Academic Outcomes

The third social contract we evaluate has to do with academic outcomes. The social contract exists between the school and the other stakeholders - parents and students directly, and the community, the labor market, civil society and government indirectly. Under this contract, the school obliges itself to provide quality learning opportunities to students as a way to prepare them for life as productive participatory citizens who can make meaningful contributors to civil society, the labor market and the nation. In return, (i) parents (or other stakeholders) commit to pay tuition; (ii) students, commit to attend school and participate regularly, (iii) the labor market commits to create employment opportunities; and (v) civil society/government commits to preserving rights and freedoms.

Our assessment of academic outcomes takes into account:

• Student performance on standardized tests across diverse subject areas, especially those that measure year-on-year student improvement and growth;
• Repetition rates;
• Dropout rates (associated with poor academic performance);
• Completion rates;
• Progression rates (number of students who progress to further levels of education, employment, or entrepreneurship)