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History Of Mathematica Policy Research ( Mpr ) And Two Consultants

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Introduction
Mathematica Policy Research (MPR) and two consultants, Leigh Linden and Harounan Kazianga, conducted an independent evaluation of the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MCC) two-year threshold compact in Burkina Faso, which was aimed at increasing educational attainment for primary aged girls. The goal of the Burkinabé Response to Improve Girls ' Chances to Succeed (BRIGHT) program, implemented from 2005 to 2008, was to improve the educational outcomes of primary school students by targeting enrollment rates, and math and French scores. MPR et al (2009) evaluated whether or not the impact was the same for both boys and girls. Key findings of the BRIGHT intervention include: (1) primary student enrollment increased by 20 percentage points, (2) math and French test scores increased by 0.4 standard deviations, and (3) a positive impact for both boys and girls.

Program Background
Desite mandatory school enrollment and free primary schools, Burkina Fas still has some of the lowest primary school enrollment rates in West Africa. Prior to BRIGHT, the national government began pushing primary school enrollment by constructing new schools and implementing various new programs. Gross enrollment increased from 12 percent in 1970 to 56 percent in 2005; however, these numbers did not show the urban-rural disparities.
BRIGHT was designed to increase school enrollment and improve the educational attainment of primary school children in villages where girls’ enrollment

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