Teacher Training

The USAID education program supports training for teachers, school supervisors, and community members to implement the new educational standards and testing systems through the Regional Centers of Excellence for Teacher Training (CETT). CETT is an initiative of former President George W. Bush, to provide a model for effective teacher development. In Honduras, it is implemented through the National Pedagogical University Francisco Morazan. CETT works to strengthens literacy instruction for primary students in first through third grades, offering teachers a rigorous training program, educational material, and follow-on support. CETT has introduced a more child-centered and interactive approach to learning than traditional teaching methods. The program’s annual evaluations show that the CETT approach has a very positive result for children in the early grades of elementary school. CETT has also teamed up with Scholastic Books, Inc. in the United States to provide participating schools with nearly 120,000 books for classroom libraries.

In September 2008, the Honduran Ministry of Education and the National Pedagogical University Francisco Morazan signed an agreement to adopt the model as an alternative to improve reading and writing in the first through third grades nationwide.

USAID has also trained over 45,000 elementary school teachers annually in the use of academic standards, curriculum schedules, formative evaluations, and better teaching practices in math and Spanish through the Academy for Educational Development. In the near future USAID will support strengthening the quality, relevance, and efficiency of education in grades 7-12.