Basic Education Activity: Advancing Literacy and Equity in the Dominican Republic

Advancing educational quality, equity, and inclusion for children to thrive in the Dominican Republic

Although great strides have been made in improving education in the Dominican Republic in recent years, within Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the country ranks last in third grade reading performance. The Government of the Dominican Republic has been implementing several education reforms and initiatives to improve literacy rates, with a focus on marginalized groups and areas where literacy rates are low, particularly the country’s more rural areas. These ongoing efforts are helping the country confront persistent challenges in the quality of education, improvements in teacher training, curriculum, and resourcing for effective literacy instruction.

Objective of USAID’S Basic Education Activity

Support the Ministry of Education’s goals of quality, equity, and inclusion, and to strengthen the national education system to improve reading and social-emotional learning for students.

Basic Education Activity’s Approach

Strengthen the individual, social, community, and institutional bonds that reinforce high aspirations and mutual accountability making the Dominican Republic a place where all children, including the most marginalized, feel welcome, learn, and thrive.

Activities Supporting Literacy and Student Wellbeing

The Basic Education Activity operates in public schools from preprimary to third grade across six provinces—Elías Piña, San Juan de la Maguana, Independencia, Bahoruco, Pedernales, and Barahona—to:

• Increase reading proficiency and decrease student grade failure/repetition among third grade students by strengthening the core and remedial reading instruction children receive in schools.
• Improve social-emotional wellbeing for pre-first to third grade students in targeted schools.
• Enhance system-level processes to sustain and institutionalize best practices for reading attainment for pre-first to third grade students across the Dominican Republic.

Learn more about RTI’s work in international education and in the LAC region.