Reducing Boys’ School Dropout and Helping Boys At Risk1 • A reverse gender gap has taken place in Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) where more boys are dropping out of secondary school. This phenomenon comes with higher likelihood of engagement in risky behaviors, lesser human capital accumulation, and lower future labor market outcomes like lower quality jobs and reduced earnings. • The WBG identified nine effective approaches to help young men remain and progress in school, while paving the way to a safe, productive path to adulthood. Financial incentives that encourage young boys’ education completion, after-school programs that create youth-friendly spaces, and job training programs paired with subsidized internships are some examples that have shown promising results. • The WBG has also supported operations that address the cross-cutting problem of boys’ dropouts and at risk as a gender issue related to development challenges, such as alienation from education, crime and violence, male marginalization, access to the labor market, and poverty. 1 This note was prepared by Ursula Casabonne and Daniela Maquera with guidance from Eliana Rubiano-Matulevich, as part of the LCR Regional Gender Coordination in the Poverty and Equity Global Practice. It received inputs from Paola Buitrago, and Carlos Rodriguez Castelan. For more information, contact LCR_Gender_Coordination@ worldbankgroup.org LAC GENDER NOTES Reducing Boy’s School Dropout and Helping Boys At Risk 1 THE CONTEXT In the last two decades, the LAC region has seen two of its in primary school were 94% for both girls and boys. However, biggest educational successes: achievement of gender parity in addition to secondary school enrollment remaining far from in primary school enrollment and the significant increase of universal (78% for girls and 76% for boys), the gap in most LAC net enrollment rates for secondary education (up from 59% in countries has tended against boys (Figure 1). 1990 to 77% in 2018). As of 2019, average net enrollment rates Figure 1. Boys’ Secondary School Enrollment is Lower than Girls’ in Most LAC Countries Net secondary enrollment (2017-2019, latest data) Girls Boys 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 BARBADOS ARGENTINA SVG URUGUAY CHILE ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA PERU ECUADOR COSTA RICA BRAZIL GRENADA MEXICO ST. LUCIA COLOMBIA BOLIVIA VENEZUELA, RB JAMAICA DR BELIZE PANAMA BAHAMAS, THE EL SALVADOR HONDURAS GUATEMALA Source: World Bank Indicators As a result, one of the greatest gender-related challenges in contribute to the decision to underachieve; (ii) social norms that the LAC " region has become the generally low attendance, diminish the importance of education (e.g., certain notions of progression and completion rates of boys in secondary and masculinity); and (iii) characteristics of educational processes tertiary levels. In a majority of LAC countries, boys’ lower- that lead to low interest/aspirations (e.g., lack of classroom secondary school completion is below than that of girls environments that respond to boys’ special needs, access to (Figure 2); in Caribbean countries enrollment starts to diverge role models).2 Furthermore, socially disadvantaged boys are at significantly (against boys) at upper secondary. Similarly, in increased risk as they face higher attendance costs (e.g., school tertiary education, enrollment rates are lower among men than meals and transportation), and the pressure to access money women (Figure 3). Educational underachievement among boys through premature work.3 and men is often driven by (i) labor market characteristics that 2 World Bank (2022). Educational Underachievement Among Boys and Men (English). World Bank, Washington, D.C. 3 World Bank (2022). Country Gender Assessment Jamaica. World Bank, Washington, DC. LAC GENDER NOTES Reducing Boy’s School Dropout and Helping Boys At Risk 2 Figure 2. Boys’ Lower Secondary School Completion is Lower than Girls’ in Most LAC Countries Lower secondary completion rate, male/female (% of relevant age group), latest data 2019/2020 Women Men 125 105 85 65 45 25 SURINAME HONDURAS GUATEMALA BELIZE PANAMA COSTA RICA COLOMBIA SAINT LUCIA EL SALVADOR DR JAMAICA BARBADOS URUGUAY BOLIVIA MEXICO ARGENTINA CHILE ECUADOR GRENADA PERU Source: World Bank Indicators Figure 3. Men have Lower Tertiary Enrollment Rates that Women in all LAC Countries School tertiary enrollment (gross, male/female (% of relevant age group), latest data 2017-2020 Women Men 130 110 90 70 50 30 10 URUGUAY ARGENTINA GRENADA CHILE DR PERU BRAZIL COSTA RICA COLOMBIA ECUADOR MEXICO BELIZE EL SALVADOR HONDURAS GUATEMALA ST. LUCIA Source: World Bank Indicators EVIDENCE OF WHAT WORKS The WBG report Supporting Youth at