An Evaluation of the
Cooperative Association of States
for Scholarships Program 
(1994-2001)
Técnicos en Potenciar:
Global Processes and Local Choices 
in Technical Training
Submitted to:
Susan Morawetz
LAC/RSD/EHR
USAID
Washington, D.C.
Submitted by:
Aguirre International
1156 15th Street, N.W.
Suite 1000
Washington, D.C. 20005
MARCH 2002
P. ii CASS Evaluation
CASS Evaluation P. iii
Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY............................................................................................................ v
CHAPTER ONE: Objectives, Background, and Methodologies..................................... 1
CHAPTER TWO: Participant Assessment of U.S. Training ............................................ 9
CHAPTER THREE: Findings about Training and Participants' Careers and
Institutions.............................................................................................17
CHAPTER FOUR: Personal Effects of the Training ........................................................25
CHAPTER FIVE: Findings and Recommendations.........................................................39
APPENDICES
Appendix A: Scope of Work
Appendix B: Discussion of Evaluation Methodologies
Appendix C: Alumni Questionnaire
Appendix D: Host School Interview Protocol
Appendix E: Country Reports: 
Dominican Republic
Guatemala
Honduras
Observations
Appendix F: Site Visit Reports: 
Alamo Community College District
Broome Community College
Harris-Stowe State College 
Modesto Junior College
Reedley College
St. Louis Community College
Appendix G: Programming Trends and Costs
P. iv CASS Evaluation
CASS Evaluation EXECUTIVE SUMMARY P. v
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Introduction
The Cooperative Association of States for Scholarships (CASS) is administered by Georgetown 
University’s Center for Intercultural Education and Development (CIED) under a cooperative 
agreement with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The goal of the 
program is to improve the human capacity and the potential for sustainable development in eight 
countries in Central America and the Caribbean by educating socio-economically disadvantaged 
people. CASS achieves this goal by providing technical and leadership skills to low-income 
students, as well as primary-school teachers, nurses, and persons with disabilities in 
approximately 15 different fields of studies, largely determined by the program’s assessment of 
labor force needs in the participating countries. In addition to academic training, CASS students 
typically receive training in English, short-term internships with U.S. businesses, and visits to 
and participation in events that expose the students to U.S. political, economic and social 
systems.
In fulfillment of these objectives, since 1994 (the period of this study) CASS has awarded 
scholarships to 2,342 individuals from the eight countries, five in Central American (Guatemala, 
El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama) and three in the Caribbean (the Dominican 
Republic, Haiti and Jamaica). In determining whom to select for training, the CASS program 
focuses on students and professionals from disadvantaged populations such as the poor, women, 
members of ethnic groups such as Maya and Lenca Indians or Garífunas, and people with 
disabilities.
CASS training takes place in participating U.S. community colleges and universities, including 
three Historically Black Colleges and Universities and five Hispanic Serving Institutions.
Evaluation Objectives and Methodology
This evaluation focuses on CASS activities from 1994, the year of its last evaluation, through 
2001. Pursuant to USAID’s scope of work (see Appendix A), Aguirre International designed the 
evaluation in order to accomplish the following:
· Assess the extent that CASS has fulfilled during the last seven years the terms and 
conditions of its Cooperative Agreement since 1994, when an evaluation last took place;
· Assess program quality and effectiveness and, to the extent possible, recommend ways to 
make the program stronger and more cost-effective; and 
· Identify new directions that would permit LAC/RSD/EHR and CIED to fine-tune its 
future training programs in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This evaluation is based upon interviews with individuals thoroughly familiar with the CASS 
Program in Washington, in three participating countries and at six participating U.S. community 
colleges. At the CIED office of CASS, the team met with key central office staff, including the 
Center Director and managers of the domestic and international components of the program. 
P. vi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CASS Evaluation
The evaluation team visited Guatemala, Honduras and the Dominican Republic. In each of these 
countries, the team interviewed the CASS staff, USAID personnel, business leaders and other 
knowledgeable persons, and, in two countries, employers of returned graduates. In each country, 
the team also interviewed many program alumni, singly, in groups, and as part of a formal 
survey, holding focus group discussions with about 90 graduates and administering a survey to 
about 316 returned CASS students. At six participating U.S. community colleges, the evaluation 
team met with and administered a survey to the CASS students currently in attendance, and it 
met with a variety of CASS administrators, senior college administrators, instructors, internship 
providers, NGOs where CASS students volunteer, and host families. A more detailed description 
of the methodologies used to evaluate the CASS Program can be found in Chapter One.
Findings 
Findings of the evaluation are discussed in response to the key questions and issues set forth in 
the Task Order. Further elaboration on each response may be found in Chapter Five.
1. Changes in CASS since Its Establishment in 1985
CASS has introduced innumerable changes to reflect the changing environment and to 
incorporate lessons learned. 
In the evaluators’ view, CIED has developed a flexible program that has strived to adapt to 
changing circumstances, has learned from its experiences, and has reincorporated that learning 
into its on-going programming.
2. Actions Taken Regarding the Recommendations in the 1994 Evaluation
The CASS program has incorporated changes to address almost all of the recommendations 
offered in the 1994 evaluation. These include changes in their program offerings, internal 
management and budgeting.
This evaluation identified two recommendations that were not acted upon. In each case, the 
evaluation team believes that CASS made appropriate decisions in not implementing the 
recommendation. The 1994 assessment suggested less focus on students from rural 
backgrounds. CASS has continued to recruit candidates mostly from rural areas and has done so 
with no apparent sacrifice in the ability of students selected to successfully complete the program 
of study. 
In 1994 evaluators recommended that CASS students receive at least one course dealing with 
international development. CASS has not followed up on this recommendation because it views 
its program as a vocational and leadership training. Some exposure to development principles is 
provided to students in courses and activities that teach CASS students about the U.S. economic 
and political systems. CASS students clearly return home with many ideas about reforming 
systems in their respective countries.
CASS Evaluation EXECUTIVE SUMMARY P. vii
3. Relevance of Training to Workforce Needs and Keeping Tabs on Changing 
Requirements
CASS’s selection of technical areas (subjects) for training adequately reflects the needs of the 
labor markets in the eight countries.
The evaluators found the CASS system to be effective because the training-needs survey 
consults with people who know the labor market. The system is simple and inexpensive, and the 
returned participants find employment. CASS relies on surveys of employers, USAID officials, 
Labor Ministry personnel and other informed individuals to assess changing needs. The 
evaluation team’s conclusion—the system is effective—is based on interviews with labor market 
experts in two of the CASS countries about labor trends and needs, a review of available labor 
force projections, and the obvious employability of CASS graduates.
4. Relevance of Fields of Study to USAID's Strategic Focus
CASS efforts to ensure that its fields of study reflect USAID’s strategic priorities appear to be 
increasingly effective. 
CASS appears to have addressed this concern by obtaining Mission participation in the training 
needs survey and in the interviews of candidates. CASS focus in recent years on training for 
rural health workers, primary school teachers and construction managers reflects the increased 
attention the program is giving to USAID strategic priorities.
5. Selection of Fields of Study and of U.S. Colleges 
The procedures on which CIED relies to choose new fields of study, schools offering them, and 
new institutional directions have been effective at advancing the CASS mission in the last eight 
years.
About every two years, the CASS offices in the eight participating countries conduct a survey to 
determine local training needs that might be met through education at U.S. community colleges. 
On the U.S. side, new community colleges approach CIED every year, and occasionally some 
are brought into the network. CIED’s policy is to be committed to institutions that have a proven 
track record in the quality of programs offered and in effective cost-sharing agreements. 
Sometimes colleges have decided not to continue with CASS, usually because they cannot offer 
the services at the rates that CIED is willing to pay. More frequently, the need is to find colleges 
that can train in a new field of study. 
6. Disadvantaged and Underserved Populations
CASS efforts are reaching the appropriate low income and minority populations.
CASS selection has continued its efforts to target low income and minority families, and has an 
enviable record in recruiting women. CASS has also developed a strong recruitment of students 
from the most disadvantaged and isolated rural areas of each country, actively recruiting students 
P. viii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CASS Evaluation
from post-conflict areas as well as of African and indigenous descent, and people with 
disabilities.
7. Impact on U.S. Colleges and Surrounding Communities
CASS has had a strong positive impact on the participating colleges, their U.S. students and the 
people in the surrounding towns and cities.
Interviews with senior college officials, teaching faculty, local NGOs, business people and host 
families involved with CASS at six of the participating community colleges indicate that the 
colleges and surrounding communities feel that they benefit from the CASS program at least as 
much as the CASS students. Viewed from a purely economic viewpoint, CASS data provided to 
the evaluation team shows that 75 percent of USAID resources are expended in the U.S. 
communities where participating colleges are located. These funds flow into all levels of local 
economies, from the budgets of the community colleges to host families to local service 
providers.
8. Appropriateness of CASS Assistance Provided by Local U.S. Colleges and 
Home Countries
The CASS program effectively furnishes man, appropriate types of help to students in the U.S. 
and to the recently returned graduates.
In the site visits to community colleges, the evaluators saw that CASS college coordinators make 
every effort to ease the difficult transition to American life. They arrange host families for two￾year students, provide intensive English training, teach students about transportation, banking, 
shopping, and other essential skills. Sometimes coordinators arrange free or discounted services 
at local civic events and institutions. Host families often provide students with winter clothing 
and take them on sightseeing trips. In many instances, CASS arranges housing for the students. 
CASS facilitates students’ re-entry into their respective countries through seminars and 
workshops offered in the U.S. near the termination of their studies and in their countries 
following their return. CASS sponsored a two-day International Conference on Quality in 
November 2000, primarily for CASS alumni of the Broome Community College at the Pontificia 
Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra in the Dominican Republic that drew 80 participants. 
Deaf alumni and interpreters have participated in two regional conferences organized by CASS. 
Several of the Honduran focus-group participants described having received, since returning, 
short courses for computer training and improvement of skills in English.
9. Transferring Credits to Home Countries and Academic Reciprocity 
Agreements
CASS graduates continue to experience some difficulty transferring U.S. credits to colleges in 
their countries, made only somewhat easier by the reciprocity agreements.
CASS Evaluation EXECUTIVE SUMMARY P. ix
CASS students are reporting these difficulties despite the efforts of CIED which reports that it 
has negotiated, developed, and signed 21 academic reciprocity agreements with local Central 
American and Caribbean universities. These agreements are designed to facilitate academic 
credit for community college classes taken by CASS scholars. Nevertheless, many ex-becarios
who were interviewed indicated that they had received little, if any, credit from local universities 
for their two years of study in the program.
10.Community and Civic Participation (Strengthen Democracy), Thoughts about 
the U.S., Employability, Contributions to Professional Fields
The evaluation team’s interviews provided many positive examples of changes in participants’ 
thinking about the U.S. and about the democratization process in their own countries. 
CASS has also yielded a major impact with respect to the likelihood of obtaining interesting jobs 
paying livable wages. Data that the evaluation team collected show that participants returned 
home with a heightened appreciation of democratic values and the importance of participation in 
the community. Alumni generally considered leadership training to have been an important and 
effective part of the program. CASS graduates are generally having very successful careers that 
in almost all cases would not have been open to them without their CASS training. 
Contributions to professional fields proved difficult to determine.
11.CASS Cost-Share Model, In-Kind Contributions, and Increases in 
Contributions
The cost-share model is successful, partly owing to substantial U.S. and home-country, in-kind 
donations.
CASS requests that all colleges participate in at least 25 percent cost-share. Most fulfill this 
requirement (some sharing more, some slightly less, especially in light of recent state budget 
cuts) and most do so by waiving international or out-of-state tuition charges. During the last 
seven years, CASS reports that it has almost always surpassed the 25 percent cost-share 
requirement. In-kind contributions in U.S. and the eight countries include everything from 
toiletry kits to free transportation to one-year passes at the YMCA.
12.New Fields of Study and Access and Quality of Services in Rural Areas
CASS’s incorporation of several new fields of study appears to have the potential to improve the 
quality of rural education, health, and housing services.
CASS’s new specializations include construction management, disease control, and primary 
school teaching. Trainees in these fields have only recently returned; thus, an assessment of their 
contribution is difficult. Nevertheless, the evaluation team’s focus group sessions did reveal 
anecdotal evidence that individuals returning from these programs have incorporated new 
practices, improved their personal performance, and engaged in activities to train others. 
P. x EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CASS Evaluation
13.Percentage of Candidates from Rural Areas and Returning There
CASS draws the majority of its students from areas outside of the capital cities. The training 
leads many CASS students to seek employment in more urban areas than those from which they 
came. 
CASS data show that it has achieved its goal of awarding 80 percent of the scholarships to 18-25 
year olds from rural areas, and the CASS Employment and Impact Survey suggest that most 
alumni work or live in rural areas. 
When asked about changes in residence since returning home from the U.S., 45 percent of the 
alumni respondents reported that they no longer live where they lived before their scholarship. 
Fifty-eight percent of the responding alumni claim to have moved from rural areas to the city. 
Three percent moved from urban to rural areas, and nearly 34 percent moved from one urban 
area to another.
14.Acceptance of Certificates and Career Advancement Relative to Non-CASS 
Employees
Employers in the CASS countries appear to value and to readily accept the CASS degrees and 
certificates. Interviews with returned participants and with employers suggest that the training 
helps alumni to advance in their career once employed.
None of the alumni answering questions during individual and group interviews mentioned any 
problems with employers’ willingness to accept the training as part of their preparation for the 
job. The evaluation team’s interviews with employers suggest that returned participants have 
average to better-than-average job mobility; a number of ex-becarios had achieved supervisory 
positions in less-than-average time at the firm. Some employers found CASS graduates to be 
exceptional and had hired many as a result of their positive experience. Several employers 
indicated that they would like to hire additional CASS graduates.
15.Dissemination of New Knowledge and Skills
Interviews with alumni, individually and in focus groups, with their employers, and with 
specialists in the labor markets indicate that the CASS model of training is successful to very 
successful at disseminating what has been learned during their academic programs. 
Many CASS graduates reported that they had participated in training courses to pass on skills 
acquired in the U.S. to others. Many teachers in Central America and in the Dominican 
Republic, for example, talked explicitly about the courses they were giving and the “multiplier 
effect” that was being produced among classmates and in school districts about learning 
techniques ("haciendo el efecto multiplicador de técnicas de aprendizaje a compañeros de 
escuela y distritos escolares").
CASS Evaluation EXECUTIVE SUMMARY P. xi
16.Numbers of People Benefiting in U.S. and Home Countries from Training One 
Student
The training of each CASS student affects many people, both in his/her home country and in the 
United States. 
In the participant’s home country, these beneficiaries include the family, friends, employers and 
co-workers. If the returned participant teaches more effectively, trains others to be more 
productive or starts a new community service, the impact may reach whole communities. In the 
U.S., these include people in the college community, host families, businesses the student 
frequents, businesses where internships are done, voluntary agencies where students volunteer, 
and the people served by those agencies.
Data collected for this evaluation show that CASS participants are highly motivated and perform 
well in the U.S. community college environment. They complete their studies successfully and 
return home to better paying jobs. The program unquestionably is a life-changing event for the 
participants. It has a major impact on their skills and outlook, enhances their employment 
prospects, and leads to substantially increased income. They become more productive members 
of their respective countries’ economies, and often help others to be more productive. However, 
quantifying this impact, comparing it with costs or with alternative investments, would be 
extremely difficult, a task beyond the scope of this evaluation. 
17.Cost Effectiveness of Different Models of Training and Possible Cost 
Reductions for the CASS Model
Few, if any, training programs are similar to CASS. CASS targets rural, underprivileged young 
people and requires an in-country staff in order to reach the right kind of participant. This 
uniqueness precludes calculating cost-effectiveness based on comparisons with others.
Evaluators spoke with the CIED staff and other education and training implementers, such as the 
Academy for Educational Development, Creative Associates, Partners of the Americas, USAID 
officials in the home countries, and specialists about other training programs for recent high 
school graduates from anywhere in the world in technical fields for one or two years at U.S. 
community colleges. No one could suggest any program similar to the CASS model. What 
makes it unique is the focus on recruiting 18-25 year olds, most of whom are from rural zones, 
and many of whom are women, from ethnic or minority groups, or people with disabilities; 
nearly all are from low-income families.
The ingredients integral to the CASS program and its successes (a high completion rate, a high 
return rate, a strong work ethic, English language skills, a positive attitude toward the U.S., 
employable graduates, greater job responsibility and mobility, etc.) are the factors of careful 
recruitment and selection, intensive ESL, host family support, increasing use of English in 
technical instruction, and close supervision by on-campus coordinators. These appear to be 
necessary ingredients to train a young socio-economically disadvantaged person and raise them 
to a level where they can participate actively and responsibly in a democratic society.
P. xii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CASS Evaluation
CIED appears to acquire and manage these services in an efficient manner. The evaluation did 
not see areas where significant additional economies could be realized in the provision of these 
services.
18.Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) System
An assessment of four of the several CASS survey forms reveals that the M&E system produces 
clear, adequate, and useful information for USAID reporting needs.
The Aguirre evaluators examined two of three types of CASS questionnaires used to measure 
students’ progress at the colleges and the ex-becarios’ employment rate and civic participation in 
their home countries. A survey form used in the home countries to determine future workforce 
needs and new fields of study satisfactorily meets CASS’s planning and reporting needs. The 
two forms that were examined about students and alumni generate unambiguous and useful 
information with which CASS can manage and continually improve its programs and fulfill 
USAID reporting requirements.
The Employment and Impact Survey for two-year ex-becarios includes about 15 easily answered 
questions about employment, continuing education, community, and leadership activities. The 
tables in both reports about the survey data indicate that more than 60 percent of the respondents 
participate in community activities in the localities of their parents’ home. Given that 80 per 
cent of the ex-becarios were originally from rural areas, the survey data seem to reveal that most 
continue to spend much of their times in these areas.
The Students’ Evaluation Web Site has functioned for more than three years, belonging to 
USAID’s TraiNet database maintained by DevIs. It presents four questionnaires allowing the 
measurement of students’ opinions about the pre-departure orientation workshops, their 
experiences after 6 and 20-months of study, and the re-entry workshops on returning home. 
More than 90 percent of CASS participants fill out the questionnaire, partly due to the many 
reminders from the Georgetown CASS office and the home-country offices and the less than 10 
minutes needed to respond to the questions.
19.Administration, Management, and Planning
The evaluation team found that the CASS program is well designed and managed. 
Among the factors that make the program successful, key design and management characteristics 
include:
· The motivation of the students. CASS does an excellent job of selecting students.
· The role of the community colleges. U.S. community colleges are perhaps uniquely 
capable of providing appropriate training to CASS participants in a nurturing, supportive 
environment. The personal attention given to the students by CASS coordinators, college 
administrators, instructors, community and church leaders, businesspeople and host 
families are key to the very positive experience that participants enjoy. 
· Delegation of authority. CIED delegates considerable authority to the country 
CASS Evaluation EXECUTIVE SUMMARY P. xiii
coordinators and participating community colleges, making them responsible for much of 
the decision-making about program implementation. CIED sets policies; it does not 
“micro-manage” operations.
· Learning from experience. The program staff learns from experience and puts that 
knowledge into practice. Many problems that emerged in the early days of the program 
have been effectively addressed.
Recommendations
Some of the following recommendations grow out of the findings on the key issues discussed 
above. Other recommendations in the section below flow from the evaluation team’s 
observations and analyses. Many of these considerations and recommendations relate to 
marketing, fundraising, and public relations. Others focus on issues to be addressed by U.S. 
college coordinators, CIED staff, and host families and on ways to motivate greater contact 
between colleges, people in the surrounding communities, and the returned alumni.
In-Country Activities
· CASS should explore the possibility of increasing contributions to the program through 
(1) collaboration with PVOs and NGOs such as Partners of the Americas, Ashoka, World 
Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, and others, and (2) undertaking a campaign in 
the participating countries to increase public awareness of the program. Private sector 
organizations are aware of the CASS Program, but perhaps less so of its successes. 
