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Selected Technical Assitance Projects

American Councils has experience working on a variety of World Bank projects in Eurasia and Southeast Europe, including major consulting assignments, training, and fellowships. Recent examples include:

Albania Technical Assistance, Monitoring, and Evaluation, CS 052/CQ/04

Dates: August 2004-October 2004

Objectives: To monitor and assess the implementation of the Education Reform Project and to evaluate the effectiveness of the project with regard to the achievement of its development objectives, which are: to assist the Ministry of Education and Science in planning and managing the delivery of educational services and strengthening its accountability to stakeholders for educational services.

Outcomes: Full development of five (5) Survey Instruments for surveying and interviewing: teachers, administrators, students, parents, and ministry officials.
Over 500 individuals surveyed
Three reports: inception report, progress report, and final report.

Partners: Local Assessment Firm

Azerbaijan Teacher Evaluation and Professional Development Study, Education Reform Project (LIL), Credit # 3220 AZ


Dates: June-December 2002

Objectives: Analyze the current state of teacher evaluation and professional development in Azerbaijan and develop policy recommendations and an action plan for improvement

Activities: Task 1: Develop policy recommendations and an action plan for teacher evaluation
Task 2: Develop policy recommendations and an action plan for improving teacher professionalism and effectiveness in general education
Task 3: Conduct policy seminars based on the findings from the study on three topics (modern systems of in-service training; teacher evaluation policy; teacher support and incentives, including compensation policies)

Outcomes: Inception and Final Report detailing results of research and outlining policy recommendations presented to PIU

Partners: Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan Fellowship in Education Management, Education Reform Project (LIL), Credit # 3220 AZ


Dates: September-November 2002

Objectives: Develop skills for the participant by providing information and practice on education management with regard to:
1. Roles and functions of education management within a legal and policy framework
2. Professional positions and preparation for the positions in education management at all levels
3. Direct line management for teaching/learning and school operations
4. Contemporary practices and approaches to management, especially at the school level; emphasis on the selection and retention of non-traditional personnel
5. Use of information and modern technology in different levels of management

Activities: Eight-week fellowship

Outcomes: Ministry of Education representative participated in the training program in which he reviewed the education system of the host country, with particular focus on education management, governance, and structure by types and levels of education; prepared a report on education management in the host country, with reference to the Main Topics; discussed the report with the advisor and presented the main findings and recommendations of the report in a public forum in Baku upon return

Partners: University of Minnesota

Azerbaijan Fellowship in Modern Teaching Methods, Education Reform Project (LIL), Credit # 3220 AZ


Dates: February-April 2003

Objectives: Develop skills for the participant by providing information and practice on modern teaching and learning methods with regard to:
  • Identification of the most prevalent methods that are considered modern and innovative
  • Research and performance data comparing various methods and practices of teaching and learning; including international comparator studies
  • Teacher education and training strategies in support of the methods and practices
  • Costs and organizational structures that are supportive
  • Roles of technology and materials

Activities: Eight-week fellowship

Outcomes: Ministry of Education representative participated in the training program in which she compared teaching and learning methods in Azerbaijan and the United States. She summarized research findings and performance data for various methods and practices; described essential teacher training strategies that can be used in Azerbaijan to further develop and promulgate modern methods; identified organizational structures and management methods that are supportive of modern teaching and learning methods; and identified commercial materials that are supportive of modern and innovative teaching and learning methods and practices, including internet sites and materials.

Partners: University of Minnesota

Georgia National Assessment Examination. Education System Re-Alignment and Strengthening Program APC 1, Credit # 3474 GE


Dates: 2002-2005

Objectives: Build capacity at Georgia’s National Assessment and Examination Center (NAEC) to provide valid, reliable, and objective instruments to monitor and assess the outcomes of education.

Activities: The project advises the Ministry of Education in identifying targets and resources for integrating new assessment instruments into the educational system; supports and advises NAEC on professional and administrative matters; conducts training workshops for item writers and test constructors; assists in designing large-scale assessment efforts; provides consultancy and analysis of assessment data; and organizes short-term internships for NAEC staff

Outcomes: Project is ongoing

Partner(s): ETS Europe (a subsidiary of the Educational Testing Service)

Russia High Stakes Admission and Testing Program, Education Innovation Project, Loan # 4183 RU


Dates: March 2002, April 2003, on-going

Objectives: Investigate and develop an appropriate strategy to implement standardized testing in Russia. Activities include investigation of practices in standardized testing and comparison of standardized testing systems in the NIS, U.S., Great Britain, and other countries.