Risk: A Policy Toolkit • Education equivalency programs for over-age young men for Middle-income countries identified nine evidence-based to help them complete their formal education, such as approaches to help prevent young men from engaging in risky Colombia’s Tutorial Learning System (SAT) program activities and reduce the dropout phenomenon. The following • Out-of-school time or after-school programs that create list pairs the nine general approaches with examples coming, youth-friendly spaces like Brazil’s Abrindo Espaços primarly, from LAC countries: program • Job training programs that offer a mixture of technical • Youth service programs or public sector internships like and life skills with internships, like the Jóvenes program Jamaica’s National Youth Service program in Chile and Argentina • Programs in which caring adults mentor at-risk youth • Financial incentives for young people to promote good such as the United States’s Big Brothers/Big Sisters decision making and productive time use through CCT program programs such as in Mexico and Brazil LAC GENDER NOTES Reducing Boy’s School Dropout and Helping Boys At Risk 3 • Employment services targeted at youth at risk spaces and is largely staffed by dedicated volunteers and older youth who exchange their commitment to the program for • Self-employment and entrepreneur programs like Peru’s university tuition waivers. According to a UNESCO evaluation, Young Micro Entrepreneurs’ Qualification program which was a central partner in the program inception, schools • Incorporating life skills into all interventions targeted to that participated in Pernambuco’s Abrindo Espaços experienced at-risk youth a 60% reduction in violence as well as lower rates of sexual aggression, suicide, substance abuse, theft, and armed robbery This list is non-exhaustive and can be extended to broader (Waiselfisz and Maciel, 2003). strategies around school-to-work transition, social norms, and positive engagement in learning. For instance, providing youth Encouraging boys of secondary school age to prepare for their with information on the returns to education, promoting positive futures while reshaping their aspitations improves their learning masculity through community-based approaches such as trained approach and confidence inside and outside of the classroom. male role models, and improving boys’ learning engagement In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a pilot intervention Projetando Futuros through a curricula that meets their needs and interests.4 The (Designing Futures) aimed at increasing aspirations of boys following section provides examples of interventions specific to and girls and assisting them in transitioning from school to the the LAC region5 whose results are helping close reverse gender workplace. In partnership with the Promundo Institute and the gaps: Secretaria Municipal de Educação do Rio de Janeiro, Designing Futures reached 250 first-year high school students from CCT programs encourage young people to enroll and stay in two schools in the poorer areas of northern Rio. Informed by school, which is one of strongest protective factors for young a qualitative study on the causes of youth NEET in Brazil, the people’s lives. In Brazil, an evaluation of the expanded Bolsa program resulted in the development of a toolkit “Designing Família program found a positive effect on school enrollment Futures” for teachers in the classroom. The toolkit offers of 16-17 year olds from poor families and their decision to activities relative to discrimination in education and the labor study and work. Since 2004, this poverty-alleviation program market, resilience when looking for a job, and learning from role has provided cash to families conditioned on their investment models, among others. After the first round of implementation, in health and education. For education, children 6-15 (or 17) the feedback was overwhelmingly positive with teachers noticing years old are required to be enrolled in a schooling program lower absenteeism and that students were recognizing the and maintain an attendance of at least 85% (or 75%) of school value of completing their education and of getting a quality job. days. Results show that the education conditionality increased School had also become a place where students felt a sense of school attendance by at least 5 percentage points among 15 community and felt ‘heard’, according to a qualitative evaluation. year olds as well as their decision to both work and study by 30%. Differentiated results were observed by region—youth in Vocational training programs for young people have shown rural areas attained higher schooling outcomes—and by gender– promising results to increase youth employment and their with