Increasing public recognition of CASS will increase the marketability of graduates and 
enhance the potential to generate private-sector financial support for CASS-sponsored 
activities, tapping into their corporate social responsibility. CASS may wish to revisit 
some of its past supporters and donors whose contacts may no longer be maintained.
· Explore and invest in low-cost options to increase CASS visibility in the participating 
countries. The CASS Program has a great story to tell about disadvantaged young people 
who receive an incredible opportunity to experience another world, who come home and 
find their lives changed forever. During 16 years, as the number of returning graduates 
increased and their competencies became known, CASS has become increasingly well￾known. There is now a limited “brand recognition.” This increased visibility is useful to 
graduates when they seek employment. Eventually, it might also make it somewhat easier 
for graduates to obtain credit from local universities for their U.S. studies. And finally, 
enhanced visibility for a U.S. Government-financed program that provides educational 
opportunity to low income and minority youths enhances the image of the U.S. and is 
supportive of U.S. foreign policy interests. 
One seemingly simple and inexpensive method to increase visibility would be for each 
CASS country office to publish and distribute a “CASS in Country Name” pamphlet. 
This booklet could be used for recruiting applicants, encouraging employers to consider 
hiring CASS graduates and generally to inform the press and public about the program. 
Country coordinators might also market CASS more vigorously through publicity 
P. xiv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CASS Evaluation
packages, creating a “buzz” through press relations, brochures and other public relations 
devices.
An effort to make the CASS “brand” better known would provide an opportunity at the 
same time to expand contacts with and support from the private sector. This might result 
in private sector sponsorship of publicity kits or in-country alumni activities by the 
program’s satisfied customers.
· Explore methods to broaden contacts with local organizations, such as the various 
Chambers of Commerce in each country. Appropriately, CASS has created a number of 
subsidiary in-country programs that support their primary program, such as the Project 
Formulation and Evaluation (PFE teaches how to conduct development projects in 
alumni’s home communities), Técnicas en soluciones empresariales (TSE, a web-based 
program in business education), and the Honduras Strengthening Democratic Institutions 
program. The evaluators feel that, in some cases, these activities may have the potential 
to be “spun off” as potential sources of ongoing support and funding at the country level.
· CASS should examine ways to expand its linkages and partnering with other 
organizations in each country, especially European, Japanese, and other U.S. 
organizations that may provide resources and funding to underwrite scholarship costs
(for example, Peace Corps, Partners of the Americas, AED, and others). Given the 
environmental focus of some of the training, World Wildlife Fund or Conservation 
International may prove to be "natural," useful partners for follow-on activities or project 
funding for returned trainees. Legitimate and rated eco-tourist businesses may be 
suitable partners.
· Consider creating an Internet-based directory of alumni, which would permit searches by 
name, field of study, country, year of program, etc. This could be an important resource 
to assist alumni in networking with graduates not only from their countries but also in the 
other seven. Moreover, employers could use the directory to identify potentially 
qualified workers in their region, and in-country offices would use this resource to guide 
trainees in the job search. CIED would need to consider standard privacy concerns and 
would probably need candidates’ permission to include them. It might create a simple 
data-entry screen in which trainees write the relevant information. Such a website might 
become one more marketing tool in a "branding" campaign to publicize the customer 
satisfaction with the product and, in turn, conduct fundraising. It should be noted that 
CASS has employed an Internet director in El Salvador for the purpose of providing 
employment assistance.
· Strengthen alumni associations in some of the eight countries. For example, the 
Guatemalan ties and activities lacked vitality or were non-existent. CASS might 
profitably review what are the “best practices” in Honduras, for instance, that may be 
useful as lessons for countries where these networks have faltered or become frayed. 
Branding, publicity, and cause-related marketing for fundraising may increase the value 
even more of being a CASS product so that all association members have even more 
incentive to participate in the association. The alumni associations and contacts between 
CASS Evaluation EXECUTIVE SUMMARY P. xv
graduates in Honduras and the Dominican Republic are a valuable resource. Beyond the 
social ties that such associations foster, the evaluators see them as a source for the growth 
of trainees’ “social capital." This relates directly to the goal of fostering democracy, 
given that it is widely argued that strong social capital leads to greater participatory 
decision-making and a greater willingness to take part in community affairs and 
volunteerism. 
· Strengthen the cooperation between CASS and USAID on the selection of areas of study 
and in other areas. CASS currently conducts, in each country, a “Survey of Employment 
Needs,” which includes business people, government officers, NGOs, and USAID staff. 
In most countries, USAID staff offer suggestions. The results of the survey are 
synthesized to guide the selection of fields of study. However, not all the appropriate 
staff was, in at least one of the countries, fully aware of the results of the survey and how 
the decisions mesh with their own strategic planning. CIED might consider involving 
CASS country coordinators in a greater exchange with USAID after the first phase of 
field selection is completed, so that they can obtain some feedback from the Missions. 
This may enhance the awareness of USAID staff about the program’s effectiveness at 
matching new fields of study to fast changing labor market and training needs, bridging 
any “information gaps” that USAID staff may perceive. The publicity campaign and 
cause-related marketing would require not only approval but also some collaboration 
from USAID, a process tightening the linkages between the Mission, its NGO and 
member network, and CASS.
· Continue to explore ways to facilitate the transfer of college credits to institutions in the 
home countries. The evaluation recognizes that making the transfer of course credits to 
home countries easier is a challenge with no straightforward way to address. More 
reciprocity agreements may help, somewhat. CASS presently provides graduates with a 
notarized, properly authenticated transcript (and diploma where required) of his or her 
college grades. A long-term solution to this structural educational problem in the eight 
countries will probably result only from the branding and marketing campaign of the 
CASS-USAID logo and educational product, perhaps partly conducted along with in￾country universities offering similar two-year technical training such as Universidad 
Galileo in Guatemala (Appendix E, Country Reports).
· Investigate the possibility of providing some additional, low-cost English training to 
candidates prior to their travel to the U.S. This could consist of cassette tapes and 
manuals, a short intensive course in country, or even a stay with an American family 
(such as USAID families that might host a student for a week). We recognize that there 
are certain obstacles to implementing this: the additional cost, logistical challenges, and 
the fact that it is important that all trainees get the same opportunities. However, we feel 
that a “head start” in the language by these motivated trainees would be very useful to 
them as they strive to learn English quickly during their first few weeks in the U.S.
· Consider maintaining applicant files for a standard period—such as three to five years. 
Such standardization in the eight countries would (1) facilitate their tracking of repeat 
P. xvi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CASS Evaluation
applicants and (2) provide an ongoing, comparative pool for career tracking and for 
evaluation, whether by CASS, outside evaluators or disgruntled candidates.
Relating to U.S. Implementation
· Consider the creation of a more structured leadership-training component. Leadership 
training is an important aspect of CASS philosophy; what that means is appropriately 
variable, given the variety of technical fields. At times, however, the training appears to 
be submerged in other activities in ways that make unclear which leadership issues are 
addressed. Clearly, trainees arrive home with skills that contribute to leadership, such as 
presentation skills, speaking, etc.
The training might include lectures and readings during the pre-departure and re-entry 
workshops and at least once while in the colleges that help students to sharpen their skills 
in (1) leadership, (2) management, and (3) entrepreneurship so that all participants 
become business people in whatever field of study they work. The TSE program may 
provide a model. 
· Review policies about the selection of host families, especially with respect to language 
spoken in the home. The evaluation team noted a wide variety of host family placements 
and commends the program for its efforts in providing this strong social and civic 
responsibility dimension. We would concur with the idea that “it takes a community to 
train a CASS student,” and that the host family alone is only part of the broad cultural 
experience available to CASS students. However, we would ask campus coordinators to 
bear in mind the importance of an English-speaking home environment for the trainees as 
they work to expand host-family networks. This concern is not an issue in many regions 
where trainees study, such as in the Midwest or Northeast. In Texas and California, 
though, it appears that many Spanish-speaking students are placed in homes where 
Spanish is spoken. Admittedly, in some localities the recruitment of host families is a 
continual challenge. Trainees in English-speaking homes described how important that 
language experience is for learning English more rapidly. 
· Review whether some state or college regulations may lessen program impact. CIED and 
college coordinators may wish to assess the role regulations in Texas play in creating 
obstacles for primarily Spanish-speaking trainees to register for credit, due to the 
provision that students must qualify in English to enroll. While the emphasis in the 
Program on gaining an A.A. degree has lessened in recent years, it may be worth tracking 
whether the difficulty of accumulating college credits has an adverse impact on trainee 
educational and career paths.
· Explore methods to strengthen or build long-term linkages between participating U.S. 
and Latin American and Caribbean institutions and individuals. Campus coordinators 
and CIED might consider investigating low-cost means to encourage greater contact 
between community colleges (professors, fellow students, host family members) and the 
returned alumni, especially that based on travel by U.S. stakeholders and friends to the 
CASS countries. One of the great benefits in the U.S. is the impact that the program has 
CASS Evaluation EXECUTIVE SUMMARY P. xvii
on local communities where students serve as “friendship ambassadors.” During this 
time of heightened awareness about “public diplomacy” as a great asset for U.S. 
internationalrelations, the evaluators heard several stories of visits by community 
members and friends to alumni at home. Such educational and eco-tourism to the eight 
countries clearly has a strong effect in building ongoing ties between the U.S., Central 
America, and the Caribbean, creating strong advocates for the CASS program, perhaps 
even sources of publicity and funding. CIED might examine how the program can 
encourage and facilitate those contacts, perhaps through initiatives on the campuses or a 
travel agency that may be interested in serving as a catalyst for these visits. Aside from 
encouraging the development of long-term linkages, travel of college staff to CASS 
countries helps them to understand the environment from which the students come and to 
which they will return. This understanding will allow the colleges to create programs 
that will serve the needs of these students. The evaluation team saw evidence of 
colleges’ strong commitment to enhance international programs, and at least one college 
president indicated a willingness to entertain the idea of subsidizing the overseas travel of 
his staff.
Outline of the Report
Following the Executive Summary, this report is divided into five sections and seven appendices.
· Chapter One provides background information about the CASS program and about the 
evaluation. 
· Chapter Two examines the participants’ assessment of their programs, drawing on the 
survey results and open-ended interviews for the findings. 
· Chapter Three reports on the participants’ role in the workforce of their countries, and 
looks at data on employment, job mobility, and the application of training. 
· Chapter Four reviews the participants’ roles in serving as multipliers of the training, their 
roles in the community, and the ways in which they discuss the impact on their lives of 
the program.
· Chapter Five presents the evaluation team’s findings and recommendations. 
P. ii CASS Evaluation
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER ONE P. 1
CHAPTER ONE 
Program and Evaluation Background
Program Background
The Cooperative Association of States for Scholarships (CASS) is a scholarship program 
administered since 1985 at Georgetown University’s Center for Intercultural Education and 
Development (CIED). The program is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. 
Agency of International Development (USAID). The goal is to improve the human capacity and 
the potential for sustainable development in Central America and the Caribbean by educating 
socio-economically disadvantaged people. CASS achieves this goal by providing technical and 
leadership skills to low-income students, as well as primary-school teachers, interpreters of sign 
language, rural health specialists, construction supervisors, nurses, and "persons with 
disabilities" such as the deaf.
The CASS scholarships are intended to advance the strategic objectives of USAID’s Latin 
American and Caribbean (LAC) Bureau, which manages the program, by:
· improving human capacity based on education in technical careers and training in civic 
participation;
· strengthening broad-based economic growth and agricultural development;
· promoting high-quality environmental management undergirding long-term 
sustainability;
· protecting the health of Central Americans and peoples of the Caribbean and stabilizing 
the population growth in these countries;
· increasing the depth and quality of human resources and of educational and 
environmental policies; and
· advancing democracy, institutions of civil society, and the understanding of a free 
enterprise, market-based economy in countries with weak political cultures or voting 
traditions at risk during years of civil war.
During the 1994-2001 period of this study CASS has awarded scholarships to approximately 
2,342 individuals from the 17 countries in Central American and the Caribbean. However, the 
number of participating countries was reduced to eight in 1996. These countries include the 
Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, and 
Panama.
The CASS program focuses on students and professionals from living in rural areas and coming 
from minority groups and/or disadvantaged populations. As a result, the program has recruited 
high percentages of the rural poor, women, people with disabilities, and members of ethnic 
groups such as Maya and Lenca Indians or Garífunas.
P. 2 CHAPTER ONE CASS Evaluation
CASS scholarships last 3-6, 12 or 24 months at some twenty participating U.S. community 
colleges and universities. During the eight-year evaluation period, seventy-five percent of the 
scholarships were for two years, and 25 percent were for one year or less. The shorter CASS 
scholarship programs began in 1995 and increased in importance over the following years. Short 
programs represented more than 40 percent of scholarship recipients in Fiscal Years 1999, 2000 
and 2001. Nevertheless, the two-year scholarship remains the core CASS program. 
Approximately 244 CASS students are currently studying in the U.S. 
CASS has provided scholarships for training in about 46 different fields of study. These fields 
include, for example, public health/vector control, education of primary school teachers and 
administrators, environmental protection (watershed management and waste management 
control), aquaculture, electronics and medical equipment repair, agricultural and industrial 
engineering technologies, quality control, interpretation of sign language, and many others. 
Fields of study are determined largely on the basis of the CIED’s assessment of labor force needs 
in the participating countries.
The CASS experience includes considerably more than academic training. CASS students 
typically receive leadership training, training in English, opportunities to do volunteer work with 
local NGOs, short-term internships with U.S. businesses, and visits to and participation in events 
that expose the students to U.S. political, economic and social systems.
CIED has established an extensive system of policies and procedures that govern program 
operations. CIED has established and refined systems starting with the identification and 
recruitment of candidates and covering every phase until the participants return home. Indeed, 
there are also policies and programs to assist the returned participants reintegrate into their 
societies. CIED has also established and refined its policies for guiding and cooperating with the 
participating community colleges. 
To implement this large and complex program, the CASS Program finances staff positions at 
CIED at Georgetown University, at eight in-country offices, and at the participating community 
colleges. Staff directly paid by CIED includes approximately 40 individuals, including 19 at 
CIED in Washington, D.C. (12 full-time and 7 part-time) and several in each of the eight 
countries. In addition, CIED indirectly pays some of the costs of CASS coordinators and support 
staff (approximately 40 people) who administer the CASS training and support programs at the 
participating U.S. colleges and universities. (The support staff at the colleges1
 seems to vary 
from one to four or five individuals, depending on the size and complexity of the program.) 
Funding
The CASS program is financed by USAID under three cooperative agreements. CASS 
expenditures during the FY1994-2001 evaluation period total approximately $102 million, an 
average expenditure of around $12.75 million per year. However, due to limitations on USAID 
 
1
The terms "colleges" or “community colleges” are used throughout this report to refer to the U.S community, 
junior, technical colleges; two, four-year colleges; and, one small university that are CIED’s partners in the CASS 
program
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER ONE P. 3
resources, expenditures have fallen in recent years. In FY 2001, expenditures totaled $10.7 
million.
The evaluation estimates the average USAID cost to per student-year at slight over $20,000. The 
cost to USAID of a two-year scholarship is thus approximately $40,000. There is also a 
significant contribution, approximately $575 per student-month, from participating community 
colleges. Adding these costs to USAID-financed costs suggest a total investment per student￾year of a little over $27,000. (See Appendix G for a fuller discussion of program costs and 
financing.)
The Program Cycle
Recruitment
The CASS program focuses on recruiting youth (17-25 years old) and professionals (25-45 years 
old with three years of employment). The younger group often includes primarily recent high 
school graduates, many of whom have little employment experience outside of the household. 
The program seeks to identify youths who are not married, who have leadership ability, 
community spirit and academic potential. English capability is not a requirement, and most 
students recruited for the two-year program have little English ability. 
The older cohort consists of people currently employed in the occupations that are the focus of 
shorter CASS training programs. These individuals are often married, and many have children. 
CASS programs for these participants have provided training in primary education (for 6-12 
months), rural health services (for six to twelve months), construction and disaster relief (for six 
to twelve months, limited to construction supervisors from the Dominican Republic, Honduras, 
and Nicaragua), and nursing (for four to six months).
Each Fall, CIED meets with country coordinators in Washington, D.C., to draft a recruitment 
plan in order to achieve the goals of finding candidates who meet these program requirements. 
Recruitment levels vary from year to year, depending largely on the amount of financing 
available from USAID. CIED determines the fields of study and the numbers of participants that 
will be selected from each country. Country plans target priority geographic regions and 
populations. Country coordinators seek to identify several candidates for the available places. 
Country coordinators rely on a strong support network—such as alumni, NGOs, community 
leaders, educators, USAID officials, members of chambers of commerce—to locate potential 
candidates. The CASS in-country staff occasionally travels to rural areas to meet with support 
network members to train them about the recruitment policies. 
Selection
In January, following the Fall recruitment, country coordinators begin the first of three screening 
stages to select final candidates, assuring that the goal of three to four applicants for each field of 
study is reached. During February, the second stage, they review and rank the candidates based 
on their grades, essays, recommendations, scheduling them for interviews in late February and 
March. During this third stage, country coordinators organize an interview committee including 
P. 4 CHAPTER ONE CASS Evaluation
USAID officials, potential employers, support network members such as alumni, and private or 
public sector experts in the technical fields of study for which CASS is recruiting. The 
committee rates candidates based on experience in the field of study, speaking ability, likelihood 
of easy adaptation to a new country, leadership potential, community and country commitment, 
and potential to be a successful cultural friendship ambassador in the U.S. The final selection of 
the candidates occurs during the annual CASS meeting in April in Washington, D.C. Although 
the final selection is the responsibility of the representatives of the colleges, the selection 
represents the combined efforts of country coordinators, CIED staff, and the college 
representatives who decide on those most likely to be successful. 
Language Training and Orientation
Scholarship winners participate in three orientations before leaving for their colleges. During the 
first predeparture orientation, they go through medical and dental examinations in order to 
qualify for U.S. J-1 visas and to fulfill other USAID and Georgetown requirements. They 
participate in an announcement ceremony during which the students' parents, members of the 
support network, USAID officials, and others accept them into the scholarship program. Parents 
and family members attend a seminar about CASS. During the second stage of the predeparture, 
the students receive materials from their colleges which are discussed in a seminar directed by 
country coordinators, a psychologist, alumni, and guest speakers. Often, CIED staff participates. 
During the final stage, the students receive airline tickets and final instructions immediately 
before traveling to the U.S. 
All non-native English-speaking students on two-year scholarships begin training in English as a 
second language immediately on arriving. Some colleges offer technical courses in Spanish for 
the first few weeks or months. All subsequent course work is in English. Older students on 3-12 
month scholarships receive their training in Spanish or French, receiving only training in survival 
English skills.
The Role of Participating Community Colleges 
The U.S. training forms the heart of the CASS program and its reason for existence. Since 1994, 
the program has depended on about 35-40 colleges. Currently it relies on 15-20 colleges, 
including three Historically Black Colleges and five Hispanic Serving Institutions. Some of the 
U.S. colleges offering training to CASS students have collaborated with the program since its 
start some 16 years ago; others—such as El Paso Community College and Hillsborough 
Community College in Tampa, Florida—have joined recently. New colleges have joined 
primarily when they are able to offer training in a field of study that is new to the CASS 
program; this has occurred in recent years in health, education, and aquaculture. If the training 
program is to be one year or less, the colleges must be able to provide the training in Spanish. 
As noted above, these CIED partner institutions are required to make considerable financial 
contributions to the program. These contributions average about one-third of the on-campus cost 
and about one-quarter of the total USAID/CIED expenditure per student. 
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER ONE P. 5
The colleges provide students with the following: local transportation, room, and board; host 
families; internships and training opportunities; academic and emotional counsel; formal 
guidance about leadership; opportunities to contribute to the host communities based on 
volunteer activities; the chance to be friendship ambassadors and teachers about their home 
countries; situations in which students become more aware about democracy, gender and ethnic 
equality, and the environment; and re-entry workshops dealing with the difficulties of returning 
home and employment skills.
