In 2016, our project in Manguita began as a joint project with the neighboring community, Cotoca, with the goal to reinforce mathematics, communication, and sciences through fun, culturally-based projects that promote critical/creative thinking and harmonious values. We quickly saw that this community was special in its unwavering effort to improve the quality of education for their children. In 2017, we decided to invest in Manguita as its own project and add on a stronger focus on computer science, as well.
Over the years, Manguita has become one of our best example of the power parents have to transform the quality of education in their community. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and even older siblings all took up the challenge to implement our student-individualized home strategies outside of the project, and the impact in students’ academic abilities and community relations is off the charts. Students in Manguita now tend to be advanced for their age in course content and thinking skills!
As our students age out of the project and new students enter the school from preschool, we are all committed to continuing working to ensure high-quality education in Manguita.
Classes are held Monday to Friday from 1:30pm-4:30pm. There are 16 students aged 5-12 years old enrolled.
Alma inputs:
- Teacher (1)
- Technical and academic materials
- Project coordination and training
- Budget: U$9,000
Manguita community inputs:
- Provision of classroom
- Desks, chairs and bookcases
- Solar panels
- Accommodation for our teacher
- Student lunches
- Meeting attendance
- Home strategy implementation
- Project coordination
Indicators of Success:
1. Student attendance
2. Academics – computer skills, mathematical reasoning, communications
3. Creativity – divergent thinking, originality
4. Critical thinking – analysis, evaluation, justification of opinions
5. Values and resilience
6. Hours invested per child
7. Parental engagement – attendance, contreparte, home strategy, capacity
8. Ancillary benefits
9. Implementation of teaching methods – Alma teachers, State teachers