98 | Developing Education Programs to Prevent Violence and Crime in Latin America and the Caribbean

On the Evidence

This episode of Mathematica’s On the Evidence podcast focuses on how research informs funding strategies to tackle an urgent social challenge. A couple of years ago, Mathematica reviewed evidence from across the world on whether education programs can prevent or mitigate violence and crime. USAID commissioned the report to help develop effective strategies for leveraging the education sector to address violence and crime in Latin America and the Caribbean. Although Mathematica’s researchers identified almost two dozen promising programs in the review, they also noted the need for further research. For example, few of the studies show causal impacts or provide evidence from an effective program in Latin America or the Caribbean. To build on findings from Mathematica’s evidence review, USAID and the International Rescue Committee(IRC) partnered to launch an initiative called USAID Research in Education for Transformative Opportunities (RETO), which provides tailored evidence to decision makers in governmental and non-governmental institutions, such as local ministries of education. The initiative seeks to help those education leaders implement effective programs and policies in Northern Central America that will reduce local violence and crime. The guests for this episode are Juan Carlos Rodríguez, Katie Appel, Melissa Chiappetta, and Emilie Bagby. Rodríguez and Appel are the director and deputy director, respectively, for USAID's RETO activity implemented by the IRC and its 12 national partners. Chiappetta is a senior education advisor with the Office of Regional Sustainable Development within USAID's Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean. Bagby is a director at Mathematica, where she oversees our international education research. Find the full transcript here: mathematica.org/blogs/developing-education-programs-to-prevent-violence-and-crime-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean Read the evidence review by Mathematica for USAID on the effect of education programs on violence, crime, and related outcomes: https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00XGXT.pdf Learn more about RETO: https://www.youthpower.org/usaid-research-education-transformative-opportunities-reto Learn more about IRC’s Airbel Impact Lab: https://airbel.rescue.org/?_ga=2.189623531.1744177215.1687884026-800337516.1664199528 Learn more about Mathematica’s evaluations for USAID’s Latin America and the Caribbean Reads (LAC Reads) initiative, which included the evidence review on education programs to prevent or mitigate violence and crime: https://staginginter.mathematica.net/projects/latin-america-and-the-caribbean-reading-evaluation