The participating colleges are strongly committed to the CASS program. Senior college 
administrators indicate that the colleges receive benefits that far exceed their financial 
contribution to the program. Faculty and community members are very supportive. Occasionally, 
college staff members visit one or more of the eight CASS countries to participate in candidate 
selection and to see how their courses fit the country needs.
Preparation for Re-entry and Participant Follow-up Activities
Many of the two-year trainees have participated in regional re-entry conferences. Since the early 
1990s colleges close to each other organize meetings for the trainees so that they can practice 
leadership skills in front of a large CASS group. In 1999, CASS changed the focus of these 
conferences from leadership to re-entry skills to help participants even more with their concerns 
about returning home. 
Two to three weeks after arriving in their home countries, alumni participate in a re-entry 
workshop. These workshops help the returned participants to hone further their job-hunting skills 
and to provide a venue for them to talk about their worries and hopes after being away for two 
years. 
Since 1994, CASS has provided alumni with additional training in four different programs. The 
first was Técnicas en Soluciones Empresariales, a web-based distance learning education in El 
Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Panamá. The second was three conferences since 1998 in 
three different countries for the deaf and interpreters. The third was Project Formulation and 
Evaluation, training in seven of the countries so that alumni learned how to write funding 
proposals to obtain the wherewithal to address local, rural community problems. The final one 
took place in 1999, providing alumni with the training to update their computer skills.
Alumni associations exist in all CASS countries, although these organizations are stronger and 
more active in some countries than others. These associations provide ex-becarios with 
opportunities for job networking, for participating in community projects and for socializing with 
friends who have shared similar experiences in the U.S. (See also Chapter 4 and Appendix E, 
Guatemala Country Report.)
EVALUATION OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY
This evaluation focuses on CASS activities from 1994, the year of its last evaluation, through 
2001. Pursuant to USAID’s scope of work (see Appendix A), Aguirre International designed the 
evaluation in order to accomplish the following:
P. 6 CHAPTER ONE CASS Evaluation
· Assess the extent that CASS has fulfilled during the last six years the terms and 
conditions of its Cooperative Agreement since 1994, when an evaluation last took place;
· Assess program quality and effectiveness and, to the extent possible, recommend ways to 
make the program stronger and more cost-effective; and 
· Identify new directions so that would permit LAC/RSD/EHR and CASS to fine-tune its 
future training programs in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This evaluation is based upon interviews with individuals thoroughly familiar with the program 
in Washington, in three participating CASS countries and at six partnering community colleges 
or universities. At the CIED office of CASS, the team met with key central office staff, 
including the Center Director and managers of the domestic and international components of the 
program. The evaluation team visited Guatemala, Honduras and the Dominican Republic. In 
each of these countries, the team interviewed the CASS staff, USAID personnel, business leaders 
and other knowledgeable persons, and employers of returned graduates. The team also 
interviewed many program alumni, singly, in groups, and as part of a formal survey, holding 
focus group discussions with about 30 graduates and administering a survey to about 316 
returned CASS students from a total of 838 who have finished their training. At six participating 
U.S. community colleges, the evaluation team met with and administered a survey to the CASS 
students currently in attendance, and it met with a variety of CASS administrators, senior college 
administrators, instructors, internship providers, NGOs where CASS students volunteer and host 
families (See Appendix B for discussion of methodologies).
Although CASS recruited and trained individuals from 17 countries under a previous cooperative 
agreement, this assessment focused only on the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, 
Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, and Panama. Beyond the logistical and cost considerations 
that would be involved in traveling to all eight countries, discussions between the evaluation 
team and the program director led to a consensus that the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and 
Honduras represent three clearly contrasting cases in terms of program size, country economic 
circumstances, and contrasting experiences with reform. What also justified selection of the 
Dominican Republic and Honduras was that Aguirre evaluated their programs in 1994, providing 
a longitudinal dimension to the November-December 2001 assessments. The evaluation team 
considers that its interviews with 316 returnees in two Central American and one Caribbean 
country yielded a varied and representative view of the program in the eight CASS countries. 
(See Appendix B for a fuller discussion of the evaluation team’s methodology.)
The Aguirre International evaluation team consisted of Roger Rasnake, Senior Research 
Associate; Tom Judy, Senior Research Associate; consultants David M. Stemper and Gerald 
Wein; and three in-country coordinators, Fidel Arévalo in Guatemala, Miriam Meza in 
Honduras, and Tahira Vargas in the Dominican Republic.
Outline of the Report
Following the Executive Summary, this report is divided into five sections and seven appendices.
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER ONE P. 7
· Chapter One provides background information about the CASS program and about the 
evaluation. 
· Chapter Two examines the participants’ assessment of their programs, drawing on the 
survey results and open-ended interviews for the findings. 
· Chapter Three reports on the participants’ role in the workforce of their countries, and 
looks at data on employment, job mobility, and the application of training. 
· Chapter Four reviews the participants’ roles in serving as multipliers of the training, their 
roles in the community, and the ways in which they discuss the impact on their lives of 
the program. 
· Chapter Five presents the evaluation team’s findings and recommendations.
P. 8 CHAPTER ONE CASS Evaluation
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER TWO P. 9
CHAPTER TWO
Participant Assessment of U.S. Training
Introduction: Who Are the Participants in the Survey?
This study partly draws its findings and conclusions from the information provided by 316 CASS 
alumni who participated in a quantitative survey conducted from December 2001 to February 
2002. It also draws on discussions with 90 other persons (some pre-1994 alumni), participants 
who agreed to take part in in-depth interviews and in group discussions and with others who 
were involved in program design and implementation. All of the alumni who participated in the 
survey came to the United States to start their U.S. training at the beginning of FY 1994, and the 
last came in early 1999. Most of the participants interviewed more extensively were also drawn 
from that period, although some came earlier. Table 2.1 shows respondents by country.
Table 2.1 Alumni Interviewed from the Three Countries
DR Guatemala Honduras Total
Count % Count % Count % Count % 
Men 43 43 36 40 60 47 139 44
Women 56 57 54 60 67 53 177 56
Total 99 100 90 100 127 100 316 100
N=316
About 31.3 percent (99) of the survey respondents were from the Dominican Republic, 28.5 
percent (90) were from Guatemala and, 40.2 percent (127), were from Honduras Figure 2.1). 
Fifty six percent were women (Figure 2.2 and Table 2.2). Among the approximately 2.342 
graduates of the program from 1994 to 2001, 84 percent received scholarships for 24 months.
Figure 2.1. Country of Origin 
Countries of Respondents
31%
29%
40%
DR
Guatemala
Honduras
P. 10 CHAPTER TWO CASS Evaluation
Figure 2.2. Sex of Survey Respondents
Females 56
Males 44 Sex of Respondents
56%
44%
Females
Males
Table 2.2 Men and Women from the Three Countries
DR Guatemala Honduras Total
Count % Count % Count % Count % 
Men 43 43 36 40 60 47 139 44
Women 56 57 54 60 67 53 177 56
Total 99 100 90 100 127 100 316 100
N=316
Program Location and Fields of Study
CASS survey respondents carried out their programs through a range of colleges and universities 
around the U.S. The illustrative list (from the 2000-2001 Cycles) in Table 2.3 gives examples of 
the locations and types of institutions partnering with the program, as well as the field of study or 
studies offered at these institutions.
Table 2.3. CASS Partner Organizations and Fields of Study
COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY STATE FIELD OF STUDY
Alamo Community College Texas Teacher Training 
Public Health: Vector Control
Berkshire Community College Massachusetts Environment: Watershed Management
Broome Community College New York X-Ray Technology Quality Control
El Paso Community College Texas Rural Healthcare Services
Florida Community College at 
Jacksonville
Florida Industrial Maintenance and Management
Fox Valley Technical College Wisconsin Quality Improvement Process Specialist
Harris-Stowe State College Missouri Teacher Training
Hillsborough Community College Florida Aquaculture
Iowa Western Community College Iowa Agribusiness
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER TWO P. 11
Kentucky State University Kentucky Electronics: Medical Equipment Repair
Teacher Training
Modesto Junior College California Teacher Training Agricultural 
Technology
Mount Aloysius College Pennsylvania Computer Applications (Deaf Group)
Mt Hood Community College Oregon Integrated Natural Resources Technology
Reedley College California Agricultural Technology
Scott Community College Iowa X-Ray Technology
St. Louis Community College Missouri Electronics: Telecommunications
CURRENT ONE-YEAR CASS 
PARTNERS STATE FIELDS OF STUDY
Alamo Community College Texas Primary Teachers
El Paso Community College Texas Health Care
Harris-Stowe College Missouri Primary Teachers
West Hills College California
PAST CASS PARTNER 
INSTITUTIONS SINCE 1994 STATE
Central Florida Community 
College
Florida
Edmonds Community College Washington
Hesston College Kansas
Hocking College Ohio
Kirkwood community College Iowa
Missouri School for the Blind Missouri
Santa Fe Community College Florida
St. Petersburg Junior College Florida
University of South Carolina at 
Sumter
South 
Carolina
University of Wisconsin at 
Marinette
Wisconsin
Utah Valley State University Utah
Overall Satisfaction with Their U.S. Training Program
The overwhelming majority of CASS participants reported that their academic training 
experience was excellent.
Among the 316 alumni, 91 to 97 percent were "satisfied" or "very satisfied" when responding to 
questions about eight different aspects of their training. Moreover, based on site visits and 
interviews, participants were individually enthusiastic about all the venues of training, from 
Modesto Junior College in California, and Alamo Community College District in San Antonio, 
to Broome Community College in Binghamton.
P. 12 CHAPTER TWO CASS Evaluation
The 316 respondents were also asked to think back to their U.S. training experience and rate their 
levels of satisfaction with eight components of the program (Table 2.4).
· Course content
· Instructor’s competence
· Pace of instruction
· Educational facilities (labs, libraries, etc.)
· Housing
· Medical care
· Services and programs for international students
· General university/community activities
Table 2.4. Satisfaction with Program Components
Program Component Positive Neutral Negative
No. Percent No. Percent No. Percent
Course content 301 95.2% 9 2.8% 3 0.9%
Instructors’ competence 304 96.2% 7 2.2% 4 1.3%
Educational facilities (labs, libraries, 
etc.)
308 97.5% 4 1.3% 3 0.9%
Pace of instruction 288 91.2% 20 6.3 7 2.2%
Housing 294 92.9% 11 3.5% 9 2.8%
Services/programs for international 
students
291 92.1% 18 5.8% 4 1.3%
General school/community activities 301 95.3% 8 2.5% 4 1.3%
Medical care 272 86.1% 23 7.3% 18 5.6%
n=313-315
Here, three components most closely related to the academic dimension of the programs received 
very high ratings—course content, the instructors’ capacity and competence, and the quality of 
the educational facilities. In the first two cases, the positive responses were nearly universal. A 
large majority was positive about the pace of instruction and about housing. 
A majority was positive about the programs for international students at their campus, and about 
six percent were neutral. This appears to be due to the fact that many respondents did not 
participate actively in programs specifically designed for international students because they 
remained busy with their academic programs and with their internships and volunteering. With 
respect to their experience with the U.S. medical system, 12.9 percent were neutral or negative 
and some 86.1 percent were positive. While medical care frequently gains the lowest ratings in 
similar surveys, it is important to note that many had little contact with the medical system—and 
thus had little opportunity to form an opinion—because they were healthy. 
There is very little difference in levels of satisfaction between women and men. Women were 
slightly less satisfied with housing than men, but only slightly more than the statistically 
significant level.
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER TWO P. 13
Assessment of Utility of Training
A majority of respondents evaluated the training as useful and relevant across a range of 
applications, from improving professional skills to making contacts in the U.S. and abroad. 
The 316 alumni rated on a four-point scale, from “not useful” to “very useful,” the utility of their 
training with respect to the nine areas listed in Table 2.5. These characteristics relate both to 
professional skills and to networking for career advancement. Included are a self-assessments of 
leadership abilities and volunteering. Overall, the participants rated the training highly with 
respect to such work-related characteristics as learning new skills, improving professional 
abilities, learning to work in a team context, and preparing for career changes. A majority also 
found the training either useful or very useful for meeting colleagues, both from the region, the 
home country, and the U.S. A large percentage (80.7%) felt that the training was useful for 
improving their leadership abilities. No difference in evaluating the overall utility of training 
existed between men and women. The average of the nine attributes was 3.58—with 4 being 
very useful.
Table 2.5. The Utility of Training
Very Useful Useful Somewhat Useful Not Useful
Program Component No. % No. % No. % No. %
Improvement of my professional 
abilities
237 75 72 22.
8
6 1.9 0 0.0
Learning new skills/techniques for 
work
245 77.5 66 20.
9
4 1.3 0 0.0
Learning to work in a team context 232 73.4 74 23.
4
6 1.9 2 0.6
Preparation for a career change 218 69 81 25.
6
10 3.2 6 1.9
Opportunities to “network,” to meet 
U.S. citizens in my field
214 67.7 70 22.
2
28 8.9 3 0.9
Opportunities to meet other colleagues 
from my country in my field
173 54.7 94 29.
7
35 11.1 14 4.4
Opportunities to meet colleagues in my 
field from other countries in the region 
164 51.9 92 29.
1
43 13.6 17 5.4
Improvement of leadership abilities 255 80.7 54 17.
2
4 1.3 1 0.3
Volunteering and community work 164 51.9 92 29.
1
43 13.6 17 5.4
n=314 to 315
Internships
Internships were consistently cited by those who had them as a key factor in the success of their 
U.S. experience. 
Among the 316 respondents, 13 (4%) did not participate in an internship; seven alumni failed to 
answer the question; and 296 (94.3%) percent rated their internship. Twenty respondents (6.3%) 
P. 14 CHAPTER TWO CASS Evaluation
rated it as “ineffective” or “very ineffective;” 22 (7%) rated it as “neutral;” and 256 (81.1%) 
rated it as “effective” to “very effective.” 
The single most important factor in the ability of participants to transform their training 
experience into concrete applications was the internship (Table 2.6). The success of the 
internship often depended largely on the motivation and resourcefulness of the participants. As 
one participant put it, the internship was the way to put into practice the theory of the classroom. 
In many cases, the program (especially the internship) contributed directly to the career path of 
the person, in a way that neither employers nor employees could have foreseen prior to their U.S. 
experience. 
Table 2.6. Perceived Effectiveness of the Internship
Very Effective Effective Neutral Ineffective Very Ineffective Total
Count % within 
Gender
Count % within 
Gender
Count % within 
Gender
Count % within 
Gender
Count % within 
Gender
Count
Female 72 43.4 65 39.2 17 10.2 11 6.6 1 0.6 166
Male 58 44.6 59 45.4 5 3.8 8 6.2 0 0 130
Total 130 43.9 124 41.9 22 7.4 19 6.4 1 0.3 296
n=296
From qualitative interviews, we learned that the majority of the participants were placed in 
reasonably appropriate settings, consistent with their fields of training. Many reported very 
valuable experiences. Others were less enthusiastic, and about 14 percent of the returnees 
surveyed were either neutral or found some aspect of their internship experience to be 
“ineffective” or “very ineffective.”
Examples of the types of internships that participants took part in give some idea of the range of 
activities that they undertook:
Among 17 of the 99 Dominicans answering survey questions, several worked in quality control 
departments in businesses, hospitals, and colleges. Some designed websites, while others 
worked in the packing of industrial and agricultural goods (see country reports—Appendix E—
regarding focus-group participants and internships).
Seventy-three of 90 Guatemalan alumni described their internship as a valuable experience. The 
internships involved work with: frozen fruit laboratories, shrimp farms, installation of computer 
equipment and learning about the most recent computers, beer making and coffee classification, 
the Oregon Department of Agricultural Exports, administrative assistant on a cruise ship, the 
Fresno, California, orchid and flower export center, and a milk pasteurizing and bottling plant 
(see Appendix E, Country Reports for more details about 19 focus group interviews in 
Guatemala City).
All 127 of the Honduran alumni described their internships on the questionnaires. Some of their 
descriptions were about: computer repairs, aquaculture (for example, in the Harbor Branch 
Oceanographic Institute and in Hydrometria, Inc. in Florida), quality control in the Portland 
Bottling Company or the Bush Beer Company, and in several hospitals and farms (the comments 
by 36 Honduran focus-group participants appear in the country report in Appendix E).
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER TWO P. 15
According to the survey, 94 percent of respondents reported that they had an internship.1
 Some 
who did not have any sort of internship experience appear to have been on shorter programs. 
The lack, however, was telling. Based on open-ended interviews, a few cases where longer-term 
students did not have (or did not arrange for themselves) internships appeared to correlate with 
training results that were less positive.
It is important to reiterate that the success of the internship program frequently rested with the 
motivation and resourcefulness of the participant. Many of the reported experiences that were 
most useful to the participants were those that resulted from their own research, contacts, and 
initiatives. In cases in which the participants were able to be very specific about what they 
needed, either they or their program managers at the universities were able to develop positive 
experiences. Least productive were those internships in which the participants had only a vague 
sense of what they wanted to accomplish and looked to the university programmers to provide 
them the internship experience. 
The reports of negative cases are, however, few. When the 316 alumni were asked whether they 
were in contact with people at the workplace were they did the internship, 224 (70.9%) answered 
"yes." For the great majority, the internships were experiences that gave the participants a view 
of the workings of U.S. firms or NGOs. This is reflected in the high degree of enthusiasm 
expressed by many participants about the ways that their internship gave them self-confidence, 
continuing contacts, and even career benefits back home.
Conclusions
This study has shown that CASS has won high ratings across the board from its participants. 
Long-term participants generally give it the highest ratings, especially for the academic 
components of the program. 
When survey respondents considered the utility of the training in areas beyond the specific 
technical content, they also gave high ratings. Long-term participants were likely to give 
considerably higher ratings to these qualities—working in a team context, preparations for a job 
change, opportunities to network—than short-term participants.
Finally, alumni generally saw the internships as a key element of their program, one which added 
a great deal to the overall experience. For many, the internship had a great impact on their 
subsequent career goals and even on the jobs they took on returning.
 
1
 This figure may well be low, since open-ended interviews indicated that some who replied “no” to the question of 
whether they had held internships were, in fact, thinking of formal four-to-eight week on-the-job training 
experiences, and may not have classified their own practical application experience as an “internship.” 
P. 16 CHAPTER TWO CASS Evaluation
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER THREE P. 17
CHAPTER THREE 
Findings about Training and Participants’ Careers and Institutions
CASS Employment Patterns
Alumni are actively engaged in careers and advancing both in their original fields and in new 
endeavors. In the CASS alumni survey, 78 percent of men and about 68 percent of women said 
that they were working when they entered the program (Table 3.1). At the time of the survey 
(December 2001 to January 2002), 90 percent of all CASS participants were working in some 
activity. This included 91 percent of the men (127 of 139 surveyed), and 89 percent of the 
women (157 of 176 surveyed). One of the 316 alumni did not respond to the question (Table 
3.2).
Table 3.1 Working before Training by Country
DR Guatemala Honduras Total
Count % Count % Count % Count %
Yes 48 50 66 73 112 90 226 72
No 49 50 24 27 13 10 86 28
Total 97 100 90 100 125 100 312 100
N=312 of 316 respondents (97 of 99 DR, 100% of Guatemalans, 125 of 127 
Hondurans
Table 3.2. Working After Training by Country
DR Guatemala Honduras Total
Count % Count % Count % Count %
Yes 89 91 72 80 123 97 284 90
No 9 9 18 20 4 3 31 10
Total 98 100 90 100 127 100 315 100
N=315 of 316 respondents (98 of 99 DR, 100% of Guatemalans and 
Hondurans)
Of those not working, 21 respondents are actively seeking work. This group accounts for 7 
percent of the total respondents. Five alumni (2% of the total respondents) have apparently 
withdrawn from the workforce for a variety of reasons, including raising children and studying. 
