Areas of Expertise : International Development
Behavior Change Communication in Developing Countries
AIR implements behavior change communication programs that build the capacity of a developing country’s staff to conduct research and to design and implement information campaigns. These campaigns result in changed community behaviors based on the unique and culturally appropriate aspects of each community. For example, improvements in community health often depend on changing behaviors among community residents. Reducing diarrheal disease often requires community involvement to change how the community accesses and stores water, as well as how it practices hygiene. Reducing illness and death due to malaria in a community may have more to do with community mobilization to change attitudes about the use of bed-nets than to a reduction of mosquitoes. In order to change these behaviors, research identifies the reasons behind the current behavior. Information is also disseminated that aims to change the way perceptions about risk, danger, and incentives inform behavior.
Recent Projects
Capacity Building and Institutional Strengthening in Developing Countries
Capacity building and institutional strengthening are integral parts of the technical support AIR provides to developing countries through education systems reform efforts. AIR's systems-level support involves concerned officials within the specific department of the Ministries of Education and trains the appropriate staff to carry out their responsibilities effectively. Examples of areas in which Ministries and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) request support and capacity building include:
- financial management and accounting;
- strategic planning and long-term planning;
- policy dialogue and the transition to implementation;
- teacher professional development; and
- strategies for inclusion of marginal populations in education.
Recent Reports
- RISE Final Program Report - July 2006 to August 2010
- School Management Committees/Parent-Teacher Councils
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Recent Projects
- Egypt’s Education Reform Program
- Mejorando el Impacto al Desempeño Estudiantil de Honduras (MIDEH-Honduras)
- Zambia’s Community Health and Nutrition, Gender and Education Support 2 Program (CHANGES2)
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Commitments to the Clinton Global Initiative
Building on President Clinton’s lifetime in public service, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) reflects his belief that governments need collaboration from the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and other global leaders to effectively confront the world’s most pressing problems.
In 2005, President Clinton established CGI to turn ideas into action and to help our world move beyond the current state of globalization to a more integrated global community of shared benefits, responsibilities, and values. By gathering world leaders from a variety of backgrounds, CGI creates a unique opportunity to channel the capacities of individuals and organizations to realize change. To fulfill the action-oriented mission of CGI, all members devise practical solutions to global issues through the development of specific and measurable Commitments to Action.
AIR has been a member of the Clinton Global Initiative since 2008.
Recent Projects
- Commitment for Quality Education for More Children in Haiti
- Support to the Secretariat of Deworm the World
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Content and Performance Standards in Developing Countries
In a number of projects across the developing world, AIR has contributed, in collaboration with Ministries of Education, to the definition of three types of educational standards.
- Learning standards are designed to inform stakeholders in education of specific grade-by-grade learning objectives in a particular subject area.
- Professional standards facilitate the development of a licensing system to ensure that teachers are appropriately trained, to guide trainers in determining the content of pre-service and in-service training programs, and to provide a means by which other practitioners in education can be held accountable.
- School standards allow schools to offer the appropriate range of services to students, teachers, and parents to ensure that effective learning takes place; such standards can be used as the basis for the design of an accreditation system.
Recent Reports
- Comparing Mathematics Content in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2003 Assessments
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Recent Projects
- Mejorando el Impacto al Desempeño Estudiantil de Honduras (MIDEH-Honduras)
- EQUIP2: Namibia Basic Education Support (BES III) Technical Support to DNEA
- Programme Haitien d’Appui à la Réforme de l’Education (PHARE) – ABE/LINK
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Recent Products
Content Knowledge Strengthening in International Schools
AIR believes that effective teacher professional training includes both strengthening teacher content knowledge in subject matter and improving teachers’ instructional methodologies. Using a country’s curriculum, which maps out the concepts and skills prescribed to achieve the country’s educational goals and objectives, AIR works with teachers to help them achieve mastery of the content knowledge so they can better deliver the concepts within their subject area.
Recent Projects
- TELL (Teach English for Life Learning) Program in Ethiopia
- Pakistan’s Revitalizing, Innovating, Strengthening Education (RISE)
- Malawi Teacher Training Activity (MTTA)
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Curriculum and Instructional Systems Design in Developing Countries
AIR helps developing countries’ Ministries of Education design curricula that reflect the educational goals and objectives of each country for its citizens, usually by content focus and grade level. AIR works with stakeholders to identify their needs, design a program to develop instructional materials, provide different models and technical support, and involve the users in the development process.