Activities: 1. Combined U.S.-Russia Program (Study Tour and In-Country Seminar) U.S. Study Tour: Introduction to High Stakes Admission and Testing, Washington, Princeton, March 8-14, 2002 American Councils co-financed and organized the visit of a delegation of three Russian education officials to the United States for a familiarization tour and seminar in quality management and assessment in secondary and vocational education. The team met with U.S. government and school officials, observed classes in technology magnet schools, and attended round-table discussions with faculty and students at the Department of Educational Measurement at the University of Maryland. Members of the delegation also visited the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey, for an intensive training seminar in high stakes admissions and testing.
2. Seminar: Development of a National Testing System: The Experience of Russia, CIS, and United States, Moscow, April 20-23, 2003 American Councils co-financed and organized this seminar for university rectors, government officials, and assessment specialists. Discussions included the experience of American Councils and Educational Testing Service in high-stakes test development administration in Kyrgyzstan. Issues discussed included anti-corruption and access, test administration, security, testing competence vs. knowledge, training, and item development. The seminar’s results included a decision to jointly review the results of 2003 Russian exam, identify strategies for on-going test development using the experience of American Councils and other international organizations, and plan additional seminars and other training activities.

Outcomes: Project is ongoing

Partner(s): Educational Testing Service (ETS)

Russia Rector Training, Education Innovation Project, Loan # 4183 RU.

Dates: February 2003

Objectives: Research and development of policies that address the needs of Russian institutions of higher learning

Activities: Under this project, university rectors from the Russian Federation underwent individualized training in such issues as: higher education finance, institutional performance and evaluation, policy and governance, foundations of higher education, curriculum, institutional performance and evaluation, technology and instruction, standards and methods of accreditation, and classification of higher education.

Outcomes: 25 Russian rectors received two- or three-week individualized fellowships

Partner(s): Harvard University, Boston College, other U.S. higher education institutions

Russia University Librarian Training, Education Innovation Project, Loan # 4183.


Dates: May 2003

Objectives: Research and development of policies and practices that address the needs of Russian university libraries

Activities: Two-week fellowship at the University of Illinois that trains three sub-groups of specialists:
1. Directors and Deputy Directors of university libraries and Library Specialists
2. Higher Education Administrators responsible for developing university libraries
3. Information Technology Experts specializing in library science

Outcomes: Ten university librarians from throughout Russia received individualized and in-depth training

Partners: Mortenson Center for International Librarian Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Russia Textbook Procurement, Education Innovation Project, Loan #4183.


Dates: December 2003-March 2004

Objectives: Modernize obsolete teaching methodologies and familiarize Russian teachers with the latest U.S. achievements in education.

Outcomes: Through extensive research identified and procured 89 contemporary textbooks for the Ministry of Education of Russia to be used by Russian education professionals to reform the education system and create new teaching materials.

Partners: N/A

Russia Study Tour for NTF Administrators and Regional Ministers of Education, Education Reform Project, Loan Agreement # 4605-RU


Dates: February 2004

Objectives: Reinforcement of the management capacities of the Russian Ministry of Education and regional bodies of education administration in the effective implementation of general secondary education modernization programs

Outcomes: Ten-day study tour in which 10 officials from the Russian Ministry of Education studied and observed the following aspects of U.S. education:
  • US education system, federal and State’s education legal framework and possibilities of using its experience in Russian conditions;
  • Management of federal education bodies as well as of State education bodies and local school districts;
  • Financing and fundraising practice at different levels, including the school level;
  • Content and management peculiarities of current federal programs in general education (for example, Improving Teacher Quality State Grants, Educational Technology, Innovative Programs, Safe and Drug-Free Schools programs, etc.);
  • Activities of public and private institutions in education (federal and other levels);
  • Licensing and independent accreditation practice;
  • Various forms of providing education services in urban and rural territories, including distance learning;
  • New information technologies in T&L process;
  • Development, implementation and effectiveness evaluation of additional education programs; and
  • Vocational education.

Partners: N/A

Russia Study Tour for Vice-Rectors, Deans, and Heads of Departments, Education Innovation Project, Program A4 "Expert Committee"


Dates: May 2004

Objectives: To study academic and programmatic management of U.S. universities and the overall system of higher education, including faculty professional training, continuing education and distance education.