Indeed, 74 of the survey respondents (41 men and 33 women) report that they currently have 
more than one job or other income-earning activity (30 of which are in Guatemala, 26 in 
Honduras, and 18 in the Dominican Republic). These figures show that participants are actively 
engaged in the their countries' labor markets, and are, for the most part, in the prime of their 
working life.
Participants are dispersed throughout the full range of sectors of the economy. Table 3.3 
provides a picture of the employment situations of the survey respondents. 
P. 18 CHAPTER THREE CASS Evaluation
Table 3.3. Detailed Sectors of Employment by Gender
Sector Female Male Total
Self-employed Count 4 11 15
% within 
Gender 9.0 2.6 5.4
Private sector employer Count 7 3 10
% within 4.5 2.5 3.6
Private sector employee Count 89 58 147
% within 57.8 47.5 53
Cooperative or non-profit organization Count 9 8 17
% within 5.8 6.6 6.2
Public sector Count 42 37 79
% within 30.3 27.3 28.6
Both public and private Count 3 4 7
% within 1.9 3.3 2.5
Other Count 0 1 1
% within 0 0.8 0.4
 Total Count 154 122 276
% within 100 100 100
Table 3.4 groups all employed participants into three broad sectors, where almost 29 percent 
work in the public sector and nearly 57 percent in the private sector; about six percent work for 
non-profit organizations. 
Table 3.4: Current Sector of Employment
Sector Frequency Percent Cum Percent
Private 157 56.9 56.9
Non-Profit 17 6.2 63
Public 79 28.6 91.7
Both Public/Private 23 8.3 100
Total 276 100.0 100
n=276
Non-profit organizations include those who work for non-governmental organizations as well as 
those few who said they worked for cooperatives, autonomous agencies, and universities.
Table 3.5 presents data revealing some of the differences between the three countries. According 
to the data, more Hondurans work in non-profits or cooperatives and in organizations that are a 
mixture of public and private funding than in the other two countries. 
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER THREE P. 19
Table 3.5. Employment Sector by Country 
DR Guatemala Honduras Total
Private 56 43 58 157
20.3% 15.6% 21% 56.9%
Non-Profit 3 4 10 17
1.1% 1.4% 3.6% 6.2%
Public 29 15 35 79
10.5% 5.4% 12.7% 28.6%
Public/Private/Other 1 6 16 23
0.4% 2.2% 5.8% 8.3%
Total 89 68 119 276
Percent 100% 100% 100% 100%
Participants work in organizations of all sizes. About 10 percent of private sector participants 
work in organizations under 25 employees (Table 3.6). Neither the respondents’ gender nor 
country are statistically significant factors in the variability among the 205 alumni responses.
Table 3.6 Size of Employing Organizations
Employees Private Public Non-Profit Public/Private Total 
1-24 20 26 4 13 63
9.8% 12.7% 2.0% 6.3% 30.7%
25-49 12 11 5 1 29
5.9% 5.4% 2.4% 0.5% 14.1%
50-99 12 5 3 1 21
5.9% 2.4% 1.5% 0.5% 10.2%
100-499 31 8 1 0 40
15.1% 3.9% 0.5% 0 19.5%
500+ 39 11 0 2 52
19.0% 5.4% 0 1.0% 25.4%
Total 114 61 13 17 205
Percent 55.6% 29.8% 6.3% 8.3% 100%
CASS participants are rising up the career ladders. About 49 percent of the alumni interviewed 
had received promotions (131 of 269 responses and 47 non-responses). Interestingly, there is 
little difference in promotions based on fields of study, nor does the employment sector matter. 
Unfortunately, we have no comparative data for the workforce at large to place these figures in 
context. Of those promoted, about 96 percent felt that these promotions were due to their U.S. 
training (131 of 137 responses and 179 non-responses), and this did not vary, according to sex, 
training length, or sector of employment.
In terms of job responsibilities, 94 percent of participants also reported that they had greater 
responsibilities in their work than they did before their programs (263 of 280 responses). Of 
these respondents about 96 percent (253 of 265 responses) attributed their greater responsibilities 
to their scholarship. 
More than 85 percent of participants report that their income has increased since returning from 
their CASS training. The respondent’s gender does not condition this increase. While it is 
normal to see income increase as workers mature and in a context of inflation, about 95 percent 
P. 20 CHAPTER THREE CASS Evaluation
(229 of 241 responses) of those who have increased income believe that it is due to their CASS 
training.
What stands out in Table 3.7 is that more than 75 percent of the 271 alumni answering this 
questions work in the field in which they studied (45 non-responses), the great majority being 
employed in either the public or the private sector. 
Table 3.7. Do You Work in the Same Field of Study In Which You Received 
Training?
Private Public Non-Profit Public/Private Total 
Yes 119 67 15 18 219
77.3% 84.8% 88.2% 85.7% 80.8%
No 35 12 2 3 52
22.7% 15.2% 11.8% 14.3% 19.2%
Total 154 79 17 21 271
100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Reasons for changing careers offered by the 20 percent not working in their field of study ran the 
gamut. Some reported seizing on new opportunities, while others were forced out of positions 
due to business restructuring, downturns, and even jealousy on the part of supervisors. Five 
alumni have withdrawn from the workforce for various reasons such as raising their children and 
studying. The evaluation team heard of—but cannot quantify—several cases of individuals who 
found themselves unemployed or underemployed when they returned. However, even these 
cases did not necessarily have negative outcomes, as was the case with several focus-group 
participants who described their career changes in the Honduran and Guatemalan labor market as 
owing to their being more of a risk taker after the 24-month scholarship. 
Career changes as part of job mobility have increased in all industrial economies; thus, 20 
percent does not seem to be a high figure. Most likely, it represents the alumni's efforts to 
improve their life chances and apply what they learned in countries with unpredictable labor 
markets.
Both the United Nations (PUND) labor economists and an international business specialist, who 
has advised CASS in the past, discussed general educational issues that suggest something about 
what these 20 percent might be thinking about their work lives. The interviewees described one 
issue as follows: an education policy that instills the values of a culture of not immigrating to the 
U.S. The CASS becarios illustrate to their friends, relatives, and social networks this attitude of 
"...not giving up on [their country]...," a change for the better that their own lives highlight. 
Alumni understand this message although the interviewees thought that it should be positively 
reinforced at times and made known to the general public based on a campaign of social 
marketing. 
The second issue concerns education, stressing that all CASS awardees—as with all young 
Hondurans—have to consider themselves potential business people and their own bosses, able to 
generate jobs, risk capital, and establish small businesses. According to the interviewees, this 
message deserves constant repeating to the potential CASS awardees, ex-becarios, and the entire 
n=271
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER THREE P. 21
nation's youth and young adults (see publications by Consejo Nacional de Pequena Empresa and 
those of the United Nations, PNUD 2000, page 63, "modernizando la microempresa y 
reduciendo el subempleo"). Several of the interviewees emphasized that future CASS becarios 
and recent ex-becarios need to be "polivalentes," trained for many different types of technical 
work. They also characterized the labor market with three terms that all CASS participants could 
benefit from learning: vulnerability, immobility, and precariousness. They explained this mantra 
as follows: 
· each sector of the economy that a young worker enters is vulnerable due to a lack of a 
solid base resulting from the increasing productivity of its workers, finances that are free 
of taxes, debts or other encumbrances, and flexible enough to adjust to market changes, a 
solid base from which to withstand crises and shocks in the international, national, and 
sectoral economies;
· workers are immobile; they have little or no opportunities to learn new job skills in types 
of work other than their own, which might have extremely low levels of productivity; and
· conditions of work in a sector are precarious in that no one knows how long the job 
might last; the workplace may be unsafe; and the chances for promotion are limited.
Much of what these interviews revealed seems to be the beginnings of a Creole, 
Guatemalan and Honduran version of Daniel H. Pink's writings (2001) in Free Agent Nation: 
How America's New Independent Workers Are Transforming the Way We Live. The 20 percent 
changing careers might be this type of free agent.
In spite of job changes, 81 percent of respondents with jobs said that they continued to work in 
the same field of study in which they were trained. Whether participants have changed careers, 
fields of study, and jobs or not, a large majority of the 278 who responded report that their 
current job is more satisfying than the job they held prior to training, and not one reported that it 
was “worse” (54 alumni who did not have a job were excluded from the calculation).
Using Training on the Job
Participants offered many concrete examples of how they used their training on the job: 
Among the 99 alumni from the Dominican Republic filling out the survey form, 23 answered a 
question relating to how they use their education in the workplace. Some of these answers 
included: the introduction of new methods to teach mathematics, starting the first program in 
environmental conservation techniques, the creation of standards, systems, and manuals about 
quality control, and strengthening community leadership.
Forty of the 90 Guatemalans responding to the question offered examples of how they are 
applying their training at work. One respondent described a statistical experiment to measure and 
control sugar in the company's products. Another mentioned decision making, speaking English, 
and being punctual. An assistant hotel manager in Antigua helped change the staff's attitude from 
P. 22 CHAPTER THREE CASS Evaluation
traditional, "cold" service to one of value-added service to assure customer satisfaction. A 
specialist in aquaculture started the firm's first systematic quality control for handling seafood.
Among the Hondurans, 108 of the 127 respondents took the time to write or speak about 
examples of how their education has changed their workplaces. Some of these examples were: 
strengthening local leadership skills and self-esteem; conducting the first environmental 
assessment of the impact of poultry farms in southern Honduras; convincing construction 
supervisors to apply techniques to measure the resistance of welding, roofing, and plumbing 
materials; designing a manual about processing fruit by the head of the quality control 
department; changing the water-quality treatment system emptying into holding tanks; teaching 
rural residents environmental conversation techniques; organizing three work groups so that the 
company satisfies occupational and health safety rules; establishing a shrimp farm's analytical 
program of risks and critical control points (HACCP); streamlining quality control procedures at 
several firms; reducing significantly bacterial growth by better temperature control in food 
packing; designing first plans to protect eco-tourist sites; inventing uses for company trash; and 
transforming laboratory process in paper and ink production in order to meet ISO-9002 
standards.
Assessment of Applicability of Training
About 80 percent of the alumni report that they use their training regularly.
The preceding stories show alumni's success in training and in broader, more individual roles. 
Moreover, they are enthusiastic about their training. The above discussion about career paths 
suggests that many are working in areas that fulfill their career goals. As we shall see in Chapter 
Four, there are high levels of appreciation for the opportunity and the life experience that the 
scholarship provided. However, about 20 percent of the respondents could not say that they 
applied their training on the job either “a lot” or “a great deal,” the two highest points on a 5-
point scale (Table 3.8). 
Table 3.8. Use of Training
Degree of Application Frequency Percent Cum Pct
Not at all 2 0.7 0.7
A little 19 6.7 7.4
Some 36 12.6 20
A lot 114 40 60
A great deal 114 40 100.0
n=285 of 316 alumni 
Factors Involved in Examining Applicability of Training
CIED and the country coordinators face the “transfer of training” challenge in the design of 
training and exchange programs. This involves factors that are within the “manageable interest” 
of the program and factors that are not. Within the program’s control are content and 
pedagogical issues, which can help to ensure that the education received is as relevant as possible 
to the work activities to which participants expect to return. More difficult issues to control are 
factors relating to broader institutional issues and workplace environment, such as the jealousy of 
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER THREE P. 23
supervisors or the failure to introduce technologies that had been programmed. The program can 
and does influence these, especially in the short-term training programs, by working closely with 
colleges and universities. Beyond the control of the program, factors which may affect a 
participant’s judgment of training applicability are macroeconomic factors such as high 
underemployment of Central American and Caribbean regions or, conversely, rapidly growing 
sectors which take people into new or unexpected positions.
It should be noted, as we attempt to assess these results, that 12 percent of respondents, in 
addition to the 80 percent choosing the top ratings, also reported that they use the training 
“some.” However, the enthusiasm expressed for the training appears to be attenuated when 
participant’s address how the training is be used. 
An analysis of applicability by gender, sector of work, and home country shows no statistically 
significant differences in the subgroups. While many participants gave reasons why they had 
difficulty in applying their training, we have restricted the analysis to filter out those who still 
stated that they were able to use the training “a lot” or “a great deal.” Table 3.9 shows 57 
respondents who chose responses from “nothing” to “some,” as what they identified to be the 
principle obstacles to applying the training. Respondents could select all that applied from the 
list of eight obstacles. We have calculated the percentages of the total survey population that 
these numbers represent.
Table 3.9. Obstacles to Applying Training
Type of Obstacle Total Total %
Count N=316
Present work does not require skills learned in 
program
31 9.8
No Work in area of training 17 5.4
The training was not applicable to the reality of 
my country
14 4.4
I do not have the necessary equipment or 
resources
11 3.5
I do not have authority to put my training into 
practice at work
7 2.2
There was no work in my area of training 4 1.3
I do not have the support of my superiors or 
supervisors
0 0
n=57
The obstacle mentioned by the largest percentage of the 57 respondents was that their present job 
does not require the skills they learned. Alumni have moved on into new positions and 
endeavors, and, while 81 percent stated that they continue to work in the same field, the specific 
tasks required as they progress in their careers may either go beyond what they learned or take 
them in new directions. As they move into new positions, they assume roles that require them to 
take on different responsibilities and which may draw less on the specific subjects they studied 
while in the U.S. This does not necessarily point to a problem in the training per se, since it may 
simply reflect career advancement.
P. 24 CHAPTER THREE CASS Evaluation
The second and third reasons, which about 10 percent of the respondents mentioned, were the 
lack of work in their field of study (seven Dominicans, six Guatemalans, four Hondurans) and 
the training not being applicable to the reality of their country (3 Dominicans, 10 Guatemalans, 1 
Honduran). Such obstacles seem to highlight their own lack of authority or of support from their 
superiors to implement their training. This points to the broader institutional challenges that face 
any individual who returns from a training program with plans to try to initiate change in what 
may be an unreceptive environment. This problem often occurs when individuals receive 
training without a true “buy-in” by the institution or even the immediate supervisors. 
The applicability of training is of fundamental importance. It may be, however, that how 
training is applied must be defined broadly, especially for the long-term participants. 
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER FOUR P. 25
CHAPTER FOUR
Personal Effects of the Training 
This chapter examines other aspects of how the CASS Program impacted the lives of alumni. 
Presented here are survey and interview results with respect to questions about the impact of the 
CASS Program on leadership qualities, pursuing further study, success in transferring academic 
credits, the extent to which alumni shared their new knowledge with others, the acceptance of 
CASS certification by employers and CASS alumni’s record with respect to career advancement. 
This chapter also summarizes findings with respect to alumni participation in community affairs, 
in volunteer services, and in alumni activities. 
Life Changes 
Participation in CASS was a life-changing event.
Virtually all survey respondents (99 percent) reported that the CASS experience had significantly 
changed their lives. Thirteen percent reporting having been changed “somewhat” and 86 percent 
having been changed “a great deal” (see Table 4.1).
Table 4.1. Perceived Life Change Due to Program Participation
Count % 
No change 2 0.6
Changed somewhat 41 13.1
Changed a great deal 271 86.3
 Total 314 100.0
In response to an open-ended survey question about types of changes that had occurred in their 
lives, respondents provided an interesting array of examples. 
Among the 99 Dominican Republic survey respondents, 13 offered examples of changes in their 
lives: creation of a more positive attitude, more concern with family well being and the 
community, greater work capacity, more self confidence and maturity, and establishment of a 
microenterprise.
Of the 90 Guatemalan respondents, 67 described examples of changes: five to eight examples 
about development at community and national levels and a strong desire to improve the country, 
to realize that a person can achieve a lot – “even work at NASA without being a genius, only an 
engineer," more self confidence, more realistic and a better decision maker, establish an 
international consultancy firm, become a doctor given that "I no longer depend as much on God," 
work harder helping family and the community, have set goals in order to be responsible, honest 
and disciplined, better medical attention to patients, set up a business due to being a "risk taker," 
and environmental and community protection in the Petén. 
Of the 127 Honduran respondents, 12 of the 96 who described changes did so by discussing the 
environment or construction. Their comments are relevant to the discussion in the final chapter 
P. 26 CHAPTER FOUR CASS Evaluation
concerning "New Fields of Study, and Access and Quality of Services in Rural Areas." For 
example, a woman from one of the country's nine ethnic/social groups works with a deaf 
institution (Iglesia de Sordos de Nueva Vida). Three respondents either said they were better 
construction supervisors or wanted to teach building techniques to their construction crews. Five 
respondents mentioned environmental issues; for example, one wanting to design a coastal 
management plan for the Golfo de Fonseca, which controls toxic waste runoff from nine 
municipalities polluting the gulf. Another respondent was a medical assistant before the training 
and now is even more determined to continue a specialization in health services.
The evaluation team’s focus groups in Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and Honduras (see 
Appendix E, Country Reports) offer additional examples of program impact on returned 
participants
Personal Characteristics
Almost all returned participants report that the CASS experience enhanced their self-confidence, 
communication skills and other characteristics that are important to leadership and to success in 
social settings. 
A large majority of participants believed that the training experience supported the development 
of traits needed for leadership in communities and success in the contemporary workplace. 
Table 4.2 provides an overview of respondents' replies.
Table 4.2. The Impact of the Program on Selected Personal Characteristics
Characteristic
“Useful” or “Very 
Useful” No effect
“Very Detrimental” or 
“Detrimental”
n % n % n %
Self-reliance 303 96.5 8 2.5 3 1.0
Ability to communicate with 
others 303 96.5 8 2.5 3 1.3
Ability to get along with 
others 303 96.2 8 2.5 4 1.3
Ability to tolerate change 304 97.1 8 2.6 1 0.3
Willingness to take risks 303 96.2 8 2.6 1 0.3
Ability to speak in public 297 94.6 15 4.8 2 0.6
Willingness to try new things 305 97.2 8 2.5 1 0.3
n=313-316
The table shows that 95 to 97 percent of alumni rated CASS as either “useful” or “very useful” in 
building these skills. There was no statistically significant difference in results by sex, current 
sector of employment, or country. 
Post-Training Education
Almost 58 percent of alumni have pursued further formal education. 
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER FOUR P. 27
Table 4.3 shows the number of survey respondents who have continued their education 
(indicated by a positive response). The percentage of men continuing their studies was slightly 
higher than of women. 
Table 4.3. Responses about Enrolling in Courses Since Returning, by Gender
Men Women Total
Count % Count % Count %
Yes 78 58.6 100 56.8 178 57.6
No 55 41.4 76 43.2 131 42.4
Total 133 100 176 100 309 100
n=309 respondents (133 of 139 men, 176 of 177 Women)
Table 4.4 shows, for 175 valid responses, the kind of programs the participants are undertaking 
following their return home from the U.S. Sixty (60) percent of the programs are at the 
undergraduate level and 35 percent are technical or vocational courses.
Table 4.4. Additional Education After CASS
Frequency
Valid 
Percent
Cumulative 
Percent
Technical/Vocational 61 34.9 34.9
Undergraduate 105 60 94.9
Graduate 8 4.6 99.4
Doctorate 1 0.6 100.0
Total 175 100.0
n=175 respondents
Transferring Credits to Home Countries and Academic Reciprocity Agreements 
Despite success in establishing agreements with a number of Latin American universities under 
which they agree to give credit to course work completed in U.S. community colleges, a 
significant number of CASS alumni experience difficulty obtaining academic credit for their 
CASS programs. 
As many CASS students wish to continue their studies upon returning home, it is important that 
local universities recognize the work they completed in the U.S. Otherwise, these students will 
be required to repeat classes already taken. As the granting of such credit has been anything but 
automatic, CIED has encouraged the development of agreements with universities in CASS 
countries so that returning participants can receive credit for their CASS studies. In the three 
countries that the evaluation team surveyed, agreements exist with the following universities: 
· Guatemala (2): Raúl Landívar and San Carlos Universities; 
· Honduras (5): Instítuto Nacional de Formación Professional (INFOP), Instítuto 
Superior Tecnológico, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras, Universidad. 
Tecnológico de CentroAmerica, and the Universidad Católica; and 
· Dominican Republic (5): Instítuto Tecnológico de Sto. Domingo, Pontificia 
Universidad Madre y Naestra, Universidad InterAmericana, Universidad Tecnológico 
de Santiago, and Universidad UNAPEC. 