Recent Projects
Education Assessment and Evaluation in Developing Countries
AIR plays a strong role in shaping education assessment and evaluation in developing countries. Our educational assessment work helps to determine what students should know and be able to do in relation to standards and curriculum. AIR’s work includes formative, summative, diagnostic, and international assessment, and is used to measure student or system performance. It is also used for accountability at the school or district level. Our evaluation work involves carefully collecting information about a project or program in order to assess effectiveness and make decisions.
Recent Reports
- Literacy Policy and Practice in Ethiopia: Building on the TELL Program and EGRA Results
- Child Friendly Schools Evaluation: Country Report for Nigeria
- Child Friendly Schools Evaluation: Country Report for Thailand
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Recent Projects
- AIR Helps Honduras Evaluate Academic Performance at the Census Level
- Mejorando el Impacto al Desempeño Estudiantil de Honduras (MIDEH-Honduras)
- Malawi’s Primary School Support Program: A School Fees Pilot (PSSP:SFP)
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Education Systems Reform in Developing Countries
Bringing sustainable change to underperforming education systems requires a holistic approach. AIR works collaboratively with Ministries of Education of developing countries, development agencies, and donors to coordinate a sector-wide approach to education improvement. Our work supports effective policy dialogue and financing, and strengthens policies and systems for teacher training, school health and nutrition, literacy programs, improvement of the learning environment, and inclusive strategies for learners with disabilities. We build the capacity of education officials and institutions in developing countries to:
- improve their use of data and information for decision-making;
- enhance curriculum development and assessment;
- facilitate changes in public policy;
- increase enrollment of girls and other neglected groups and communities; and
- promote the use of technology in education.
Recent Reports
- Addressing Perception in the Delivery of Education in Conflict and Crisis
- RISE Final Program Report - July 2006 to August 2010
- School Management Committees/Parent-Teacher Councils
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Recent Projects
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Health and Education Linkages in Developing Countries
Over the past decade the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and other major population and health studies have consistently shown that educational attainment has a substantial effect on behavior and attitudes towards health, evidence of the mutual benefits between education and health. AIR is carrying out important work that links the areas of health and education, such as training teachers to provide simple health interventions at schools (for example, the administration of deworming medicine and micronutrients, or provision of clean water and sanitation) and strengthening health education curricula and teacher training (such as curriculum training on HIV and AIDS prevention, nutrition and hygiene, and malaria prevention).
Recent Reports
- Performance Management: Improving State Systems through Information-Based Decisionmaking
- Medical Teamwork and Patient Safety: The Evidence-Based Relation
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Recent Projects
- The Communication Toolkit: Using Information to Get High Quality Care
- Commitment for Quality Education for More Children in Haiti
- ENGAGE: Pilot Project in Inclusive Education
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Recent Products
HIV/AIDS Mitigation in Developing Countries
Schooling is one of the best weapons in the fight against HIV/AIDS in developing countries, but often HIV/AIDS devastates the school system. AIR works within and through the education sector to reduce HIV/AIDS and mitigate the impact of the disease by:
- preventing the spread of infection through school-based education and training;
- making accommodations for those children with HIV/AIDS to increase their access to educational opportunities, and providing support while they are in school;
- reducing stigma through education and raising awareness; and
- empowering communities, particularly women and girls, to have more control over their economic and reproductive options.
Recent Reports
- Vulnerability for Households with Persons with Disabilities and HIV/AIDS in Chongwe, Zambia
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Recent Projects
- ENGAGE: Pilot Project in Inclusive Education
- ENGAGE: Pilot Project in Inclusive Education
- ENGAGE: Pilot Project in Inclusive Education
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Recent Products
Inclusive Development: Gender Issues
In order to equalize the disparity in economic status between men and women in developing countries, AIR works to ensure that girls and women are afforded equality in opportunities for education and access to health care. AIR tackles gender issues across many of its projects and across areas ranging from education to health and workforce integration. We ensure equal representation of men and women within decision-making bodies such as school management committees and boards of trustees, among others. AIR also works closely with communities to recognize and acknowledge practices that need to change in order to provide equal opportunities for boys and girls. AIR leads social mobilization campaigns to highlight traditional practices, helping parents recognize the value of educating their girls as well as their boys, and ensuring that both have opportunities for success.