Outcomes: Ten-day study tour in which six vice-rectors, deans, and heads of departments, as well as two NTF representatives, studied and observed the following aspects of U.S. higher education:
  • Linkages between university research, venture capital and entrepreneurship
  • Academic and financial management of individual departments · Financing and fundraising practices
  • Public and private university financial structures
  • University involvement in the larger community
  • Interdisciplinary collaboration among fields of study
  • Professional development for faculty teaching and research
  • International programs and departments
  • Distance education
  • Professional associations and non-governmental organizations that support higher education
  • U.S. government and international agencies' support for academic and scientific research

Partners: Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine: Transformation of the Humanities and Social Sciences Program (TRF)


Dates: 1991-1996

Objectives: The goal of the Transformation Project was to revolutionize the writing of CIS textbooks, preserve the careers of the technical intelligentsia, and bridge the wide gulf between scholarly researchers and teachers in Belarus, Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, and Ukraine. In Russia, American Councils:
  • Assembled a joint Russian-American international advisory group that included a number of highly noted scholars and experts on Russian education to serve as a steering and advising committee.
  • Formed a competition committee that received proposals from Russian scholars and teachers on new textbooks to be supported for publication.
  • Administered small grants to scholars and teachers for textbooks, as well as teacher training workshops and testing, and grants to local educational administrators to purchase these textbooks and participate in their conceptual design.
  • Oversaw editorial committees, which provided peer-review and guidance on textbook projects.
  • Worked closely on implementing payments to participants, publication of textbooks in Russia, and the myriad of other administrative details of this extremely complex project.

Outcomes: Over 500 textbooks were published for use in the Russian and CIS secondary and higher education systems. Over 350 of these volumes have been catalogued in the Library of Congress, indicating their importance as serious international scientific publications in their own right. A number of textbooks, particularly in the social sciences, represented the first serious post-Soviet effort to produce usable textbooks for university-level instruction.

Client: Soros Foundation

Russia Samara State University-University of Maryland, Ural State University-Southern Illinois University Linkages


Dates: 1996

Objectives: American Councils was instrumental in establishing a professional linkage between the departments of History at Samara State University in Russia and the University of Maryland, as well as Ural State University and Southern Illinois University. The purpose of the linkage was to develop curriculum in Russian History. American Councils organized study tours for approximately six Russian faculty from each university to acquaint them with U.S. teaching methodologies. Russian faculty conducted research and developed curriculum for use in their home universities. The U.S. mentors assisted the Russian faculty in their curriculum and resource development design.

Outcomes: At least three books and numerous articles have been published, several courses have been designed and implemented, and faculty, researchers and graduate students continue to visit each other's campuses under this vibrant partnership.

Client: United States Information Agency

Russia University Rector Training, Education Innovation Project, Loan # 4183 RU


Dates: February 2003

Objectives: To research and develop policies that address the needs of Russian institutions of higher learning.

Activities: Under this project, university rectors from the Russian Federation underwent individualized training in such issues as: higher education finance, institutional performance and evaluation, policy and governance, foundations of higher education, curriculum, institutional performance and evaluation, technology and instruction, standards and methods of accreditation, and classification of higher education.

Outcomes: 25 Russian rectors received two- or three-week individualized fellowships
Client: World Bank

Partner(s): Harvard University, Boston College, and other U.S. higher education institutions

Russia High Stakes Admission and Testing Program, Education Innovation Project, Loan # 4183 RU


Dates: March 2002, April 2003, on-going

Objectives: Investigate and develop an appropriate strategy to implement standardized testing in Russia. Activities include investigation of practices in standardized testing and comparison of standardized testing systems in the NIS, U.S., Great Britain, and other countries.

Activities: 1. Combined U.S.-Russia Program (Study Tour and In-Country Seminar) U.S. Study Tour: Introduction to High Stakes Admission and Testing, Washington, Princeton, March 8-14, 2002 American Councils co-financed and organized the visit of a delegation of three Russian education officials to the United States for a familiarization tour and seminar in quality management and assessment in secondary and vocational education. The team met with U.S. government and school officials, observed classes in technology magnet schools, and attended round-table discussions with faculty and students at the Department of Educational Measurement at the University of Maryland. Members of the delegation also visited the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey, for an intensive training seminar in high stakes admissions and testing.
2. Seminar: Development of a National Testing System: The Experience of Russia, CIS, and United States, Moscow, April 20-23, 2003 American Councils co-financed and organized this seminar for university rectors, government officials, and assessment specialists. Discussions included the experience of American Councils and the Educational Testing Service in high-stakes test development administration in Kyrgyzstan. Issues discussed included anti-corruption and access, test administration, security, testing competence vs. knowledge, training, and item development. The seminar’s results included a decision to jointly review the results of the 2003 Russian exam, identify strategies for on-going test development using the experience of American Councils and other international organizations, and plan additional seminars and other training activities.

