Cooperative For Education

TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT SERVICES AND OTHER CHARITABLE SERVICES TO FINANCIALLY STRESSED COMMUNITIES AND EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS AND EDUCATE NORTH AMERICANS ABOUT GUATEMALA, ITS POVERTY AND EDUCATIONAL SERVICES.

RISE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM: COED'S RISE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM GETS KIDS INTO SCHOOL AND ENSURES THEY CAN REACH THE MILESTONE OF HIGH-SCHOOL GRADUATION (FOCUSING PRIMARILY ON EVENING THE PLAYING FIELD FOR GIRLS, WHO ARE OFTEN THE FIRST TO BE PULLED OUT OF SCHOOL IN GUATEMALA). THE PROGRAM GOES FAR BEYOND A TRADITIONAL SCHOLARSHIP, PROVIDING TUTORING AND MENTORING, COMPREHENSIVE SOCIAL SUPPORT, AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES THAT TRANSFORM STUDENTS INTO THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS. IN 2021, 566 GIRLS AND 167 BOYS BENEFITED FROM RISE.

BRIDGES DIRECT EDUCATION PROGRAM: THE BRIDGES PROGRAM INCREASES UNDERSTANDING AND KNOWLEDGE OF GLOBAL CHALLENGES AND STRENGTHENS BONDS BETWEEN PEOPLE IN THE U.S. (AND BEYOND) AND OUR NEIGHBORS IN GUATEMALA. IN 2021, THE BRIDGES PROGRAM EDUCATED MORE THAN 4,300 INDIVIDUALS AROUND THE WORLD THROUGH 192 EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATIONS (PRIMARILY DELIVERED VIRTUALLY). (BRIDGES ALSO TYPICALLY INCLUDES TRIPS TO GUATEMALA INVOLVING ABOUT 100 INDIVIDUALS EACH YEAR, BUT THESE COULD NOT BE CONDUCTED IN 2021 DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.)

SPARK READING PROGRAM: COED'S SPARK READING PROGRAM TRANSFORMS STUDENTS INTO ENTHUSIASTIC, COMPETENT, AND LIFELONG READERS BY PROVIDING CHILDREN'S BOOKS TO IMPOVERISHED SCHOOLS IN RURAL GUATEMALA AND TRAINING TEACHERS IN BEST PRACTICES FOR EARLY LITERACY INSTRUCTION. THROUGHOUT 2021, THE PROGRAM TRAINED 253 TEACHERS FROM 29 SCHOOLS (THROUGH A MIXTURE OF IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL TRAINING SEMINARS), BENEFITING 6,600 STUDENTS. SOME ADDITIONAL TEACHERS FROM SCHOOLS THAT HAVE COMPLETED SPARK TRAINING IN THE PAST ALSO BENEFITED FROM GUIDANCE IN HELPING THEIR STUDENTS LEARN FROM HOME DURING THE PANDEMIC. STUDIES SHOW THAT KIDS IN SPARK CLASSROOMS TYPICALLY LEARN TWICE AS MUCH AS KIDS IN NON-SPARK CLASSROOMS.