positive significant effects among boys. earnings. This type of youth program, which first started in Chile, has targeted disadvantaged people and offered them a package The benefits of CCT programs on young men expand beyond of classroom training, work experience, life skills, job search education to those linked to the labor and behavioral change as assistance, and counseling. For example, in Peru, the youth labor well. According to a review of CCT programs in low- and middle- training program ProJoven provided young people aged 16–24 income countries, cash transfers in LAC have contributed to from poor households with a 3-month vocational training and the greater reduction in child labor and the intensity of work, paid internships at private firms for at least 3 months. During especially among boys. CCTs have also shown to reduce youth’s the internship, trainees received a small stipend (lower than engagement in risky behaviors, for example, by lessening their the minimum wage) and had their transportation fees, meals, alcohol consumption or number of sexual partners. Additional and medical insurance covered. Women with children under 5 positive effects among participants include reduction in poverty, of age received a double stipend. An impact evaluation found higher psychological wellbeing (e.g., fall in suicide rates), and that participants’ employment rates 6-12 months after training better socio-emotional skills. increased as well as their formal employment rates (by 7 to After school programs can help reduce risky behavior among 18 percentage points) even 18 months post-training (Diaz and young people while increasing their employability. In Brazil, Jaramillo, 2006). These results support that skills training paired the Abrindo Espaços’ (Open Schools) program provides a with subsidized internships can increase youth’s probability of combination of academic, athletic, cultural, and work-related formal employment in the long run, increasing their earning activities for young people after school and on weekends. This prospective. type of program is cost effective as it maximizes existing public 4 World Bank (2022). Educational Underachievement Among Boys and Men (English). World Bank, Washington, D.C. 5 The interventions here provided were selected based on three criteria: 1) they have been implemented in a LAC country, 2) they connect and expand on to the nine approaches suggested by WBG report cited above, and 3) their impact and effectiveness are supported by rigurously conducted studies. LAC GENDER NOTES Reducing Boy’s School Dropout and Helping Boys At Risk 4 Expanding technical education in combination with traditional entrance examination required that students received a grade subjects in schools may keep young people in school. A quasi- higher than zero in mathematics or Portuguese to be admitted. experimental research found that offering technical training, Students who scored above the admission cutoff and, thus, had even online, in combination with traditional subjects reduced access to concurrent online technical education in their 2nd high students’ likelihood of dropout without affecting progress in core school year were, on average, 3 percentage points less likely to academics. The State of Pernambuco in Brazil, offered virtual drop out between their 2nd and 3rd years of high school. Stronger technical courses, concurrent to academic teaching, to students results were found among students who made use of supportive in their 2nd and 3rd years of high school. The courses were offered roles like in-person tutors and labs. These results support in either STEM, humanities, or general services for 15 hours per expanding access to technical education as a supplementary week (a total of 800-1200 hours). Students were required to mechanism to reduce dropout rates among young people. attend a minimum of 75% of in-person or online activities. An HOW ARE WBG PROJECTS ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE? Through its support to country operations, the WBG is working boosting the capacity of secondary school teachers, to address the cross-cutting problem of boys at risk as a gender it incorporates activities to raise boys’ interest in issue related to development challenges, such as alienation learning and school retention. For instance, low-cost from education, dropping-out, crime and violence, male communication campaigns are used to inform on wage marginalization, access to the labor market, and poverty. returns to secondary education, and teachers are trained on how to make mathematics more concrete and life- • In Colombia , one of the aims of the Program for relevant to students. Through an enhanced early warning improving learning outcomes and socioemotional