P. 28 CHAPTER FOUR CASS Evaluation
These are the only credit reciprocity agreements ever to exist between Central American 
universities and U.S. community colleges. 
Many of these universities have regional campuses throughout the country. Some have distance 
education available to rural areas, significant for those CASS alumni who live in those zones. 
Most of the public universities are free, and some of the private universities offer discounts to 
CASS alumni. 
Despite the existence of these agreements, CASS students appear to experience significant 
difficulty in obtaining credit from local universities. Among survey respondents who had 
completed two-year CASS programs, slightly over half had difficulties using their CASS credits 
in local universities (see Table 4.5). 
Table 4.5. Men and Women's Responses about 
Difficulties in Transferring Credits
Men Women Total
Count % Count % Count %
Yes 31 46.3 45 54.2 76 50.7
No 36 53.7 38 45.8 74 49.3
Total 67 100 83 100 150 100
N=150 (67 of 139 men, 83 of 177 Women)
Table 4.6 shows that there was some variation in responses between the three countries. Forty￾six (46) percent of Dominican respondents reported having had problems, 48 percent of 
Hondurans and almost 59 percent of Guatemalans.
Table 4.6. Difficulties in Transferring Credits by Country
DR Guatemala Honduras Total
Count % Count % Count % Count %
Yes 23 46 27 58.7 26 48.1 76 50.7
No 27 54 19 41.3 28 51.9 74 49.3
Total 50 100 46 100 54 100 150 100
n=150 (50 of 99 DR, 46 of 90 Guatemalans, 54 of 127 Hondurans)
In addition to these survey responses, the evaluation team received feedback on this issue during 
the focus group sessions it held with returned participants in the three countries visited. The 
following paragraphs summarize the comments from those participants. 
· Dominican Republic. Despite reports that some Dominican universities have agreed to honor 
U.S. academic credits, the lack of acceptability of U.S. community college credits in 
Dominican universities remains a serious problem for returning CASS students. Many of the 
focus group participants said they had difficulty, some receiving no credit whatsoever for 
their U.S. studies. To receive any credit at all for those studies is typically a long and often 
expensive process. One participant suggested that Dominican universities view this as an 
opportunity to generate income. Another mentioned that his two semesters of accounting in 
the U.S. had covered the material of six courses at local colleges, but that he would be lucky 
to get credit for two. Private Dominican universities are the most willing to consider giving 
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER FOUR P. 29
credit for U.S. study; none of the participants indicated that they had received any significant 
credit for their U.S studies from a public sector Dominican university. Instead, those that had 
continued their studies had found it necessary to start over at the beginning in order to pursue 
a university degree. The Dominican labor market, it was often remarked, recognizes the 
value of the North American educational experience far more than do Dominican 
universities.
· Guatemala. Many of the 19 participants in the in-depth group interviews experienced large 
difficulties in transferring credits to Guatemalan universities. Some mentioned it being so 
difficult that it was simply easier to avoid trying to do so at local institutions. One of the 19 
responded, "It cost me a little to have my course credits accepted. I advanced my studies one 
year here in Guatemala based on these credits. It would be better to have a four-year degree 
because that's what the work context demands." A second respondent supported this answer 
by saying: "The technical education did not help much. What helps the most is knowing 
English and having studied in the U.S. A two-year technical degree leaves out of the labor 
market because this demands that one have a four-year degree." As in Honduras, some 
Guatemalan alumni believe that CASS should provide scholarships for complete 
undergraduate degrees.
· Honduras. Most of the 36 participants in three in-depth group interviews agreed that private 
colleges in Honduras more easily accepted their credits than public universities such as the 
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras. Apparently, the public ones require not only a 
notarized copy of the degree but also a detailed and notarized description of course content, 
something most U.S. schools seldom provide. According to one participant, officers of the 
alumni association are trying to solve this problem.
Some returned participants expressed frustration about not having received a scholarship for four 
years. One ex-participant agreed with this opinion, but acknowledged that it sounded "selfish" to 
ask for a doubling of the scholarship length, surely reducing the number of awards for others. 
These frustrations seen to exist partly due to the difficulty of transferring U.S. credits to 
Honduras, to competing with others with four-year degrees, and from a lack of prestige or 
legitimacy for two-year technical degrees. 
Multiplier Effect
U.S. Experiences and Knowledge Shared with Others
About 28 percent of the alumni reported sharing their knowledge with others. 
Participants were surveyed about the sharing of the experiences and knowledge acquired during 
their U.S. training with others in their home countries. Sharing, in this instance, refers to 
teaching, relating the experience, or discussing what they learned. Ninety of the 316 respondents 
indicated that they had shared their experience with others. Survey data show that men and 
women and both short-term and long-term participants had shared their training in both formal 
and informal settings, and participants from three distinct sectors of employment (public, private, 
and non-profit).
P. 30 CHAPTER FOUR CASS Evaluation
Women shared their knowledge and experiences somewhat more than men. Women comprised 
56 percent of the survey but 60 percent of those who reported sharing what they had learned. The 
numbers of those sharing by sector of employment reflected the distribution of CASS graduates 
in those sectors, although the private sector seems to afford somewhat greater opportunities for 
sharing than does the public sector. Sixty-three (63) percent of those who shared their knowledge 
are employed in the private sector whereas only 57 percent of CASS graduates are employed in 
that sector, and only 22 percent of those who shared their experiences currently work in the 
public sector although that sector has absorbed a little over 28 percent of the graduates surveyed. 
Participants recounted numerous examples of how they had shared their training:
· Guatemala. Examples included two teaching English, math, and computer skills; 
giving lectures to families and colleagues at work; running a cultural institute; 
planning and conducting fundraising for community development projects; helping 
the sick; and motivating young people to become involved in local programs.
· Dominican Republic. Examples included teaching English and computer skills; 
training educators, farmers, and eco-tourist guides; sharing the experiences with the 
community; helping to prepare community leaders; and training colleagues in 
mathematics and statistics.
· Honduras. Examples included "...having a multiplier effect among my classmates and 
in school districts about learning techniques" ("haciendo el efecto multiplicador de 
técnicas de aprendizaje a compañeros de escuela y distritos escolares"); teaching 
English and computer skills, working with ecological projects, improving workers' 
building skills and offering training in telecommunications. The evaluation teams in 
Honduras and Guatemala heard at least a dozen trainees use this expression about 
multiplier effect.
Participation in Community Activities
Virtually all returned CASS students (315 of 316 respondents) participate in volunteer 
community activities. 
Seventy-four (74) percent of the respondents said that they contributed either more or the same 
to community service as they did before their training program. The effect of CASS in this 
regard is more pronounced among men: 77 percent of the males said they contribute the same or 
more to their community since training compared with 71 percent of the females (see Table 4.7). 
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER FOUR P. 31
Table 4.7. Changes in Men and Women's Volunteer Activities 
Since CASS
Female Percent Male Percent Total Percent
Fewer 47 29 30 23 77 26
Same Number 27 17 35 27 62 21
More 88 54 66 50 154 53
Total 162 100 131 100 293 100
n=293 (131 of 139 men, 162 of 177 women)
Similarly, the effect was greater among those graduates who are working in the public sector: 84 
percent of public sector employees said that they contributed either more or the same to 
community service as they did before their training while that rate for non-profit employees is 82 
percent and 69 percent for private sector employees (see Table 4.8).
Table 4.8. Changes in Volunteer Activities by Place of Employment
Private Non-Profit Public Private/Public Total
Fewer 55 (39%) 3 (19%) 10 (13%) 2 (9%) 70 (27%)
Same Number 25 (17%) 0 16 (22%) 7 (32%) 48 (19%)
More 63 (44%) 13 (81%) 50 (66%) 13 (59%) 139 (54%)
Total 143 (100%) 21 (100%) 76 (100%) 22 (100%) 257 (100%)
n=257
The current volunteer activities of the CASS participants take many forms. Participants were 
asked to list three categories in order of importance to them. The most important are (in the 
order mentioned) education (literacy programs, adult education, tutoring, mentoring), 
humanitarian and charity, and religious activities. Table 4.9 shows the percentage of respondents 
who volunteer in a number of key categories. 
Table 4.9. CASS Participants and Volunteer Participation
Forms of Volunteer Participation Percent
Attendance at community meetings 29.1
Helping to plan activities, events or projects 23.4
Training others 38.3
Participating as an officer, leader, director, or coordinator of events, activities 47.5
Assuming formal leadership/administrative role (officer, project manager, etc.) 49.7
Participating as a group representative in activities outside the community 58.9
N=316
Leadership in the Community and Workplace
When asked if their CASS training program helped them to become more efficient as community 
leaders or leaders in the work place, the respondents answered affirmatively, with 95 percent of 
the men and 94 percent of the women saying "yes" (see Table 4.10).
P. 32 CHAPTER FOUR CASS Evaluation
Table 4.10. Men and Women's Responses About Becoming a Better Leader 
Men Women Total
Count % Count % Count %
Yes 129 95 155 94 284 94
No 3 2 4 2.5 7 2
Don't 
know
4 3 6 3.5 10 4
Total 136 100 165 100 301 100
n=301 (136 men and 165 women)
These very positive responses were consistent across countries, gender and sector of 
employment. 
Community and Civic Participation: Strengthening Democracy
Several questions on the survey form probed the alumni's thinking about issues related to the 
democratization of their countries. Table 4.11 shows that returned participants tend to be very 
supportive of democratic principles and institutions. Ninety-seven (97) percent “agree” or 
“strongly agree” that citizens should have equal rights and protection under the law. Ninety to 
93 percent expressed supporting views on other key questions about democratic institutions. 
Table 4.11. Men and Women's Measures of Democratic Process 
Statements
Strongly or 
Somewhat 
Disagree Neutral Agree
Strongly
Agree Total
Men Women Men Women Men Women Men Women Men Women
Citizens Should Have 
Equal Rights and 
Protection Under Law
0 3
1.7%
4
2.9%
3
1.7%
36
26.1%
46
26.1
98
71%
124
70.5
138
100%
176
100%
Important to Vote in
Elections
2
0.6%
8
5.8%
10
5.7%
44
31.9%
53
30.1%
83
60.1%
111
63.1%
138
100%
176
100%
Legislature Should 
Write and Pass 
Laws and Government 
should Execute Them
3
2.1%
2
1.2%
11
8.0%
16
9.1%
46
33.3%
77
44%
78
56.5%
80
45.7%
138
100%
175
100%
Independent Media 
Matters in Democracy, 
Publicizing Good and 
Bad Actions of 
Individuals, Firms, 
Governments
1
0.7%
3
1.7%
7
5.1%
15
8.5%
43
31.2%
58
33%
87
63%
100
56.8%
138
100%
176
100%
Free, Fair Elections 
with All Political parties 
with Equal Media 
Access and Resources 
Crucial for Democracy
1
0.7%
4
1.6%
12
8.7%
8
4.5%
52
37.7%
75
42.6%
73
52.9%
89
50.6%
138
100%
176
100%
n=315
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER FOUR P. 33
The evaluation team also discussed democratization with the participants of focus groups. The 
results of those discussions are summarized in the following paragraphs.
· Dominican Republic. Focus-group participants returned with a heightened appreciation of 
democratic values and the importance of participation in the community. Nevertheless, most 
graduates feel powerless to influence the national efforts to strengthen democracy. Alumni 
are focused on their jobs, families, and, to a much lesser extent on, small-scale community 
activities; none claimed to participate actively in the larger political process. In response to 
questions about leadership training, alumni generally considered it an important and effective 
part of the program. This training has helped them both on the job and in community 
activities. No criticisms of this component of the program were expressed.
· Guatemala. With respect to leadership training, several of the 19 focus-group participants 
described it as "positive and enriching." One respondent expressed other participant's 
thinking on saying that "It was positive, giving us the chance to use the freedom one posses. 
These activities are directed at making us into leaders, someone who serves and motivates 
others." Another participant stated "It has a multiplier effect, like a seed that bears many 
fruits in others due to our example." Three of the 19 did not participate in any sort of 
leadership training in the U.S. Another only received one lecture about leadership one month 
before returning to Guatemala. Many of the women spoke about leadership in terms of 
stronger self-esteem and willingness to speak up to defend a "woman's" point of view.
Several of the 19 participants agreed with one participant's comment: "I am now more aware 
about the diversity of cultures and opinions, and this is an excellent way to understand more 
about the overall diversity among peoples and know how to deal with confrontations which 
might arise due to such differences. I think this attitude can help us democratize our country." 
Another said, "I learned about the concept “public well-being” (concepto del bien común) 
and to seek the development of others." Another participant responded, "Because of the 
CASS experience I am more tolerant and have learned to respect others' opinions, and this 
multiplies due to our example; others try to imitate our behavior of being tolerant." Two 
others said that this comment was identical to their way of thinking. Another participant 
linked leadership training to democratization of Guatemala: "People with whom I interact 
feel friendly with me and expect a lot from me. Both of us can help each other and, thus, 
together, we can help make our country a greater one. I can now count on my background 
including a positive mental attitude." Several respondents mentioned being more socially 
aware now than before. One respondent said, "The problem is that we used to believe that 
people don't change but I now know that change starts with every one of us. It all of us begin 
change with ourselves, in our homes and families, then we will democratize this country." 
Several mentioned teaching their children and those of others about gender equality and not 
throwing trash on the ground, two ways to make the country more democratic in the long run.
· Honduras. At least participant used the leadership training to compete and win a trip to a 
regional leadership conference in Oklahoma. Another received an expense paid trip to the 
Leadership Center of the Americas. During a presidency of the international club at the 
community college, one participant organized fundraising events to send money to the 
P. 34 CHAPTER FOUR CASS Evaluation
Honduran victims of Hurricane Mitch. One alumnus spoke about leadership in terms of 
knowing better how to "market" her beliefs in the most persuasive way to convince others. 
Others simply mentioned feeling much more self-confident. A woman said that many alumni 
were from conservative families in which women were submissive and silent. She said that if 
she had never left her hometown she would have always remained silent rather than learning 
how to disagree politely with others and defend her viewpoint.
Regarding democracy, based on experiences of watching a jury trail and being an officer in 
the university student association, one participant believed that the way people debate issues 
in the U.S. is a notion about which Hondurans and its politicians need to learn more. Another 
emphasized learning about national budgetary issues, civic participation, transparency and 
accountability in political decision-making, concepts that helped him make a more informed 
choice of candidate in the country's November 2000 presidential elections. One participant 
followed up this discussion with the comment that he previously voted for a political party or
based on candidates his family had always voted for but now selected the "best qualified 
candidate." Another stated that although most Honduran politicians might be dishonest, he 
plans to become involved in local politics in two to three years because the country needs a 
new type of politician.
Alumni Activities
Ninety-two (92) percent of survey respondents indicated that they were aware of the existence of 
national or local alumni association (see Table 4.12). 
Table 4.12. Awareness about the Existence of Alumni Association By Country
DR Guatemala Honduras Total
Count % Count % Count % Count %
Yes 97 99 76 87 113 90 286 92
No 1 1 11 13 12 10 24 8
Total 98 100 87 100 127 100 310 100
n=310 (98 Dominican, 87 Guatemalans, 100% Hondurans)
About 60 percent of respondents indicated that they had participated in activities of an alumni 
association. Interestingly, participation varied by country: 64 percent in Honduras, 57 percent in 
the Dominican Republic and 55 percent in Guatemala. Although higher participation rates might 
be desirable, these rates should be considered quite high in view of the geographic dispersion of 
CASS graduates and the difficulty and cost of transportation (see Table 4.13).
Table 4.13. Participation in Alumni Activities by Country
DR Guatemala Honduras Total
Count % Count % Count % Count %
Yes 57 60 41 55 72 64 170 60
No 38 40 34 45 41 36 113 40
Total 95 100 75 100 113 100 283 100
n=283 (95 Dominicans, 75 Guatemalans, 113 Hondurans)
Some former CASS participants spoke with emotion of the ties that the association fostered. 
Others spoke about concrete opportunities in which the association membership came into play. 
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER FOUR P. 35
In open-ended interviews, several cases were mentioned when an individual had lost a job and he 
or she called on fellow participants to help locate a new one. One former program coordinator 
also saw the association as providing an important network of contacts that would assist in the 
return and readjustment of participants. Others, however, said that they had “heard” that an 
alumni association existed but had no contact with it beyond the meetings.
As with any such general-purpose organization, the issue of sustainability is intimately related to 
that of purpose and vision. For many CASS participants, they enjoyed the chance to see fellow 
participants that the association provided, but they did not feel that it filled a need in their own 
career advancement or social life. Some observers mentioned that people are simply too busy, 
that they are now in the most productive years of their lives and it is difficult to find time since 
they work long days. Others felt that they noted a change in the overall attitude of the alumni 
themselves. In the early years of the program, most were so pleased and excited about the 
prospect to study in the U.S. that they felt a very strong sense of gratitude and loyalty to the 
program. In later years, as more opportunities appeared, both for further education abroad and as 
new career possibilities developed in competition with the idea of further study, participants 
were perhaps less focused on the program itself as an object of loyalty and more focused on their 
own careers. Many said that they had other means to keep in contact with fellow alumni, 
through e-mail and visits. 
Post Training Residence Changes
When asked about changes in residence since returning from the U.S., 140 of 312 (45%) survey 
respondents indicated that they no longer live where they did before the scholarship. Obviously, 
55 percent returned to their previous residence. 
Another survey question asked respondents to identify, if they had moved, the type of region 
they had moved from and to. Responses, shown in the following table, indicate that 58 percent of 
those who had moved had gone from rural to urban areas and another 34 percent had moved 
from one urban area to another urban area (see Table 4.14).
Table 4.14. Changes in Post-CASS Residence
Count %
Urban to Rural 4 3
Rural to Urban 77 58.3
Rural to Rural 6 4.5
Urban to Urban 45 34.1
Total 132 100
n=132
Another question about residence changes asked why alumni had moved. Nine of the 99 alumni 
from the Dominican Republic answered with responses describing job searches, personal 
improvement, children's education, better telephone service, construction of a home, marriage, 
and to become economically independent from the family. Among the 127 Hondurans, 15 
answered this question with responses about business opportunities, marriage, lack of work in 
the field of study in that region, keep studying, safer place to live, due to Hurricane Mitch, and to 
develop better family relationships. Eight of the 90 Guatemalan alumni answered by mentioning 
P. 36 CHAPTER FOUR CASS Evaluation
residence changes due to: home purchase, movement to Guatemala City to study at the USAC, 
employment searches, better jobs and places to study, marriage, family moved, and to earn a 
better salary.
Employers’ Acceptance of Certificates and Career Advancement 
Relative to Non-CASS Employees
It is reasonable to assume, based on interviews and data collection in three countries, that 
employers readily accept the degrees and certificates. Interviews with 14 employers in the three 
countries revealed that the trainees advance in their careers as fast (in three cases, faster) as 
non-CASS employees. 
Contrary to focus-group participants’ comments about difficulties transferring credits, none of 
the alumni answering questions during individual and group interviews mentioned any problems 
with employers' willingness to accept the training as part of their preparation for the job. Several 
did mention the difficulty of competing in labor markets where many job applicants have four￾year degrees. Yet they would go on to say that even with this handicap their skills in English and 
internships in U.S. companies while studying in the U.S. helped to level the playing field in 
employment searches.
The four interviews in the Dominican Republic questioned employers about 18-19 trainees. All 
have average to better-than-average job mobility; at least three having achieved supervisory 
positions in less than average time at the firm. As in the other two countries, several employers 
would like to hire additional CASS graduates. In Guatemala, four interviews discussed the 
performance of 11 to 13 trainees, two of whom were deaf. Their supervisor characterized their 
work achievements with the most colorful description of any of the interviewed employers: 
"good production, they arrive here to do what everyone is supposed to do on arriving which is 
not to waste time and to get to work" ("buena producción...viene a lo que es, vienen a lo que 
vienen que es trabajar y no perder el tiempo"). One of the most telling indicators of the trainees 
performance relative to non-CASS employees was the mistaken belief by one employer that the 
evaluator was calling to offer more trainees rather assess the performance of those already hired. 
