CORD International - Experience

After more than 10 years of international activities, CORD has learned that any effort toward education reform should have three main components: (1) quality curriculum design, (2) professional development that is a process, not an event, and (3) strong community partnerships.  Many nations are discovering the need for a world-class workforce and the need to link education to skills required at work. CORD International has experience taking CORD's Tech Prep models abroad and developing similar programs that address the unique needs of other countries. With funding from organizations such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the United States Agency for International Development, as well as from foreign governments, CORD International is participating in significant education reform initiatives around the world.

Examples of Work

Current Projects
Puerto Rico.   Two current projects:
1) Teaching of mathematics from the “active learning” approach.  Authorities of the Tech Prep area within the Department of Education of Puerto Rico perceived the need to modernize the pedagogy in mathematics and decided to carry out a project on contextualization of the teaching of mathematics.  CORD is conducting a project to train/prepare a basic group of teachers who will be the seed for dissemination of CORD designed REACT strategies for teaching contextually, in Puerto Rico.   Around 15 teachers are being deeply trained in a mixed format face-to-face and “on line.”

2) New Revolutionary/flexible approach to curriculum integration/development.  Puerto Rican education authorities are committed to engage in a totally new way of looking at the curriculum development process.  With that aim, CORD copyrighted approach to curriculum integration (Curriculum Integrator™) is being successfully implemented in a pilot stage.   Business and community leaders, education authorities, educators from secondary and post-secondary levels are all working together to create a new “real world” curriculum framework following CORD approach. 

Previous Projects
Malaysia.  An Asian Development Bank funded project was carried out by CORD International to train/prepare over 100 teachers, counselors, and education administrators from Malaysia.   This project was part of a bigger effort of the Malaysian government to reform/modernize its education system as a whole to meet the challenges Southeast Asian countries face in the XXI century.    

Turkey.  CORD International conducted a feasibility study to reform the secondary technical education system of the Country of Turkey.  This World Bank funded project suggested a set of policy actions to be implemented in the future.

Philippines.  A “contextualization of the teaching of mathematics and sciences” project was successfully conducted by CORD International in several provinces of the Philippines.  This project was municipally funded and sponsored by SEAMEO. 

Brazil.  With funding from the World Bank and the State of Paraná, Cord International conducted out a project to train/prepare more than 800 mathematics teachers (middle and high school levels) from state public schools.  Contextual methodologies of teaching mathematics as well as new paradigms for better learning were successfully addressed and elaborated within a mixed “face to face and distance” procedure.
Download the Brazil report in English.
Download the Brazil report in Spanish.
Download the Brazil report in Portuguese.

Bermuda.  In order to maximize the country reform efforts particularly on the secondary education level, CORD International contracted with the Ministry of Education a three-week consultancy project on Tech Prep and contextual teaching.

Chile.  A “contextualization of the teaching of mathematics and sciences” project was successfully conducted by CORD International and a local in-country partner.  More than 100 teachers were trained in contextual mathematics, and contextual physics.  With funding from the Multilateral Investment Fund (Inter American Development Bank group) and some local funding (business and municipalities), this project made a rich contribution to the education reform pursued by the Ministry of Education of Chile.

Saudi Arabia.  A comprehensive eleven-month long instructor-training program was conducted by CI to improve the pedagogical qualifications of teachers of technical subjects. 

Mexico.  A pilot project on contextualization of the teaching of mathematics was carried out by CI to train about 40 teachers from DGETI (Directorate General of Technological Industrial Education) of México. 

Organizational Partners
Brazil: Bom Jesus Franciscanos