Baseline report for the gender, inclusion, and safe school components of Project Read

Abstract

Project Read is a 5 year USAID funded initiative aimed at improving reading outcomes in 200,000 Dominican public school children. Additional program objectives include reducing the acceptance of gender based violence and bullying. Finally, the project works to build capacities in inclusive education and provide support for children with special education needs and disabilities. In the project baseline study, teacher attitudes towards inclusive education, gender based violence, bullying, and school climate were measured. For this data collection effort, we measured children´s perceptions of the program´s cross cutting issues. The original instruments used for baseline were adapted to be developmentally appropriate for children. Data was collected in the first 37 schools that are receiving the Gender, Inclusion, and Safe Schools (GISS) program that is part of USAID Project Read. All children in 6th grade whose parents gave consent completed the questionnaires. Results showed that in spite of reports of adequate school climate and adequate socio emotional and positive discipline techniques, bullying is a problem in schools, with 41% of children reporting that they have been bullied in the last two months of school. Both children and faculty endorse gender stereotypes that reinforce masculinity as being tough and unemotional, while femininity as docile and emotional. Attitudes towards inclusive education are generally positive. Results suggest that the GISS intervention should develop focused and specific peer to peer violence or peer victimization and gender stereotypes interventions.