The supervisor spent most of the interview insisting that he would hire as many trainees as CASS 
could send him. Four interviews with Honduran employers of 9 to 11 trainees revealed that 
several employers promoted trainees more quickly than non-CASS employees due to their skills 
in English and a "can-do" attitude.
Job Comparisons
Tables 4.15 and 4.16 compare alumni responses about their jobs before and after training by 
gender and by country.
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER FOUR P. 37
Table 4.15. Men and Women's Responses About Comparisons of Their Present 
Job with The One Before Training 
Males Females Total
Count % Count % Count %
Better 94 78 102 70.3 196 74
Same as Before 4 3.3 7 5 11 4
Worse 5 4 3 2 8 3
N.A. 17 14.2 33 12.5 50 19
Total 120 100 145 100 265 100
n=265
N.A. for unemployed before or after training
Table 4.16. Country Comparisons of Present Job with The One Before Training 
DR Guatemala Honduras Total
Count % Count % Count % Count %
Better 48 60 47 68 101 87 196 74
Same
as
Before
4 5 3 4 4 3 11 4
Worse 2 2 5 7 1 1 8 3
N.A. 26 33 14 20 10 9 50 19
Total 80 100 69 100 116 100 265 100
n=265
N.A. for unemployed before or after training
Among 265 respondents, 74 percent answered that compared to their pre-CASS job their present 
one was better (more than 70 percent of the males and females). Employers have promoted about 
48 percent of the alumni (52 percent of the men and 46 percent of the women). A few more 
Dominican Republic alumni have received promotions (59%) than Guatemalans or Hondurans 
(43 and 44 percent, respectively). Among the 138 alumni with promotions, 96 percent attributed 
it to the training (56 percent of the women and 44 percent of the men, no statistically significant 
difference by country). Regarding increases in work responsibilities, 280 of the survey 
participants (94%) answered the question with a "yes" response (no difference between women 
and men or by country). 
About 96 percent of the respondents attributed this to their training (no statistical difference 
between men and women; 96 to 98 percent of the Dominicans and Honduras attributed it to the 
training while only 90 percent of the Guatemalans did so). When asked about changes in salaries, 
281survey participants answered the question; 86 percent having received increases (no 
statistically significant difference between women and men or between the three countries).
P. 38 CHAPTER FOUR CASS Evaluation
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER FIVE P. 39
CHAPTER FIVE
Findings and Recommendations
Findings
Findings of the evaluation are discussed in response to the key questions and issues set forth in 
the Task Order.
1. Changes in CASS since its 1985 Establishment
CASS has introduced innumerable changes to reflect the changing environment and to 
incorporate lessons learned. A few of the many constructive changes include the following.
ß CASS began operation in 17 countries and now is in 8, a change that reflects evolving 
USAID priorities and economic conditions in the LAC region. 
ß Pre-departure orientation workshops have addressed problems that students in early 
cycles reported, and re-entry workshops have been improved to more squarely meet the 
needs of returning graduates. 
ß Internships apparently did not exist for the first few years of the program. Now they are 
required and fully integrated into every CASS training program.
ß Strengthening the relation between USAID missions and CASS country offices has 
benefited the needs of both.
ß Congress has reduced its funding, and more cost sharing by in-country and U.S. 
stakeholders has covered some of this reduction. 
ß CASS has added new community colleges and fields of study while several colleges no 
longer participate.
ß CASS has awarded more scholarships than ever to students from ethnic groups, women, 
and the disabled such as the deaf, and more of these are for 3, 6, and 12 month programs 
in education and construction.
In the evaluators’ view, CIED has developed a flexible program that has strived to adapt to 
changing circumstances, that has learned from its experiences, and has reincorporated that 
learning into its ongoing programming.
2. Actions Taken Regarding the Recommendations in the 1994 Evaluation
The CASS program has incorporated changes to address almost all of the recommendations 
offered in the 1994 evaluation. These include changes in their program offerings, internal 
management and budgeting.
This evaluation identified two recommendations that were not acted upon. In each case, the 
evaluation team believes that CASS made appropriate decisions in not implementing the 
recommendation.
P. 40 CHAPTER FIVE CASS Evaluation
Candidate selection criteria. The 1994 assessment suggested less focus on students from rural 
backgrounds. CASS has continued to recruit candidates mostly from rural areas and has done so 
with no apparent sacrifice in the ability of students selected to successfully complete the program 
of study. 
Development studies courses. In 1994 evaluators recommended that CASS students receive at 
least one course dealing with international development. CASS has not followed up on this 
recommendation because it views its program as a vocational and leadership training. Some 
exposure to development principles is provided to students in courses and activities that teach 
CASS students about the U.S. economic and political systems. CASS students clearly return 
home with many ideas about reforming systems in their respective countries.
3. Relevance of Training to Workforce Needs and Keeping Tabs on Changing 
Requirements
CASS’s selection of technical areas (subjects) for training adequately reflects the needs of the 
labor markets in the countries surveyed.
The evaluators found the CASS system to be effective because the training needs survey consults 
with people who know the labor market. The system is simple and inexpensive, and the returned 
participants find employment. CASS relies on surveys of employers, USAID officials, Labor 
Ministry personnel and other informed individuals to assess changing needs. The evaluation 
team’s conclusion that this system is effective is based on interviews with labor market experts 
in two of the CASS countries about market trends and needs, a review of available labor force 
projections, and the obvious employability of CASS graduates.
4. Relevance of Fields of Study to USAID's Strategic Focus
CASS efforts to ensure that its fields of studies reflect USAID’s strategic priorities appear to be 
increasingly effective.
A concern expressed in the past by USAID program officers about the CASS program was that it 
determined future training needs with limited consultation with USAID officials and insufficient 
consideration of their strategic focus for the country. CASS focus in recent years on training for 
rural health workers, primary school teachers, and construction managers reflects the increased 
attention the program is giving to USAID priorities. It may be that CASS may still require an 
improved level of communication with the USAID audience. Having said that, it should be 
noted that some USAID Missions show more interest in CASS than others, and, CASS, being a 
regional program, sometimes the needs of the region take precedence over the needs of the 
individual missions. CASS tends to follow regional trends for training and does not necessarily 
design programs based on individual mission’s priorities.
It is primarily through the CASS training needs surveys that USAID Missions convey their views 
to CASS about training priorities. The evaluation team understands that the Missions’ responses 
to the survey are guided by their strategic objectives. In the Dominican Republic, this seems the 
only method used to communicate Mission priorities to the CASS office. However, the Mission 
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER FIVE P. 41
Director was not aware of this exercise, nor that a considerable number of her staff members had 
been involved. 
5. Selection of Fields of Study and of U.S. Colleges 
The procedures on which CIED relies to choose new fields of study, schools offering them, and 
new institutional directions have been effective at advancing the CASS mission in the last eight 
years.
About every two years, the CASS offices in the eight participating countries conduct a survey to 
determine local training needs that might be met through education at U.S. community colleges. 
The survey form used to evaluate training needs for scholarships includes about 15 questions, is 
simple and easily completed in only a few minutes. The simplicity of the survey instrument 
helps CASS to achieve a high response rate. In Honduras, the 92 responding individuals and 
organizations (an 85-90 percent response rate) represented an excellent range of private sector, 
governmental, and university institutions (from television stations to private business 
consultants). At least three people in the USAID/Honduras office and four at the U.S. embassy 
participated in the survey.
In the U.S., new community colleges approach CIED every year, and occasionally some are 
brought into the network. CIED’s policy is to be committed to institutions that have a proven 
track record in the quality of programs offered and in effective cost-sharing agreements. 
Sometimes colleges have decided not to continue with CASS, usually because they cannot offer 
the services at the rates that CIED is willing to pay. More frequently, the need is to find colleges 
that can train in a new specialized field of study. For example, in 1998 CIED searched for 
colleges in states with significant Spanish-speaking populations that could provide short-term 
(12 months or less) training and internship experiences in Spanish. CIED recently signed 
agreements with El Paso Community College and West Hills College (Coalinga, CA) for health 
and education training in Spanish. An example of the search for a new partner for two-year 
training is the 2001 agreement with Hillsborough Community College (Tampa, FL) for training 
in aquatic food production.
6. Disadvantaged and Underserved Populations
CASS efforts are reaching the appropriate low income and minority populations.
The CASS selection process has continued its efforts to target low income and minority families, 
and has an enviable record in recruiting women. CASS has also developed a strong recruitment 
of students from the most disadvantaged and isolated rural areas of each country, actively 
recruiting students from post-conflict areas as well as African and indigenous descent
The evaluation team’s focus groups also sought to explore whether participants thinking and 
behavior had changed regarding gender issues. Participants generally indicated that they had 
returned from their CASS training with a heightened awareness of gender issues, and many 
could cite evidence of their efforts to improve the situation in their countries.
P. 42 CHAPTER FIVE CASS Evaluation
7. Impact on U.S. Colleges and Surrounding Communities
CASS has had a strong positive impact on the participating colleges, their U.S. students and the 
people in the surrounding towns and cities.
Interviews with senior college officials, teaching faculty, local NGOs, business people and host 
families involved with CASS at six of the participating community colleges indicate that the 
colleges and college communities feel that they benefit from the CASS program at least as much 
as the CASS students. College presidents and deans emphasize that globalization has made it 
imperative that their colleges, often located in smaller communities in the U.S., expose American 
students to other cultures and practices. Administrators also point to the role that CASS has 
played in allowing them to develop new capabilities (e.g., in teacher training) that help their 
colleges also to better meet local needs. Instructors point to the excellent role models that highly 
motivated and hard-working CASS students provide to other students. Businesses that take in 
CASS students as interns say that CASS students are excellent workers and that their businesses 
get more than they give. Often the local populace learns about the peoples, cultural traditions 
and practices, history, and geography of students from the Caribbean and Central America by 
virtue of CASS trainees’ participation in community events. Communities also benefit from the 
extensive volunteer services that CASS students contribute.
Viewed from a purely economic viewpoint, CASS data provided to the evaluation team show 
that 75 percent of USAID resources are expended in the communities where the participating 
colleges are located. These funds flow into all levels of local economies, from the budgets of the 
community colleges to host families to local service providers.
8. Appropriateness of CASS Assistance Provided from Local U.S. Colleges and 
Home Countries
The CASS program effectively furnishes many, appropriate types of help to students in the U.S. 
and to the recently returned graduates.
Despite the orientation programs that CASS students receive prior to departing for the U.S., their 
lack of English makes their initial months in the U.S. difficult. In the site visits to community 
colleges, the evaluators saw that CASS college coordinators make every effort to ease this 
difficult transition. They arrange host families for two-year students, provide intensive English 
training, teach students about transportation, banking, shopping, and other essential skills. 
Sometimes coordinators arrange free or discounted services at local civic events and institutions. 
Host families often provide students with winter clothing and take them on sightseeing trips. 
CASS provides students with a monthly stipend to cover living expenses not provided directly by 
the college or host families. Based on the site visits, the level of these stipends is adequate, 
although many students themselves reported that it was barely so. In many instances, CASS 
arranges housing for the students. The housing provided is consistent with that typically used by 
U.S. students.
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER FIVE P. 43
CASS facilitates students’ re-entry into their respective countries through seminars and 
workshops offered in the U.S. near the termination of their studies and in their countries 
following their return. CASS graduates report that the re-entry workshops were helpful in 
preparing them to look for work and to adjust to living in their home countries. Many of the 
interviewed CASS alumni also commented favorably about having participated in post￾scholarship training, such as Project Formulation and Evaluation, Técnicas en soluciones 
empresariales (TSE, a web-based program in business education) and the Honduras 
Strengthening Democratic Institutions program. 
CASS sponsored a two-day International Conference on Quality in November 2000, primarily 
for CASS alumni of the Broome Community College at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica 
Madre y Maestra in the Dominican Republic that drew 80 participants. Deaf alumni and 
interpreters have participated in two regional conferences organized by CASS. 
Several of the Honduran focus-group participants described having received, since returning, 
short courses for computer training and improvement of skills in English.
9. Transferring Credits to Home Countries and Academic Reciprocity 
Agreements
CASS graduates continue to experience some difficulty transferring U.S. credits to colleges in 
their countries, made only somewhat easier by the reciprocity agreements.
A large percentage of alumni interviewed reported that they had found it difficult or impossible 
to obtain credit for the studies they had completed as CASS students. Those who had managed 
to receive some credit typically said that the process had been long, difficult and expensive and 
that the amount of credit was a fraction of what they had completed in the U.S.
CASS reports that it negotiated, developed, and signed 21 academic reciprocity agreements with 
local Central American and Caribbean universities. These agreements are designed to facilitate 
academic credit for community college classes taken by CASS scholars. Nevertheless, many ex￾becarios who were interviewed indicated that they received little if any credit from local 
universities for their two years of study under the program. 
10.Community and Civic Participation (Strengthen Democracy), Thoughts about 
the U.S., Employability, Contributions to Professional Fields
The evaluation team’s interviews provided many positive examples of changes in participants’ 
thinking about the U.S. and about the democratization process in their own countries. CASS has 
also yielded a major impact with respect to the likelihood of obtaining interesting jobs paying 
livable wages. Available data reveal little about the alumni contributions to fields of knowledge, 
primarily due to most of them having only recently returned. 
Data that the evaluation team collected show that participants returned home with a heightened 
appreciation of democratic values and the importance of participation in the community. Alumni 
generally considered leadership training to have been an important and effective part of the 
P. 44 CHAPTER FIVE CASS Evaluation
program. Nevertheless, most graduates feel powerless to influence the national-level efforts to 
strengthen democracy, and, among those who participated in the evaluation team’s focus groups, 
none claimed to participate actively in the larger political process. This is not surprising 
considering the class-oriented societies to which the participants return and the goal of the 
program—a grassroots initiative, serving people, especially minorities, not included in other U.S. 
government-funded programs. Like people everywhere, CASS alumni are focused on their jobs, 
families, and, to a much lesser extent on, small-scale community activities. 
The evaluation found that CASS graduates are generally having very successful careers that in 
almost all cases would not have been open to them without their CASS training. All of the 
CASS graduates that the team encountered indicated that their training had had a major positive 
impact on their employment and income. 
Evaluators have little information about the trainees’ contributions to their fields of study. One 
reason is that some of the 46 fields of study—such as repair and maintenance technology and 
laboratory training—are not activities easily evaluated in terms of breakthroughs in efficiency 
improvements, cost reductions, or increased benefits. One notable exception is Técnicas en 
Soluciones Empresariales (TSE), a CASS-sponsored web-based training program offered from 
1996-2000 in four countries. Enrollment reached about 700 participants, among them about 107-
127 CASS alumni. CASS data indicate that in 1999, innovations developed by TSE learning 
teams produced an average of $50,000 cost savings per project. The companies rewarded this 
innovation; in 1999 seventy-eight percent of the participants were promoted or their scopes of 
responsibility increased.
11.CASS Cost-Share Model, In-Kind Contributions, and Increases in 
Contributions
The cost-share model is successful, partly owing to substantial U.S. and home country, in-kind 
donations.
CASS requests that all colleges participate in at least 25 percent cost-share. Most fulfill this 
requirement (some sharing more, some slightly less, especially in light of recent state budget 
cuts) and most do so by waiving international or out-of-state tuition charges. During the last 
seven years, CASS reports that it has almost always surpassed the 25 percent cost-share 
requirement. In-kind contributions in U.S. and the eight countries include everything from 
toiletry kits to free transportation to one-year passes at the YMCA.
12.New Fields of Study and Access and Quality of Services in Rural Areas
CASS’s incorporation of several new fields of study appears to have the potential to improve the 
quality of rural education, health, and housing services.
CASS’s new specializations include construction management, disease control, and primary 
school teaching. Trainees in these fields have only recently returned; thus an assessment of their 
contribution is difficult. Nevertheless, the evaluation team’s focus group sessions did reveal 
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER FIVE P. 45
anecdotal evidence that individuals returning from these programs have incorporated new 
practices, improved their personal performance, and engaged in activities to train others. 
13.Percentage of Candidates from Rural Areas and Returning There
CASS draws the majority of its students from areas outside of the capital cities. The training 
leads many CASS students to seek employment in more urban areas than those from which they 
came. 
CASS data show that it has achieved its goal of awarding 80 percent of the scholarships to 18-25 
year olds from rural areas, and the CASS Employment and Impact Survey suggest that most 
alumni work or live in rural areas. CASS defines “urban” to include the metropolitan areas of 
the national capitals and “rural” as the rest of the countries. Using a definition that further 
separates rural and urban, the evaluation team’s survey of about 225 returnees in Honduras and 
the Dominican Republic found that about 38 percent stated that they came from mid-sized towns 
and small cities, 30 percent from small towns and rural areas, and some 32 percent from urban 
centers (this figure for urban centers, based on a sample with incomplete numbers, is not 
necessarily inconsistent with the 20 percent from capital cities reported by CASS).
When asked about changes in residence since returning from the U.S., 45 percent of the 
respondents reported that they no longer live where in the same place where they lived before 
their scholarship. Fifty-eight (58) percent of the responding alumni claim to have moved from 
rural areas to the city. Three (3) percent moved from urban to rural areas, and nearly 34 percent 
moved from one urban area to another.
14.Acceptance of Certificates and Career Advancement Relative to Non-CASS 
Employees
Employers in the CASS countries appear to value and to readily accept the CASS degrees and 
certificates. Interviews with returned participants and with a small sample of employers suggest 
that the CASS training helps trainees to advance in their career once employed.
None of the alumni answering questions during individual and group interviews mentioned any 
problems with employers’ willingness to accept the training as part of their preparation for the 
job. Several did mention the difficulty of competing in labor markets where many job applicants 
have four-year degrees. Yet they would go on to say that, even with this handicap, their skills in 
English and internships in U.S. companies while studying worked to their advantage and helped 
level the playing field in employment searches.
The evaluation team’s interviews with employers suggest that returned participants have average 
to better-than-average job mobility; a number of ex-becarios had achieved supervisory positions 
in less than average time at the firm. Some employers found CASS graduates to be exceptional 
and had hired many as a result of their positive experience. Several employers indicated that 
they would like to hire additional CASS graduates.
P. 46 CHAPTER FIVE CASS Evaluation
The evaluation team was not aware at the time of its fieldwork that CASS students at some 
participating colleges are not able to earn an associates degree. Thus, the team did not attempt to 
differentiate between the labor market’s (or local universities’) acceptance of associate degrees 
versus certificates of completion. CIED argues that CASS is a workforce development program, 
focusing on skills rather than degrees. Whenever possible, CASS tries to provide the opportunity 
to earn an associates degree, and most do. But, their goal is to provide the best training possible 
in order for alumni to become employed and become successful professionals. The team 
believes that it would be useful for CASS to review whether students who return from colleges 
that do not provide associates degrees have more difficulty than those returning with degrees.
15.Dissemination of New Knowledge and Skills
Interviews with alumni, individually and in focus groups, with their employers, and with 
specialists in the labor markets indicate that the CASS model of training is successful to very 
successful at disseminating in trainees’ home countries what has been learned during their 
academic programs. 
Many CASS graduates reported that they had participated in training courses to pass on skills 
acquired in the U.S. to others. Many teachers in Central America and in the Dominican 
Republic, for example, talked explicitly about the courses they were giving and the “multiplier 
effect” that was being produced among classmates and in school districts about learning 
techniques ("haciendo el efecto multiplicador de técnicas de aprendizaje a compañeros de 
escuela y distritos escolares"). 
16.Numbers of People Benefiting in U.S. and Home Countries from Training One 
Student
The training of CASS students affects many people, both in their home country and in the U.S. 
