Global classroom is a program that prevents early school dropout through the strengthening of basic and social-emotional skills of students with academic lags.

Specific objectives:

• Contribute to the improvement of educational quality and school permanence, through the strengthening of skills for the use and appropriation of information and communication technologies and basic skills in language and mathematics.
• Contribute to the school permanence of students enrolled at official educational institutions.
• Support the reading, writing, and math skills of children and adolescents with the most significant academic lags.

Global classroom is a prevention strategy that operates from a system of weekly individual tutorials. Mentoring includes socio-emotional and academic components, engaging families to strengthen the learning and support process.

The program is based on empirical studies conducted in various countries. These studies have shown that improving teaching practices and adapting them to the needs of each of the students can result in significant improvements in educational achievement. This program was designed and evaluated with the support of Harvard University (United States), reviewing other strategies implemented in Kenya and India. In this way, a system of 24 tutorials is proposed, with the aim of impacting on the repetition and permanence rates in the school system.

For each type of participant, a differentiated methodological strategy has been devised, which responds to their particular characteristics and takes into account their contextual reality.

With regard to tutors and teaching teams, a characterization of educational practices is carried out through the application of a survey, which provides information on: the knowledge that teachers have about the program; the topics they consider important in language and mathematics, and the methodological strategies used for teaching these two areas of knowledge; their expectations from participating in the program; the use of information and communication technologies for language and mathematics classes; and the use of the Synthetic Index of Educational Quality (ISCE) in the development of their pedagogical practice.

Regarding the students, a characterization is carried out through the application of the EGRA (Early Grade Reading Assessment) and EGMA (Early Grade Math Assessment) diagnostic tests, validated internationally to obtain information related to the performance of the students in basic skills in the areas of language and mathematics.

The Carvajal Foundation has implemented this innovative project in Cali, in partnership with the Ministry of Education of Cali and Harvard University, in the years 2017, 2018 and 2019. In 2020, the benefits of the program were taken to San Andrés de Tumaco, Buenaventura, Quibdó, Carmen De Atrato, Istmina, Riosucio, San José Del Palmar, Tadó, and Unión Panamericana.

The components of the Global Classroom are based on a program of 24 tutorials in mathematics, language, and basic skills with children and adolescents with the academic lag highest rates.

The phases and activities of the program are as follows:

1.5 months:

1. 1. Groundwork: review of antecedents and benchmarks, recruitment of staff, and establishment of alliances.
2. 2. Training of pedagogical advisers, tutors, and test proctors.
3. 3. Characterization of institutions, teachers, families, and students. This includes the analysis of information about the institutions.
4. 4. Planning of tutorials, group meetings with teachers, assistance sessions, and workshops with families.

5 months:

5. 5. Application of diagnostic tests to students.
6. 6. Focus on tutorials for students identified with academic lag. Includes coaching to families and teachers.
7. 7. Intervention. It includes tutoring, meetings with teachers, parents, and coaching in schools.

1.5 months:

8. 8. Follow-up of the process with students, families, schools, and teachers.
9. 9. Exit line: application of diagnostic tests and analysis of their results.
10. 10. Analysis of the variables that affect academic lagging behind.
11. 11. Socialization of results: presentation of results and incorporation into institutional lines of action."

• Secretariat of Education of Valle del Cauca, Antioquia and Atlántico (Departments)
• Colombian Family Welfare Institute (ICBF)
• Harvard and Vanderbilt Universities

The Global Classroom Assessment was conducted in partnership with Harvard University. The experimental design included randomizing the schools in the area of influence to distribute them in the control and intervention groups. The EGRA (Early Grade Reading Assessment) and EGMA (Early Grade Math Assessment) standardized tests were applied to the entire school population to establish the baseline of knowledge and learning in grades 2-5 of primary school. The tests were applied to nearly 6,000 students in 7 public schools and 912 students were selected to receive the intervention, considering the 12 students in the lowest quartile of the distribution by school/branch/grade units. Tutors were randomly assigned. At the end of the intervention, the same tests were applied to all students in 11 public schools.

The results of the evaluation concluded that the greater the number of tutorials, the more students had positive statistically significant results with respect to their peers and the control group. For the same school year, one student who underwent 22 tutoring sessions had a standard deviation (SD) of 0.26 above their group; while one student who underwent 32 tutoring sessions achieved 0.38 SD above their group.

This was the first evaluation carried out based the first intervention, so it is concluded that the results are positive and promising.

The program currently has a budget of US$60 (sixty US dollars) per child per year, although this amount could be reduced to around US$40. Funding has flowed from private resources from the Carvajal Foundation (which belongs to the Carvajal Group), private entities, universities, and the international cooperation.

• Own resources: 30%
• Private cooperation resources: 20%
• Resources of the Ministry of Education: 50%

Key informant interview conducted on March 2, 2021:

• David Gironza - Director of Education - Carvajal Foundation
• Carvajal Foundation website: https://www.fundacioncarvajal.org.co/educacion-y-cultura

Working papers sent directly by the Foundation:

• Presentation on Basic Classrooms
Barrera-Osorio, F. and Lagos, F. (2018). Tutoring, Professional Development, and Educational Improvement: Evidence from Cali, Colombia. Pilot Study Results and Next Steps
• Summary of Global Classroom, Carvajal Foundation

Global classroom is an innovative and pioneering strategy in the educational context of Colombia. Through the experience of the Carvajal Foundation in Cali, the project has applied rigorous methods of intervention, monitoring, and evaluation to support the basic learning of the most vulnerable population, including the migrant population. The educational levelling strategy is also based on previous experiences with Colombian displaced populations and on programs previously developed by the foundation.

It is important to mention that support received from international universities made it possible to afford long-term sustainability to this strategy. During the pandemic, for example, the foundation was able to digitize the tutoring model to continue supporting students at home and replicate efforts, expanding its coverage area.

It is possible that this strategy will be replicated in different areas of the country, supporting more students according to the criteria presented here.

Good practices of educational inclusion of migrants

Author: UNESCO IIEP Buenos Aires, Oficina para América Latina; Education Cannot Wait; United Nations Children's Fund.

Year of publication: 2021.