Outcomes: Project is ongoing

Client: World Bank

Partner(s): Educational Testing Service (ETS)

Russia Project Management/Educational Finance, EIP/A4/ST/2004-2


Dates: December 2004

Objectives: To inform representatives of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science about the organization and financing of education in the United States, with a particular focus on grant-funded research

Activities: During a week in Washington, representatives of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science met with officials from the U.S. Department of Education, and with experts in how different levels of education in the United States are structured, governed and financed. The delegation visited large grant-awarding institutions, school administrations, high schools, and universities in the Washington area to discuss funding and governance issues with the people most directly responsible for them.

Outcomes: 10 Russian Ministry and NTF representatives participated in a one-week fellowship with several specialized visits

Client: World Bank

Partner(s): University of Maryland, George Washington University, National Science Foundation, Thomas Jefferson High School

Russia E-Learning Support Project, Loan No. 4726-RU


Dates: May 2005

Objectives: To expose representatives of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science to the latest developments in educational technology, and explain the issues involved in the implementation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on a large-scale

Activities: Over the course of a week in the United States, a delegation from the Russian Ministry of Education and Science met with a wide variety of ICT experts in the Boston and New York areas. The goal of the tour was to provide information and examples in the effective development and use of ICT, in order to improve the accessibility, quality and efficiency of educational services in the system of general and vocational education. The tour included a series of specialized presentations and discussions, as well as several site visits to institutions of higher education, schools and libraries that use ICT to facilitate learning and make educational resources more widely available to the public.

Outcomes: 15 Russian Ministry and NTF representatives participated in a one-week fellowship with several specialized visits and presentations

Partner(s): The Concord Consortium, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, New York Public Library, New York Historical Society, Hunter College

Turkmenistan Teacher Resource Centers
Uzbekistan


Dates: 2000 - Present

Objectives: To establish resource centers for teachers of English in Ashgabat and Shargun, Surkhandarya. The centers provide access to resources in English language, American Culture, the use of technology in the classroom, civic and community related issues and the development of innovative methodologies for teaching foreign languages. Library: Included in the plan for the language center is a space for a library that provides students, teachers and the public with access to books, magazines, journals, as well as audio and video cassettes. All resources are made available for use in the library as well as for individual use outside of the center. There is a membership agreement that allows for members of the center to check out resources for personal use. Computer Center: One of the most valuable features of the center is a computer lab that will provide members of the center with computer education (including website design), as well as access to the Internet. Funds for computers are written into the grant which will allow people to use them for individual work, research topics on the Internet, prepare for standardized testing (TOEFL, GRE, SAT, etc.).

Client: Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State

Uzbekistan: USTOZ Foundation Teacher Methodology Training


Dates: 1998-1999

Objectives: In December 1998, American Councils developed and implemented a two-day teacher-training seminar at three locations in Uzbekistan on the topic of teaching/learning methodology. The seminars were delivered in Russian and were highly interactive. Handouts in Russian were also provided. In July 1999, American Councils developed and implemented a two-week training program in Washington, DC, on behalf of the USTOZ Republican Foundation, a presidential foundation devoted to improving the educational system of Uzbekistan. The seminar was designed as a follow-on component to an in-country seminar conducted fall 1998.

Outcomes: Approximately 200 secondary school and university teachers attended the seminars and focused on research in learning differences in the classroom and the relationship between societal needs and types of teaching methods. Thirty-four delegates participated in a customized training program in Washington, DC that concentrated on the role of new learning technologies, teaching methodologies, educational standards and assessment in education. The delegation, consisting of university professors and academicians from Uzbekistan’s leading educational institutions, explored current trends in educational policy; the role of federal and state government in education; educational funding; issues in standards and testing; primary, secondary, and post-secondary education; student-centered learning; content-based curriculum; participatory classroom methods; managing students’ colleagues and the classroom; and building modern curriculum and distance learning.

Client: USTOZ Foundation

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