In the participant’s home country, these beneficiaries include the family, friends, employers and 
co-workers. If the returned participant teaches more effectively, trains others to be more 
productive or starts a new community service, the impact may reach whole communities. In the 
U.S., these include people in the college community, host families, business the student 
frequents, businesses where internships are done, voluntary agencies where participants 
volunteer and the people served by those agencies. The significance of that impact varies from 
minor to profound. There is no practical way to quantify that impact.
Data collected for this evaluation show that CASS participants are highly motivated, that they 
perform well in the U.S. community college environment. They complete their studies 
successfully and return home to good paying jobs. The program unquestionably is a life￾changing event for the participants. It has a major impact on their skills and outlook, enhances 
their employment prospects and leads to substantially increased income. They become more 
productive members of their respective countries’ economies, and they often help others to be 
more productive. However, quantifying this impact, comparing it with costs or with alternative 
investments would be extremely difficult, a task that is beyond the scope of this evaluation. 
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER FIVE P. 47
17.Cost Effectiveness of Different Models of Training and Possible Cost 
Reductions for the CASS Model
Few, if any, training programs are similar to CASS. CASS targets rural, underprivileged young 
people and requires an in-country staff in order to reach the right kind of participant. This 
uniqueness precludes calculating cost-effectiveness based on comparisons to others. 
In the absence of such comparative (and competitive) benchmarking to identify cost reductions 
in CASS implementation, Section VI discusses some recommendations about cause-related 
marketing alliances that might generate new sources of funding.
Evaluators spoke with the staff at CIED and others at the Academy for Educational 
Development, Creative Associates, Partners of the Americas, USAID officials in the home 
countries, and specialists about other training programs for recent high school graduates from 
anywhere in the world in technical fields for one or two years at U.S. community colleges. No 
one could suggest any program similar to the CASS model. What makes it unique is the focus 
on recruiting 18-25 year olds, 80 percent of whom are from rural zones, and many of whom are 
women, from ethnic or minority groups, or disabled; nearly all are from low-income families.
The evaluation team’s visits to CASS facilities at CIED, in three participating countries and at 
six community colleges suggest that there is a high level of cost-consciousness in the program. 
For example, offices and student housing are modest, the program’s overseas staff are all lower￾cost host country nationals, and the cost structure at the community colleges is modest in 
comparison with most four-year universities. At the in-country level, the CASS offices appear to 
operate modestly and in a cost-conscious way. For instance, the program has recently reduced 
the costs of the pre-departure workshops in Jamaica, Honduras, and Nicaragua by merging 
orientations I and II into one phase.
The ingredients integral to the CASS program and its successes (a high completion rate, a high 
return rate, a strong work ethic, English language skills, a positive attitude toward the U.S. and 
the people of the U.S., employable graduates, greater job responsibility and mobility, etc.) are the 
factors of careful recruitment and selection, intensive ESL, host family support, graduated use of 
English in the technical instruction, and close supervision by on-campus coordinators. These 
appear to be the necessary ingredients to train a young socio-economically disadvantaged person 
and raise them up to a level where they can participate actively and responsibly in a democratic 
society.
CIED appears to acquire and manage these services in an efficient manner. The evaluation did 
not see areas where significant additional economies could be realized in the provision of these 
services.
18.Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) System
An assessment of four of the several CASS survey forms reveals that the M&E system produces 
clear, adequate, and useful information for USAID reporting needs.
P. 48 CHAPTER FIVE CASS Evaluation
The evaluation team examined two of three types of CASS questionnaires used to measure 
students’ progress at the colleges and the ex-becarios’ employment rate and civic participation in 
their home countries; no examination was made of the survey instrument dealing with opinions 
of community college coordinators of CASS programs because the forms have been in use only 
one year. A survey form used in the home countries to determine future workforce needs and 
new fields of study satisfactorily meets CASS’s planning and reporting needs. The two forms 
that were examined about students and alumni generate unambiguous and useful information 
with which CASS can manage and continually improve its programs and fulfill USAID reporting 
requirements.
CASS routinely conducts an annual post-campus survey of campus coordinators to get their 
feedback on the program officer’s visit to the college, on his or her technical support to and 
communications with the college over the year.
The Employment and Impact Survey for two-year ex-becarios includes about 15 easily answered 
questions about employment, continuing education, community, and leadership activities. The 
tables in both reports indicate that more than 60 percent of the respondents participate in 
community activities in the localities of their parents’ home. Given that 80 per cent of the ex￾becarios were originally from rural areas, the survey data seem to reveal that most continue to 
spend much of their times in these areas.
The Students’ Evaluation Web Site has functioned for more than three years, belonging to 
USAID’s TraiNet database maintained by DevIs. It presents four questionnaires allowing the 
measurement of students’ opinions about the pre-departure orientation workshops, their 
experiences after 6 and 20-months of study, and the re-entry workshops on returning home. 
More than 90 percent of CASS participants fill out the questionnaire, partly due to the many 
reminders from the Georgetown CASS office and the home-country offices and the less than 10 
minutes needed to respond to the questions. The four questionnaires require responses to 13-16 
questions about personal development, leadership, community activities, housing, future 
employment and study plans, and a few other topics. Some to most respondents take the time to 
write answers in the general comments section. 
19.Administration, Management, and Planning
Since 1994, CIED, and the country and the college coordinators have made the appropriate 
decisions regarding the recruitment and selection of candidates, fields of study, colleges 
providing the training, pre-departure and re-entry workshops, and training for alumni. These 
seven years of effective fine tuning of an educational product have transformed many of the 
CASS graduates into what one Guatemalan governmental official described as risk takers, 
catalysts, and empowerment technician (“técnicos en potenciar”) in community relations in rural 
areas. 
The evaluation team found that the CASS program is well designed and managed. Among the 
factors that make the program successful, key design and management characteristics include:
· The motivation of the students. CASS does an excellent job of selecting students.
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER FIVE P. 49
· The role of the community colleges. U.S. community colleges are perhaps uniquely 
capable of providing appropriate training to CASS participants in a nurturing, 
supportive environment. The personal attention given to the students by CASS 
coordinators, college administrators, instructors, community and church leaders, 
businesspeople and host families are key to the very positive experience that 
participants enjoy. 
· Delegation of authority. CIED delegates considerable authority to the country 
coordinators and participating community colleges, making them responsible for 
much of the decision-making about program implementation. CIED sets policies; it 
does not “micro-manage” operations.
· Learning from experience. The program staff learns from experience and puts that 
knowledge into practice. Many problems that emerged in the early days of the 
program have been effectively addressed.
Recommendations
Some of the following recommendations grow out of the findings on the key issues discussed 
above. Other recommendations in the section below flow from the evaluation team’s 
observations and analyses. Many of these considerations and recommendations relate to 
marketing, fundraising, and public relations. Others focus on issues to be addressed by U.S. 
college coordinators, CIED staff, and host families and on ways to motivate greater contact 
between colleges, people in the surrounding communities, and the returned alumni.
In-Country Programs
CASS should explore the possibility of increasing contributions to the program through (1) 
collaboration with PVOs and NGOs such as Partners of the Americas, Ashoka, World Wildlife 
Fund, Conservation International, and others, and (2) undertaking a campaign in the participating 
countries to increase public awareness of the program. Increasing public recognition of CASS 
will increase the marketability of graduates and enhance the potential to generate private-sector 
financial support for CASS-sponsored activities. 
Explore and invest in low-cost options to increase CASS visibility in the participating countries. 
During 16 years, as the number of returning graduates increased and their competencies became 
known, CASS has become increasingly well known. Thee is now a limited “brand recognition.” 
This increased visibility is useful to graduates when they seek employment. It might eventually 
also make it somewhat easier for graduates to obtain credit from local universities for their U.S. 
studies. And finally, enhanced visibility for a U.S. Government-financed program that provides 
educational opportunity to low income and minority youths enhances the image of the U.S. and 
is supportive of U.S. foreign policy interests. 
One seemingly simple and inexpensive method to increase visibility would be for each CASS 
country office to publish and distribute a “CASS in Country Name” pamphlet. This booklet 
could be used for recruiting applicants, encouraging employers to consider hiring CASS 
graduates and generally to inform the press and public about the program. Country coordinators 
P. 50 CHAPTER FIVE CASS Evaluation
might also market CASS more vigorously through publicity packages, creating a “buzz” through 
press relations, brochures and other public relations devices.
An effort to make the CASS “brand” better known would provide and opportunity at the same 
time to expand contacts with and support from the private sector. This might result in private 
sector sponsorship of publicity kits or in-country alumni activities by the program’s satisfied 
customers.
Explore methods to broaden contacts with local organizations, such as the various Chambers of 
Commerce in each country. Appropriately, CASS has created a number of subsidiary in-country 
programs that support their primary program, such as the Project Formulation and Evaluation 
(PFE teaches how to conduct development projects in alumni’s home communities), Técnicas en 
soluciones empresariales (TSE, a web-based program in business education), and the Honduras 
Strengthening Democratic Institutions program. The evaluators feel that, in some cases, these 
activities may have the potential to be “spun off” as potential sources of ongoing support and 
funding at the country level. 
CASS should examine ways to expand its linkages and partnering with other organizations in 
each country, especially European, U.S., and Japanese organizations that may provide resources 
and funding to underwrite scholarship costs (for example, Peace Corps, Partners of the 
Americas, AED, and others). Given the environmental focus of some of the training, World 
Wildlife Fund or Conservation International may prove to be "natural," useful partners for 
follow-on activities or project funding for returned trainees. Legitimate and rated eco-tourist 
businesses may be suitable partners.
Consider creating an Internet-based directory of alumni, which would permit searches by name, 
field of study, country, year of program, etc. This could be an important resource to assist 
alumni in networking with graduates not only from their countries but also in the other seven. 
Moreover, employers could use the directory to identify potentially qualified workers in their 
region, and in-country offices would use this resource to guide trainees in the job search. CIED 
would need to consider standard privacy concerns and would probably need candidates’ 
permission to include them. It might create a simple data-entry screen in which trainees enter the 
relevant information. Such a website might become one more marketing tool in a "branding" 
campaign to publicize the customer satisfaction with the product and, in turn, conduct 
fundraising. It should be noted that CASS has employed an Internet director in El Salvador for 
the purpose of providing employment assistance.
Strengthen the alumni associations in some of the eight countries. For example, the Guatemalan 
ties and activities lacked vitality or were non-existent. CASS might profitably review what are 
the “best practices” in, say, Honduras, that may be useful as lessons for countries where these 
networks have faltered or become frayed. Branding, publicity, and cause-related marketing for 
fundraising may increase the value even more of being a CASS product so that all association 
members have even more incentive to participate in the association. The alumni associations and 
contacts between graduates in Honduras and the Dominican Republic are a valuable resource. 
Beyond the social ties that such associations foster, the evaluators see them as a source for the 
growth of trainees’ “social capital." This relates directly to the goal of fostering democracy, 
CASS Evaluation CHAPTER FIVE P. 51
given that it is widely argued that strong social capital leads to greater participatory decision￾making and a greater willingness to take part in community affairs and volunteerism. 
Strengthen the cooperation between CASS and USAID on the selection of areas of study and in 
other areas. CASS currently conducts, in each country, a “Survey of Employment Needs,” 
which includes business people, government officers, NGOs, and USAID staff. In most 
countries, USAID staff offer suggestions. The results of the survey are synthesized to guide the 
selection of fields of study. However, not all the appropriate staff was, in at least one of the 
countries, fully aware of the results of the survey and how the decisions mesh with their own 
strategic planning. CIED might consider involving CASS country coordinators in a greater 
exchange with USAID after the first phase of field selection is completed, so that they can obtain 
some feedback from the Missions. This may enhance the awareness of USAID staff about the 
program’s effectiveness at matching new fields of study to fast changing labor market and 
training needs, bridging any “information gaps” that USAID staff may perceive. The publicity 
campaign and cause-related marketing would require not only approval but also some 
collaboration from USAID, a process tightening the linkages between the Mission, its NGO and 
member network, and CASS.
Continue to explore ways to facilitate the transfer of college credits to institutions in the home 
countries. The evaluation recognizes that making the transfer of course credits to home 
countries easier is a challenge with no straightforward way to address. More reciprocity 
agreements may help, somewhat. CASS presently provides graduates with a notarized, properly 
authenticated transcript (and diploma where required) of his or her college grades. A long-term 
solution to this structural educational problem in the eight countries will probably result only 
from the branding and marketing campaign of the CASS-USAID logo and educational product, 
perhaps partly conducted along with in-country universities offering similar two-year technical 
training such as Universidad Galileo (Appendix E, Country Reports).
Investigate the possibility of providing some additional, low-cost English language training to 
candidates prior to their travel to the U.S. This could consist of cassette tapes and manuals, a 
short intensive course in country, or even a stay with an American family (such as USAID 
families that might host a student for a week). We recognize that there are certain obstacles to 
implementing this: the additional cost, logistical challenges, and the fact that it is important that 
all trainees get the same opportunities. However, we feel that a “head start” in the language by 
these motivated trainees would be very useful to them as they strive to learn English quickly.
Consider maintaining applicant files for a standard period—such as three to five years. Such 
standardization in the eight countries would (1) facilitate their tracking of repeat applicants and 
(2) provide an ongoing, comparative pool for career tracking and for evaluation, whether by 
CASS, outside evaluators or disgruntled candidates.
Relating to U.S. Implementation
Consider the creation of a more structured leadership-training component. Leadership training 
is an important aspect of CASS philosophy; what that means is appropriately variable, given the 
variety of technical fields. At times, however, the training appears to be submerged in other 
P. 52 CHAPTER FIVE CASS Evaluation
activities in ways that make unclear which leadership issues are addressed. Clearly, trainees 
arrive home with skills that contribute to leadership, such as presentation skills, speaking, etc.
The training might include lectures and readings during the pre-departure and re-entry 
workshops and at least once while in the colleges that help students to sharpen their skills in (1) 
leadership, (2) management, and (3) entrepreneurship so that all participants become business 
people in whatever field of study they work. The TSE program may provide a model. 
Review policies about the selection of host families, especially with respect to language spoken 
in the home. The evaluation team noted a wide variety of host family placements and commends 
the program for its efforts in providing this strong social and civic responsibility dimension. We 
would concur with the idea that “it takes a community to train a CASS student,” and that the host 
family alone is only part of the broad cultural experience available to CASS students. However, 
we would ask campus coordinators to bear in mind the importance of an English-speaking home 
environment for the trainees as they work to expand their host-family networks. This concern is 
not an issue in many regions where trainees study, such as in the Midwest or Northeast. In Texas 
and California, though, it appears that many Spanish-speaking students are placed in homes 
where Spanish is spoken. Admittedly, in some localities the recruitment of host families is a 
continual challenge. Trainees in English-speaking homes described how important that language 
experience is for learning English more rapidly. 
Review whether some state or college regulations may lessen program impact. CIED and 
college coordinators may need to assess the role regulations in Texas play in creating obstacles 
for primarily Spanish-speaking trainees to register for credit, due to the provision that students 
must qualify in English to enroll. While the emphasis in the Program on gaining an A.A. degree 
has lessened in recent years, it may be worth tracking whether the difficulty of accumulating 
college credits has an adverse impact on trainee educational and career paths. 
Consider investigating low-cost means to encourage greater contact between community 
colleges (professors, fellow students, host family members) and the returned alumni through 
increased contact in the home country. One of the great benefits in the U.S. is the impact that 
the program has on local communities where students serve as “friendship ambassadors.” 
During this time of heightened awareness about “public diplomacy” as a great asset for U.S. 
international relations, the evaluators heard several stories of visits by community members and 
friends to alumni at home. Such educational and eco-tourism to the eight countries clearly has a 
strong effect in building ongoing ties between the U.S., Central America, and the Caribbean, 
creating strong advocates for the CASS program, perhaps even sources of publicity and funding. 
Staff might examine how the program can encourage and facilitate those contacts, perhaps 
through initiatives on the campuses or a travel agency that may be interested in serving as a 
catalyst for these visits. Aside from encouraging the development of long-term linkages, travel
of college staff to CASS countries helps them to understand the environment from which the 
students come and to which they will return. This understanding will allow the colleges to create 
programs that will serve the needs of these students. The evaluation team saw evidence of 
colleges’ strong commitment to enhance international programs, and at least one college 
president indicated a willingness to entertain the idea of subsidizing the overseas travel of his 
staff.
APPENDIX A
Scope of Work
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Statement of Work for an Evaluation of the CASS Program 
A. Background 
The Cooperative Association of States for Scholarships (CASS) project, implemented by 
Georgetown University’s Center for Intercultural Education and Development (CIED) since 
1989, is a cooperative agreement between the Center and USAID’s Bureau for Latin 
America and the Caribbean. CASS is a follow-on project to the Central American 
Scholarship Program (CASP), also administered by Georgetown University between 1985 
and 1989. To carry out the objectives of the project, CASS receives support from USAID 
as well as from the U.S. communities and educational institutions that host the program 
and from businesses and organizations in the eight participating countries in Central 
America and the Caribbean. The current five-year agreement became effective on 6/1/98 
and terminates on 5/31/03. USAID is contributing $53 million to this activity, to which 
CASS (in concert with its counterparts) proposes to provide a cost-share match of $13.25 
million. 
The purpose of the CASS Project is to provide a broad-based cadre of leaders and 
potential leaders in LAC countries with technical skills, training, and academic education 
for positions in a variety of sectors, including education (primary school teachers and 
administrators), health (prevention, diagnosis and treatment of communicable diseases), 
environmental protection, broad-based economic growth, agriculture, and working with 
people with disabilities (particularly the deaf). These sectoral emphases are intended to 
complement the strategic objectives of USAID and help meet the human resource 
development needs of LAC countries. 
The CASS program also aims to instill in its students an appreciation for and 
understanding of the workings of a free enterprise economy in a democratic society, as 
well as a commitment to public service and civic responsibility. Direct beneficiaries of this 
program are disadvantaged populations, including the poor, women, ethnic and racial 
minorities, the disabled and other previously excluded groups in developing countries. 
This project also endeavors to identify and recruit scholarship candidates who have 
demonstrated leadership potential, but who are clearly unable to obtain their educational 
objective in their own countries or the United States without scholarship assistance. 
The last in-depth evaluation of the CASS program took place in 1994. This evaluation 
should assess the effectiveness and impact of activities funded since 1995 (even though 
the current cooperative agreement began in 1998), as well as whether and to what extent 
03/14/02
2
the CASS program addresses the findings and recommendations of the prior evaluation. 
B. Purpose of Evaluation
An external evaluation will assess whether CASS is meeting the goals and objectives laid 
out in its cooperative agreement with USAID. The evaluation will also examine the CASS 
model and its effectiveness in achieving the desired objectives. Additionally, it will highlight 
successful activities, as well as those that have been less effective, so that Georgetown 
can improve CASS based upon lessons learned. Although CASS’s structure and/or 
management should not be a main focus of the evaluation, these elements should be 
considered in so far as they may have enhanced or hindered the effectiveness of the 
overall program.
C. Scope of Work:
1. Objectives
LAC/RSD/EHR expects the contractor to conduct a thorough review of the CASS Program 
and the activities it carries out. The contractor should identify which CASS programs have 
been most effective and therefore may be worth pursuing further, and which activities have 
been less effective and may need to be revised or dropped in the future. Based on the 
evaluation’s findings, the contractor shall identify potential “windows of opportunity” if 
applicable, for new directions for USAID and/or CASS programming. 
2. Tasks
Under this task order, the contractor shall carry out the following:
a) Provide LAC/RSD/EHR with an evaluation that analyzes to what extent the CASS 
program has met the terms and conditions of its Cooperative Agreement over the last 
six years (1995-2001), since the last evaluation was carried out in 1994. 
b) Assess the effectiveness and quality of the CASS program since 1995.
c) Provide clear recommendations regarding which activities have been most effective 
and therefore may be worth pursuing further, and which have been less effective and 
may need to be revised or dropped in the future. Where relevant, the contractor shall 
make technical recommendations as to adjustments that may be made to improve 
current programs that are less-than-effective or could be made stronger with fine-tuning 
or changes. 
d) Identify potential “windows of opportunity”, based on the evaluation’s findings, for new 
03/14/02
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programmatic directions that LAC/RSD/EHR and/or CASS might take to strengthen 
support for training in the LAC region.
