Scholastic Survey, Program Impact Assessment, and Longitudinal Cohort Study

This report reviews higher education in Haiti with goal of providing a baseline study that can be used for an ongoing evaluation of the Haiti Education and Leadership Program (HELP). We draw on surveys and focus groups conducted during the course of the study to build statistically representative profiles of Haitian university students, to examine the challenges students face in pursuit of a higher education, and to explore how HELP’s assistance program empowers students to overcome those challenges. However, the research does not stop there. The long-term goal of the research is to monitor the impact of the HELP program over time. Other research that was conducted, not used in this report but that will be drawn on in future studies, are: 1) surveys with 49 of HELPs past candidates who met all scholarship criteria but were not accepted to the program due to lack of funding; and 2) a survey 123 of 210 HELP alumni. That research will be used in subsequent assessments of the HELP program. Indeed, all the research, even that used in this report, is intended to be a first step in the establishment of an monitoring and evaluation plan that will provide feedback on the HELP program, trying to objectively determine : What is the long-term impact of the program.

Questions include

• Are HELP students more likely to graduate than other high achieving students in Haiti?

• Are HELP students more likely to stay in Haiti than other high achieving students in Haiti?

• Do they have greater success in their professional careers?

• Are they more engaged in community development and leadership for social change in Haiti?

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