Access Inglés

THE ISSUE

The Chilean economy has been on a steady incline over the past 20 years. It is a strengthening democracy that has bettered the standard of living for its population, however there is an evident lag in development of quality education. While the government hopes for a bilingual Chile by the year 2020, according to the Inter-American Development Bank only 2% of the adult population is currently fluent in English. How can the highest ranked country on the United Nations Human Development Index also be one of the lowest ranked in English language proficiency? Amidst widespread progress and internationalization, Chile still doesn’t have an effective system for teaching English in schools.

The results of the standardized testing given in 2010 and 2012 showed that the great majority of 11th graders did not reach the target set by the Ministry of Education. Upper class schools had a 74% certification rate, while lower middle class schools certified 3% of their students. This 3% reality is what we found in the network of Santiago schools where the Access Inglés project was founded, and is what we are trying to fix.

WHAT WE DO

We work with schools to improve their English foreign language programs using capacity building methodology. This approach focuses on community buy in and long term, sustainable change. We start with an initial, in depth needs assessment of English programs which identifies performance gaps, then provide schools with resources and training to close those gaps. We work using practical steps to reach accomplishable goals, each tailored to the priorities and reality of the educational institution at hand in a detailed Plan for Improvement. Access Inglés facilitates this plan, working closely with the school community and connecting them with specialists to guide the necessary changes. We look for scalable solutions to address the overall lack of quality and efficiency of English programs in primary and secondary schools in Chile.

See more about some of our specific programs on this page.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Are you a foreigner looking for a way to contribute to the local community during your time in Santiago? Are you a Chilean national concerned with the quality of English language teaching in schools? We are looking for anyone with an interest in helping improve English education in Chile and greater Latin America. You could visit a school for one afternoon to play board games with middle schoolers, offer your services and expertise to our participating schools, or attend collaborative problem solving sessions. We firmly believe educational change and development is a bottom-up endeavor requiring the participation of varied contributors, from parents to policy makers. Are you up for the challenge?