Recent Reports
Recent Projects
Inclusive Development: Minority Populations
AIR recognizes the importance of engaging and reaching out to minority populations in our projects in developing countries. Through activities such as awareness campaigns on acceptance and tolerance, AIR seeks to mitigate discriminatory practices that highlight difference based on race, ethnicity, religion, ability, sexual orientation, or language.
Recent Projects
Inclusive Development: Orphans and Vulnerable Children
Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) are a designated segment of the child population who are most at risk of facing negative educational, health, and social outcomes compared to the average child in their society. OVC include orphans, children with disabilities, children living in child-headed households, children subjected to exploitation, and children living in households with high burdens of illness. OVC also include internally displaced persons or refugees, children affected by conflict or post-conflict settings, and victims of food scarcity as a result of natural or man-made events. AIR leads a number of projects focusing on orphans and vulnerable children in countries across the globe. We bring to this work a broad range of expertise as well as contextual knowledge of the countries to help provide effective and efficient support.
Recent Projects
Inclusive Development: People with Disabilities
In the developing world, people with disabilities historically have been isolated from development assistance activities that directly affect them. AIR is a leader in the promotion of inclusive development, an emerging area of development that focuses on the meaningful inclusion of people with disabilities and their associated organizations in development cooperation. We provide targeted assistance that strengthens the organizations’ technical capacity to implement programs, conduct research and training, and reinforce their fiscal capacity to manage and seek development assistance grants and contracts. AIR plays a major role in dialoguing with donors and governments in order to increase awareness of the vital need to integrate inclusive development in the work of international development.
Recent Reports
- Inclusive Education in Pakistan: Experiences and Lessons Learned from the ENGAGE Project
- Vulnerability for Households with Persons with Disabilities and HIV/AIDS in Chongwe, Zambia
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Recent Projects
Information and Communications Technology Integration for Schools in Developing Countries
AIR is an active proponent of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Integration—the use of electronic and/or digital devices to increase access to and/or improve the quality of education. Examples of AIR’s ICT integration efforts include computer- and Internet-delivered instruction; radio, MP3, or personal media players to deliver audio or video segments to teachers and learners; and Short Messaging Service (SMS) texts to cell phones with tips for teachers or homework challenges/quizzes for students after school. AIR also uses ICT tools to collect school- and student-based data to increase the speed and accuracy of vital information that stakeholders need to develop evidenced-based policies.
Recent Projects
International Comparisons in Education
AIR has extensive experience in international educational research and assessment. At one end of the spectrum, we analyze data from comparative assessments to inform research programs and to develop indicators and reports for policy makers. At the other end of the spectrum, we collaborate on behalf of the United States with other countries in the design and planning of such programs, working with outside experts to advise on policy issues at the national level, and utilizing prominent experts to provide technical assistance to the agencies engaged in the implementation of such programs.
Recent Reports
- How Massachusetts Students Compare to Hong Kong Students in Grade 3 Mathematics
- Counting on the Future
- Lessons Learned from U.S. International Science Performance
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Recent Projects
Recent Products
Program and Impact Evaluation in Developing Countries
AIR is experienced evaluating complex programs in low- and middle-income countries. We design and conduct impact evaluations of programs and policies using experimental and quasi-experimental designs. We work with donors, governments, and foundations to ensure that our studies provide them with evidence-based findings that address their programmatic and policy needs. Our partners in these evaluations are typically in-country organizations and individuals.
Recent Reports
- Child Friendly Schools Evaluation: Country Report for Nigeria
- Child Friendly Schools Evaluation: Country Report for Thailand
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Recent Projects
Re-integration Into Home and School
Reintegration of child workers into their homes and schools has proven crucial to breaking the cycle of child labor. Education is one of the key tools for reintegrating child workers into their communities. Strategies AIR has implemented in order to facilitate re-integration of child workers into their schools and homes include psychosocial support for child workers, family reunification and sensitization, community development and training, teacher sensitization, conducive school-fee and school-readmission policies, vocational training for older children, and training modules to prepare child workers for reintegration into mainstream schools.