system, the project also trains teachers on how to identify education (PROMISE) (P176006) is to reduce gaps in at-risk students and how to respond with socioemotional school retention and achievement by incorporating counseling and academic support. Sex-disaggregated combined learning assessments and updated indicators for secondary school enrollment and grade 9 pedagogical practices. In addition to the standardized survival rates are used to monitor progress in narrowing test Pruebas SABER , the program supplements its the reverse gap in enrollment, with a target of increasing assessment learning with ExA, a tool for grades 3 to boys’ survival rates by 20 percentage points from the 11 that informs teachers on the needs of children and baseline. youth and helps identify those at higher risk of falling behind or dropping out. The Program All to Learn or PTA • In the State of Piauí in Brazil, the Piauí Productive and (Programa Todos a Aprender), part of PROMISE, aims Social Inclusion Development Policy Loan (P146981) at improving pedagogical practices by offering large- aims to reduce school dropout among public upper scale mentorship and training to teachers. This program secondary students, especially young men, by providing contains a remedial component that offers strategies monetary incentives to students from municipalities on differentiation-by-learning-levels in the classroom with the highest rates of extreme poverty. The Youth and tutoring in basic competencies to help students Savings Program (Programa de Incentivo Educacional recover from individual learning losses, especially after Poupança Joven), supported through this initiative, the Covid-19 pandemic. These activities have a special provides students in participating municipalities with focus to ensure that boys improve learning in reading, an annual financial reward for each of their three years while girls in math and science. The PTA program of secondary education successfully concluded. An also has a socioemotional learning component which additional condition is for students to participate in promotes gender sensitivity in classrooms and provides extracurricular activities, such as good citizenship, crime tools to parents and caregivers to have a more effective prevention, and gender equality programs. Between involvement in school. The program tracks promotion 2014 and 2019, the secondary school dropout rate of rates among boys in lagging regions as well as gender the schools benefitting from the program declined from differences in promotion rates in lower secondary. 16.0% to 10.9%, and the number of students enrolled in the Youth Savings Program who pass to the next grade • In Guyana, the Guyana Strengthening Human Capital increased from 8,900 to 22,240. through Education (P177741) project incorporates a gender strategy to combat growing dropout rates among • In Brazil, the Support to Upper Secondary Reform Project boys and close reverse gender gaps in enrollment and (P163868) aims to increase the relevance and quality of performance at the secondary level, especially in upper secondary education. With one of its objectives mathematics. While the project’s principal aim is at being the reduction in repetition and dropout rates, which LAC GENDER NOTES Reducing Boy’s School Dropout and Helping Boys At Risk 5 heavily affect boys, the project involves a nationwide of operation. In order to achieve this target, promising upper secondary reform centered around a curriculum in-classroom interventions that increase educational change. Given an overloaded schedule that offers 13 engagement of boys (and girls) include training teachers mandatory subjects and a four-hour instruction day in on how to use differentiated classroom management most public schools, the project funds a new curriculum strategies, school-based focal groups for students with two key features: more flexibility and extended to discuss the challenges they face, and tutoring of school hours (seven hours per day). The project is set small at-risk student groups by themes relevant to their to decrease the sum of dropout and repetition rates by communities rather than academic topics. 3.5 percentage points per year during the first five years LAC GENDER NOTES Reducing Boy’s School Dropout and Helping Boys At Risk 6 RELEVANT RESOURCES WORLD BANK PUBLICATIONS ON THE GENDER STATISTICS, INDICES, AND TOPIC MEASUREMENT TOOLS Chioda, Laura. 2017. Stop the Violence in Latin America: A Look • UNDP Human Development Gender Inequality Index at Prevention from Cradle to Adulthood. Latin American • UNDP Human Development Gender Development Index Development Forum;. Washington, DC: World Bank. • World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report Cunningham, Wendy; McGinnis, Linda, García Verdú, Rodrigo; Tesliuc, Cornelia and Verner, Dorte. 