First Principles
Designing Effective Education Programs for Underserved Populations
By
Estelle E. Day, Ed. M.
D. James MacNeil, Ed. D.
Kurt E. Bredenberg, Ed. M.
This First Principles: Designing Effective Education Program for Underserved Populations provides an overview and guidance for designing and implementing programs that support marginalized and disadvantaged populations. The principles, steps, and indicators are primarily meant to guide program designs, including the development of requests for and subsequent review of proposals, the implementation of program activities, and the development of performance management plans, evaluations and research studies. The First Principles are intended to help USAID education officers specifically, as well as other stakeholders– including staff in donor agencies, government officials, and staff working for international and national non-governmental organizations– who endeavor to bring educationally marginalized populations into school and achieve true education for all. The guidance in this document is meant to be used and adapted for a variety of settings to help USAID officers, educators and implementers overcome the numerous challenges in reaching the hardest to reach populations. The last section provides references for those who would like to learn more about issues and methods for supporting the education of the underserved. This Digest version is a brief overview of key considerations for supporting education for underserved populations. For those who are interested in knowing more, the Compendium version provides greater depth for this topic.