Special Initiatives in Mathematics and Science Education
In recent years, the Ministry of Education has developed educational programs that aim to provide instructional support and resource materials in every subject area, including science and mathematics. The most prominent program in recent years has been the Shared Support Plan, implemented in more than 1,000 schools across the country since March 2011. The Shared Support Plan incorporates learning methodologies that have been successful in Chile and in other countries and focuses on strengthening the capacity of schools by providing educational resources through the fourth grade, including daily scheduling and lesson plans, student workbooks, and assessments for monitoring student progress.40
Explora is another national program, created in 1995 by the National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICYT) to provide non-formal education in science and technology. Its aim is to develop the use of science and technology in the community. The program focuses on children and school age young people, in particular, and fosters a scientific culture to improve the quality of life in the country. Program initiatives include the following: guidance of scholarly research; national contests, regional congresses, and national school conventions on science and technology; Explore Chile Go camps; and activity books.41
Under Enlaces, which sought to implement educational practices that would contribute to improving performance in mathematics and English in the 2012–2013 school year, educational institutions were invited to take part in another project that provided digital educational resources as well as guidance on their implementation. The project focused on improving achievement in mathematics in Grades 3 and 4, and in English in Grades 5 to 8.42