Recent Projects
School Health and Nutrition in Developing Countries
AIR is actively engaged in school health and nutrition programs worldwide that promote policies to empower schools to implement skills-based health instruction at the classroom level, provide simple school-based health and nutrition services to learners (e.g., deworming), and educate learners and communities about the importance of safe water, sanitation, and the prevention of infectious diseases. Because simple health interventions and health-focused life skills promote school attendance and participation, school health programs are often designed and implemented as part of a broad systemic education reform that aims for UNESCO’s Education for All by 2015.
Recent Projects
- Zambia’s Community Health and Nutrition, Gender and Education Support 2 Program (CHANGES2)
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Recent Products
Skills Assessment in Developing Countries
Basic skills required in the workplace can be measured, assessed, and evaluated using a variety of strategies and tools ranging from simple self-assessment diagnostics to more elaborate assessments. In order to help individuals develop competencies needed in the workplace, AIR designs appropriate assessment tools and uses feedback and results from the assessments as the basis for designing effective intervention training programs.
Sustainable Agriculture in Developing Countries
AIR’s international expertise in areas such as education, training, community mobilization, and behavior-change communication are employed in developing the capacity and improving the well-being of smallholder farmers. Our approach begins with youth through interventions such as junior-farmer schools and clubs, or life-skills training. It continues with adults through new types of extension service, with particular emphasis on the special needs of smallholder farmers. Inexpensive and ubiquitous information-and-communications technologies such as radio and cell phones can not only reach large numbers of farmers with vibrant, impact-driven agricultural programming; they can also capture the farmers’ own voices to share lessons learned and help set extension agendas.
Recent Projects
Teacher Professional Development in Developing Countries
AIR helps teachers in developing countries improve their skills and content knowledge by creating and enhancing learning opportunities for them throughout their careers. We formulate policies to support teachers’ professional development and design, implement, and evaluate programs for teacher learning. AIR’s expertise extends from teachers’ pre-service training in post-secondary institutions to in-service training opportunities, including support through cluster schools and other mechanisms.
Recent Projects
Recent Products
Training in Developing Countries
Training is the vehicle used to provide technical support to the educational system. AIR delivers training through different formats including consultation, discussion, presentations, conferences, and workshops. Effective training involves the learners in exploring the issues related to the theme/topic under discussion and provides hands-on-experience and materials that participants can use to demonstrate their understanding.
Recent Projects
- Malawi Teacher Training Activity (MTTA)
- Ukrainian Standardized External Testing Initiative (USETI)
- Reducing Exploitive Child Labor in Mozambique (RECLAIM)
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Workforce Development in Developing Countries
AIR prepares students for success in the labor market by providing them with skills that match the current needs of employers and the economy. We develop training programs that enable students, particularly postsecondary students, to enter a variety of industries that require well-developed technical skills. Additional workforce development efforts have focused on providing skills maintenance and enhancement through continuing education to those already employed, as well as retraining for displaced workers.
Recent Reports
- Ambassador Bass Visits Kutaisi Vocational Training Center
- Vocational Education Project in Georgia, February 2010 Monthly Report
- EQUIP1: Secondary Education Activity, Final Report
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Recent Projects
Youth Employability in Developing Countries
AIR’s approach to supporting youth employability in developing countries includes conducting assessments to examine the extent to which young people are aware of existing career pathways in various sectors, identifying prospects for employment, and defining the core skills needed in the labor market. AIR then provides employability skills training programs based on the findings of the youth assessments. Such programs address the need to provide opportunities to learn basic workforce readiness skills such as punctuality, team work, and communication skills, along with specific technical job skills.
Recent Projects
Youth Empowerment in Developing Countries
Youth empowerment refers to interventions that lead to the creation of self-actualized behaviors in young people. AIR uses strategies such as youth advocacy, peer education and exchange programs, vocational schooling, distance learning programs, practical and social-skills building, and training programs for illiterate youths, which can help mobilize marginalized and vulnerable young people, including child workers. Youth empowerment allows young people to understand and assert their rights, appreciate their status and roles within their families and communities, and act as agents of change in the future development of their communities.
Recent Projects
- Nicaragua’s ENTERATE (Educando Niños Trabajadores y Erradicando Actividades y Trabajos Explotadores)
- Reducing Exploitive Child Labor in Mozambique (RECLAIM)
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