2008. Youth at Risk in • OECD Social Institutions and Gender Index Latin America and the Caribbean: Understanding the Causes, • World Bank Gender Data Portal Realizing the Potential. Washington DC: World Bank. • World Bank World Development Indicators Cunningham, Wendy; McGinnis, Linda; Cohan, Lorena M.; and Naudeau, Sophie. 2008. Supporting Youth at Risk: A Policy • World Bank Women Business and the Law Toolkit for Middle-income countries. Washington DC: The • World Bank Global Findex World Bank. • World Bank Group Enterprise Survey de Hoyos, Rafael; Popova, Anna; and Rogers, Halsey. 2016. Out of School and Out of Work A Diagnostic of Ninis in Latin America, Policy Research Working Paper 7548, Washington, REFERENCES D.C.: World Bank Group Chioda, L. 2017. Stop the Violence in Latin America : A Look Kattan, Raja Bentaouet, and Székely, Miguel. 2014. “Dropout at Prevention from Cradle to Adulthood. Latin American in Upper Secondary Education in Mexico: Patterns, Development Forum;. Washington, DC: World Bank. Consequences and Possible Causes.” World Bank Policy Chitolina, L., Foguel, M. N., Menezes-Filho, N. A. 2016. The impact Research Working Paper 7083. of the expansion of the Bolsa Família program on the time Welmond,Michel J. and Gregory,Laura. 2022. Educational allocation of youths and their parents. Revista Brasiliera de Underachievement Among Boys and Men. Washington, D.C.: Economia. 70(2):183-202. World Bank Group. Cunningham, W, McGinnis, L., Cohan, L. M. and Naudeau, S. World Bank. 2006. World Development Report 2007 : 2008. Supporting Youth at Risk: A Policy Toolkit for Middle- Development and the Next Generation. Washington DC: income countries. Washington DC: The World Bank. World Bank. Cunningham, W., McGinnis, L., García Verdú, R., Tesliuc, C., and Verner, D. 2008. Youth at Risk in Latin America and OTHER KEY REPORTS the Caribbean: Understanding the Causes, Realizing the Potential. Washington DC: World Bank. Escotto, Teresita. 2015. Juventudes en Centroamérica en contextos de inseguridad y violencia: realidades y retos para de Hoyos, R., Popova, A., Rogers, H. 2016. Out of School and su inclusión social. Santiago de Chile, Comisión Económica Out of Work A Diagnostic of Ninis in Latin America, Policy para América Latina. Research Working Paper 7548, Washington, D.C.: World Bank Group Guiskin, Maia. 2019. Situación de las juventudes rurales en América Latina y el Caribe. Santiago de Chile, Comisión Diaz, J. J., and Jaramillo, M. 2006. An evaluation of the Económica para América Latina. Peruvian ‘Youth Labor Training Program’ -ProJoven. Working Paper: OVE/WP-10/06. Washington DC: Inter-American Randall, Laura, and Anderson, Michael. 2016. Schooling for Development Bank Success: Preventing Repetition and Dropout in Latin American Primary Schools: Preventing Repetition and Elacqua, G., Navarro-Palau, P., Prada, M. F., Soares, S. C. 2021. Dropout in Latin American Primary Schools. Routledge: New The Impact of Online Technical Education on Schooling York. Outcomes: Evidence from Brazil. IDB Technical Note IDB- TN-02292. Inter-American Development Bank, Washington, DC. LAC GENDER NOTES Reducing Boy’s School Dropout and Helping Boys At Risk 7 Escotto, T. 2015. Juventudes en Centroamérica en contextos de Kattan, R. B. and Székely, M.. 2014. “Dropout in Upper Secondary inseguridad y violencia: realidades y retos para su inclusión Education in Mexico: Patterns, Consequences and Possible social. Santiago de Chile, Comisión Económica para América Causes.” World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 7083. Latina. Neri, M. 2009. Motivos da evasão escolar. Fundação Getulio Gentilini, Ugo. 2020. “A round up of key cash transfers papers Vargas, IBRE/CPS for 2020,” World Bank Blogs, December 15. Available Regional Caribbean Conference on Keeping Boys Out of Risk. at: https://blogs.worldbank.org/developmenttalk/ May 2009. A Common Platform for Action, Montego Bay, round-key-cash-transfers-papers-2020 Jamaica May. Hagen-Zanker, J., Pellerano, L., Bastagli, F., Harman, L., Barca, V., Waiselfisz, J. J., and Maciel, M. 2003. Revertendo Violências, Sturge, G., Schmidt, T. and Laing, C. 2017. The impact of cash Semeando Futuros: Avaliação de Impacto do Programa transfers on women and girls. Education, 42(15), p.2. Abrindo Espaços no Rio de Janeiro e em Pernambuco. Jaramillo, M. and Parodi, S.. 2003. “Jovenes Emprendedores”. Brasilia: UNESCO Office Brasilia. Instituto Apoyo. First Edition, Lima. World Bank. 2019. “Piaui Pillars of Growth and Social Inclusion Project” (P129342) Implementation Status and Results Report Sequence 8. Washington, DC: World Bank. LAC GENDER NOTES Reducing Boy’s School Dropout and Helping Boys At Risk 8