RCTs are considered the best method to measure impact and it helps us update our program year to year and provide students with what will motivate them the most to stay in school.
Since our project’s start in 1998, we have built 177 safe and weather-proof spaces around the state; as we focus on our educational programs, we have slowed down the school construction program. Before, we would build classrooms for all grades but as REACH has expanded and increased high school enrollment, we have focused school building in high schools with enrollment increases that were REACH’s direct impact.
Since 2003, we have been implementing REACH, short for High School within REACH. This motivates students who are in 9th grade (the last year of middle school in Mexico) to enroll in high school. Since its first implementation it has changed as we’ve learned more about the students, what works best and changes in education law. Today, based on the results of our RCT and the education reform reinforcing that public education is free, we provide students with a scholarship to take the high school entrance exam.
Our newest program and the first time we are working in high schools. Junior and seniors work with their teachers to learn the tools they need to start a business. After school, these students create a business plan and work on executing the plan from start to finish. In addition to the technical skills they learn, they practice presentation, working in teams, and time management; skills that will help them succeed whether they continue to study or enter the workforce.
The STAR Program no longer exists but was implemented in middle schools and motivated students to perform in school. Eighth and ninth grade students who were most improved and received the best grades in class were entered into a raffle where they could win prizes such as cash, tablets or school supplies. The randomly selected boy and girl in each category would get a prize. Through our RCT, we saw that performance in school increased, the program was discontinued to focus on the REACH program.
We are proud to unlock economic opportunities for students in Chiapas with the support of our committed partners. Thanks to their ideas, insights, time and donations we can motivate indigenous students to succeed."