3. Areas for Analysis: 
a) The contractor shall be responsible for designing a methodology for conducting an 
evaluation of the CASS program. The recommended evaluation methodology will be 
proposed and submitted to USAID and CASS/Georgetown University in the form of a 
draft Work Plan to be approved in writing by both parties (see Deliverables Section).
b) The contractor shall evaluate the full range of CASS activities.
Following is a list of items of particular interest to USAID for inclusion in the evaluation. 
This list is not meant to be exhaustive -- many other questions and issues could be 
raised. Other items of interest may be added later as the evaluation methodology is 
designed, but the following list states those questions that LAC/RSD/EHR deems 
critical for review in this evaluation: 
KEY QUESTIONS:
1. How has CASS changed since its inception?
2. Were recommendations from the 1994 evaluation addressed and if so, how? If not, 
why?
3. What are the workforce needs of the countries where CASS works? (Note that this 
analysis should be based on already available labor information from other donors and 
institutions.) How relevant is CASS’s training to meet those labor needs? Moreover, 
is CASS keeping pace of changing needs?
4. How relevant are the current fields of study to USAID’s strategic focus? How does 
CASS work with USAID Missions to ensure its activities complement Mission and 
regional needs/priorities?
5. How does Georgetown select fields of study and institutions to support them? How 
does it identify new institutional directions (e.g. carry out outreach to new schools)?
6. What is the impact of the program on "underserved" populations? These might include 
the poor, ethnic minorities (people of African and Indigenous descent), women, people 
with disabilities, rural populations, etc. Is Georgetown successful at reaching out to the 
disadvantaged populations to whom this project is aimed?
7. What has been the impact of CASS on U.S. colleges? Is there evidence that there is 
also a broader impact upon U.S. communities? 
03/14/02
4
8. What types of assistance do both the local colleges and CASS provide to students 
once they are in the US? When they return home? Is this appropriate?
9. How successful have alumni been in transferring credits gained at US colleges to 
educational institutions in their home countries? What role have the academic 
reciprocity agreements secured by CASS played in the credit transfer process? 
10.Using available tools, determine how has this scholarship experience changed 
students’ views of the USA, how has it impacted their desire to promote greater 
democracy (through community and civic participation), how has it increased their 
employability or contributions they’ve made to a professional field, etc.
11.How successful is the CASS cost-share model (both in the US and in participating 
countries)? What has been the in-kind contribution of organizations in the US and 
overseas to this program? Are there ways these contributions could be expanded?
12.What impact have the new fields (e.g. health, education, and construction) had on rural 
communities? Is there any evidence that the new fields have resulted in increased 
access to or improved quality of services in rural areas? 
13.What percentage of candidates is recruited from rural areas? What percentage returns
to and remains in the rural areas after training?
14.How well accepted is the Associates Degree and technical training certificates in the 
countries where CASS works? How are employees with such degrees and certificates 
paid and promoted compared to those with other types of training?
15.How successful is the CASS model at assuring that new knowledge and skills are 
applied and disseminated in the participating countries? This might entail an 
examination of U.S. training programs, employment assistance efforts, and follow-on 
programs once trainees return.
16.Is there any way to assess how many people (in the home country, place of 
employment, U.S. colleges and community) are impacted by training one person? 
17.How cost effective is the CASS model compared to others that are used in the training 
field? Are there less expensive ways to implement the CASS program?
18.MONITORING AND EVALUATION SYSTEM – Is the current monitoring and evaluation 
(M&E) plan for the CASS cooperative agreement adequate and producing clear and 
useful information about the program’s impact? How could the system provide 
information more relevant for USAID annual reporting requirements? (Note the 
03/14/02
5
contractor shall examine the indicators chosen to measure the program’s impact and 
make recommendations as to how to improve the overall M&E system for measuring 
results and meeting USAID internal requirements.)
19.ADMINISTRATION, MANAGEMENT, AND PLANNING – these should be assessed as 
they enhance or hinder the effectiveness and impact of the CASS program; as well as 
how they have changed since the 1994 evaluation.
20.SAMPLE OF PROGRAMS TO BE EVALUATED - The contractor shall review and 
propose a manageable sample of program activities which might include the following 
CASS-proposed list:
Visit to Community Colleges: 
- Alamo Community College District (HBCU/HSI): Alamo Community College 
District in San Antonio, Texas is comprised of four colleges including one 
Historically Black College (HBCU) and three Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). 
 ACCD is also the only college in the CASS network that trains two-year, one￾year, and short-term participants. Therefore, all three training models of the 
CASS Program can be examined.
- Broome Community College: Broome Community College located in 
Binghamton, New York has over 10 years experience training CASS students. 
They have specialized in the field of Quality Control (of high demand in CASS 
countries) and have been successful in building alliances with alumni, companies, 
and universities in CASS countries.
- Harris-Stowe State College (HBCU): Harris-Stowe State College is a 
Historically Black College in St. Louis, Missouri. Harris-Stowe has specialized in 
training CASS teachers in six-month and one-year programs.
- Modesto/Reedley (HSI): Modesto Junior College and Reedley College both 
located in central California have both been in the CASS network for over 10 
years. Reedley has been successful at developing training programs focus on 
agriculture. Modesto has trained in a number of high tech, agriculture, and 
education fields for both one- and two-year students.
Visit to Countries: 
- Dominican Republic: CASS/GU recommends the Dominican Republic for 
three reasons. First, it is a Caribbean country and therefore is representative of 
three Caribbean countries in the CASS network (Dominican Republic, Haiti, and 
Jamaica). Secondly, it was visited during the 1994 CASS evaluation and 
therefore could be used for a longitudinal analysis. Finally, there is a greater 
demand for high tech fields in the DR than in other countries allowing the DR to 
be a point of comparison. 
- Guatemala: Guatemala is recommended because it has a very large 
indigenous population from which many CASS scholars have been recruited. 
03/14/02
6
Agriculture is a large part of the economic system therefore it is representative of 
the other countries in Central America.
- Honduras: CASS recommends Honduras because like the Dominican 
Republic, it was visited during the 1994 CASS evaluation. CASS has also 
trained a number of people from indigenous and African descent groups. Finally, 
CASS has provided additional training in the area of construction management 
for Honduras to assist in Hurricane Mitch reconstruction.
21.RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CHANGE: The contractor shall propose 
recommendations for what may be done to make the program stronger, in terms of both 
programming and management. Recommendations shall take into account both 
successful strategies and activities, as well as those that have been less effective. Any 
windows of opportunity for new or expanded activities based on the evaluation findings 
should also be discussed as part of the “Key Findings and Recommendations” section. 
 
D. Relationships and Responsibilities:
Susan Morawetz, in LAC/RSD/EHR, is the manager of the CASS project and is the 
designated Project Liaison Officer (PLO) for this evaluation activity. Chantal Santelices is 
the contact for CASS.
The contractor shall brief and/or consult with the PLO on an as-needed basis during the 
implementation of the evaluation. The management of the program shall be housed in 
USAID’s Global Evaluation and Monitoring (GEM) Project / Indefinite Quantity Contract 
(IQC), which is managed by Aguirre International. GEM is set up to monitor and evaluate a 
broad range of USAID-funded human capacity development activities around the world. 
Aguirre International also carried out the 1994 evaluation of CASS so is familiar with the 
program and how it has changed over the years. 
E. Deliverables:
1. Work Plan: Approximately one month prior to commencing an evaluation of CASS the 
contractor shall submit to the USAID Project Liaison Officer (PLO) and the CASS 
contact a draft workplan describing the proposed methodology for conducting the 
CASS evaluation. This workplan should identify the countries and programs that the 
evaluation team will visit, as well as the consultants/staff who will carry out the analysis. 
Within seven (7) days of receipt of the workplan, the USAID/LAC education team and 
the CASS directors will meet with the contractor and provide written comments and/or 
suggestions on the methodology document. The contractor will respond to and/or 
incorporate comments and provide the PLO with a final Work Plan within the next seven 
(7) days. The PLO will provide the contractor with written approval to proceed once the 
LAC/RSD/EHR team and the CASS/GU team have agreed to the final Work Plan. 
03/14/02
7
2. Report submissions 
The draft evaluation report should be submitted to USAID by the end of week ___ of the 
contract, which will share it with CASS for its review and comments. A debriefing will 
be held with USAID and Georgetown within __ days of the end of the contract. USAID 
and Georgetown will respond within 14 working days of receipt of the document. The 
final report will be presented (electronically and in hard copy) to both within four weeks 
of receipt of final comments. 
The evaluation report should include the following sections:
a) Executive summary
b) Key Findings and Recommendations 
c) Review of Issues to be Addressed
d) Conclusion
e) Summary of Evaluation Methodology
f) List of individuals contacted
F. Instructions to Contractors
It is anticipated that this evaluation will take a minimum of four weeks and include the 
following:
- A minimum of two (2) Spanish-speaking, external consultants 
- Travel to a minimum of two (2) countries and three (3) CASS colleges
- No more than two (2) weeks of preparatory work in Washington. 
G. Budget: 
Per the GEM Task Order, this activity should not exceed $100,000 including burdened 
labor and other direct costs. 
03/14/02
8
ATTACHMENT A. 
The contractors should consider some or all of the following in carrying out the evaluation: 
· Interviews
· USAID/LAC/RSD
· USAID/G/HCD
· USAID/Missions
· Georgetown/CIED
· Community Colleges in U.S
· Current students
· In-country CASS offices and support networks
· Host-country liasons, alumni
· CASS Documents to review￾In order to familiarize themselves with CASS’ s mission, objectives, 
programmatic evolution, and scope of work, evaluators should review the 
following documents:
Document related to overview of CASS:
Documents related to accomplishments and previous evaluations of 
CASS:
Documents related to current activities
APPENDIX B
Discussion of Evaluation Methodology
Discussion of Evaluation Methodologies
Introduction
Evaluation of the CASS program in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Honduras 
was based on multiple sources of information: interviews with CASS staff, USAID 
officials, training providers, employers and colleagues, and a survey of participants from 
the three countries. In-depth interviews were conducted with in-country CASS 
Coordinators and others involved in the program. Eight focus groups were conducted 
with about 90 alumni. Using a questionnaire dealing with 15 issues, evaluators 
interviewed 14 employers of CASS alumni, four in Santo Domingo, four in Honduras 
(two each in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula), and six in Guatemala City. An assessment 
of future workforce needs resulted from interviews with specialists in 14 different 
institutions (six in Tegucigalpa and eight in Guatemala City) and readings from 
publications such as the United Nations Program for Development Annual Reports about 
Human Development in Honduras and Guatemala, The Economist Country Reports, 
Reintinerpreting the Banana Republic: Region and State in Hounduras, 1870-1972, and 
La Articulación de las diferencias, o, el Síndrome de Maximón: los discursos literarios y 
políticos del debate interétnico en Guatemala. 
Of the 838 Dominican Republic, Guatemalan, and Honduran CASS alumni completing 
their studies between 1994 and 2001, 316 filled out a form with 89 questions. Their 
answers are the bases for tabulations and rankings about respondents' thinking about the 
U.S. training, and its impact on their careers, lives, and civic activities in their home 
countries.
A. In-Country Strategy
Ideally, an evaluation should be able to compare those who have received a “treatment,” 
(in this case, the U.S. based experience of a CASS scholarship) with an equivalent group 
who has not had this experience. However, this was not possible in the present 
circumstances. Information about candidates who completed the first or second of three 
selections processes but were finally not awarded a scholarship—one potential 
comparison group—was not available. Nor were interviews possible with "terminated" 
students (awarded scholarships but later withdrawn, usually for behavioral reasons). For 
example, the Guatemalan office decided not to store applications from previous recruiting 
cycles, although some of the candidates apply several years in a row. USAID officials 
provided names of several candidates recruited but not awarded scholarships so that the 
Aguirre evaluators might interview them about the transparency and objectivity of the 
recruitment and selection. As with many of the Guatemalan CASS alumni, none of the 
telephone numbers for the non-awardees were valid, allowing evaluators to interview 
none of them. While an equivalent comparison group could have been identified from 
the population at large, the costs involved in organizing this group would be prohibitive. 
This is especially true if we consider that securing participation in a relatively lengthy 
probing interview for non-alumni would require a substantial financial incentive. 
Therefore, the in-country component of this evaluation relied on a survey of returned 
participants. The evaluation team interviewed returnees and some supervisors, to 
establish the case for the role of the program in contributing to the actions and 
accomplishments that have taken place since the trainees’ return.
Since Aguirre International conducted a CASS review in 1994 that included interviews of 
participants from the earlier years of the program, this evaluation focused on participants 
who returned from their U.S. training during the years 1994-2001. Therefore, the in￾country survey focused on the universe of 838 returned trainees during those years: 274 
in the Dominican Republic, 295 in Guatemala, and 269 in Honduras. 
Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies were used to collect data for the 
evaluation. A survey instrument with 89 questions was developed (Appendix C). The 
survey located 316 participants in the three countries. Although the survey took place 
during the end-of-the year holidays, the traditional vacation period in Central America 
and the Caribbean for many CASS alumni and their school-age children with vacations of 
two months, we were successful in interviewing 99 returned participants from the 
Dominican Republic, 90 from Guatemala, and 127 Honduran returned participants.
The questionnaire covered such issues as the participants’ assessment of the program, 
information on employment patterns and career advancement, continued educational 
efforts, current activities in the workplace and community, continued contact with U.S. 
colleagues, the degree to which the returnees have shared their training with others, and 
statements of concrete activities and outcomes realized at home that derive from their 
scholarship program. Focus groups and open-ended interviews with approximately 90 
other individuals provided qualitative data about the trainees’ activities and impact in 
their home institutions. 
Dominican Republic. The evaluation included three in-depth group interviews, two 
in Santo Domingo with about 10 participants in each one and one in San Francisco de 
Macoris with 9 to 10 participants. Each focus-group interview lasted about 90 
minutes, was taped and transcribed, and covered 15 to 20 different issues ranging 
from internships and host families to changes in thinking about gender equality, the 
environment, and persons with disabilities. A survey of CASS alumni took place with 
99 of the 274 post-1994 graduates, receiving the survey form with 89 questions 
during visits to their homes or workplaces by one member of the team of four 
evaluators. Four employers of CASS alumni in Santo Domingo answered 15 
questions about employee performance. Interviews also took place with USAID 
mission officers knowledgeable about CASS and its recruitment and selection of 
candidates, and why their fields of study complement the mission's strategic focus.
Guatemala. Nineteen ex-becarios (returned CASS graduates), all living in 
Guatemala City, participated in two different focus groups, eight in the first and 11 in 
the second one (7 of 19 were men; all 19 studied in the U.S. since 1994). Evaluators 
scheduled three other focus groups, one in Antigua where only two women arrived 
out of a group of seven to eight local exbecarios (no reasons offered about the failure 
to attend), and two in Quetzaltenango for which the exbecarios called to cancel 
(again, no reasons offered about failure to attend). A survey of CASS alumni took 
place with all the post-1994 graduates who evaluators could contact. CIED provided 
evaluators with a list of 295 alumni. Of these, the Guatemala City CASS office had 
addresses and telephone numbers of 238. Evaluators selected 150 of these 238 names. 
They reduced the list to 127 due to the deaths of some ex-becarios and the travels 
abroad of others. Inaccurate addresses and phone numbers, travel, work, the 
December holidays, and other reasons generated large difficulties in locating the 
alumni. Finally, every alumnus on the original list Guatemala City list was called. 
Evaluators interviewed 90 of the 238 (295 on CIED’s list), most of whom agreed only 
to a phone interview with one member of the team of five evaluators.
Six Guatemalan City employers of CASS graduates responded to questions about 
employee performance. Interviews with eight specialists in the country's labor force 
needs provided the bases to suggest what fields of study will continue to assure CASS 
graduates of a high degree of employability in careers resolving many of the country's 
problems. The evaluation also included interviews with USAID mission officers 
about CASS, fields of study, workforce needs, and the mission's strategic focus.
Honduras. Thirty six ex-becarios participated in three different focus groups, two 
with participants in Tegucigalpa and one in San Pedro Sula (one woman, six men, 
five with pre-1994 scholarships). The first group from the capital included 16 ex￾becarios (7 women, 2 participants with scholarships before 1994, one woman 
awarded scholarships twice). Thirteen ex-becarios participated in the second one 
(eight women, six with pre-1994 scholarships, one man awarded scholarships twice). 
Only 2 or 3 of the 36 ex-becarios lived and studied in the U.S. for less than two years, 
both being construction supervisors (one female). 
The evaluators interviewed about half of the CASS graduates who studied in the U.S. 
between 1994 and 2001. CIED listed the names of 269 students who completed 
successfully their scholarships and returned to Honduras. Of these, the Tegucigalpa 
office provided information on about 243 (190 for two years in about a dozen 
different fields of study, 8 to study health for one year, 10 for education for one year, 
and 35 for six months or less of training as construction supervisors). Evaluators 
reduced the list of of 243 by about 30 ex-becarios (returned grantees) because they 
had married and left the country, studied or worked outside of Honduras and no 
longer had accurate addresses or telephone numbers, or had died (4). Of the 213, 
evaluators obtained addresses and telephone numbers of 208 alumni.
Evaluators selected 150 names from the list of about 208 ex-becarios for interviews. 
Of these, 127 ex-becarios participated in the interviews conducted from early 
December until January 8, 2002; the others being unavailable due to work, December 
holiday travels, and difficult to contact resulting from out-of-date addresses and 
phone numbers. Although the selection of interviewees was not random, participants 
seemed to include every part of Honduras that ex-becarios come from (for example, 
the Bay Islands in the Caribbean and one of four alumni living in the department of 
Gracias a Dios) and an equal number of men, women, and members of the country's 
ethnic groups, and all the fields of study for CASS has awarded scholarships since 
1994, including several for 3-6 and 12 months. The largest group of alumni was from 
Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, urban areas where many CASS alumni live due to 
the employment opportunities. 
Evaluators relied on telephone and mail interviews only in a few cases, traveling 
during December 2001 and January 2002 to the workplaces and homes of more than 
90 percent of the ex-becarios for their participation in an interview lasting about one 
hour. To locate alumni in the departments of Colón and Gracias a Dios required 
innovative procedures--radio advertisements, telephone calls, messages sent by fax, 
email, and people traveling to these departments who were friends of the alumni. For 
example, an official from the Misquitos Association (MOPAWI) traveled to Gracias a 
Dios, offering to contact the four alumni and deliver the questionnaires to them. As of 
early January, only one of the four in that department had returned the survey form. 
In the department of Colón, a friend of one of the Aguirre evaluators was a radio 
announcer and made public-service announcements, asking CASS alumni in the 
department to meet with the evaluators. Eight construction supervisors and teachers 
filled out questionnaires and mailed them to the Aguirre evaluator in Tegucigalpa 
who then called respondents to clarify some of the answers.
Interviews took place with four employers of CASS alumni (two in Tegucigalpa and 
two in San Pedro Sula) and with six Tegucigalpa specialists in future workforce 
needs.
B. Strategy for U.S. Site Visits
From November 2001 until February 2002, site visits were conducted in Binghamton, 
New York; Reedley and Modesto (central California); San Antonio, Texas; and St. Louis, 
Missouri, at six community colleges that currently provide CASS training. Interviews 
were scheduled, when possible, with program administrators, professors, academic 
advisors, and any other key stakeholders who took part in the program, such as 
Employment Development Coordinators and Internship Coordinators. The purpose of 
these interviews was to provide an overall assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of 
the U.S. component of the program (see protocol including 35 questions in Appendix D). 
CASS staff was also interviewed regarding their participation and interaction with the 
Program.
APPENDIX C
Alumni Questionnaire
Ver. 22/11/01
– 1 –
Programa CASS—Participante Regresado
Programa de Becas “CASS”
(Cooperative Association of States for Scholarships)
La Universidad de Georgetown y
La Agencia para el Desarrollo Internacional de los Estados Unidos
Cuestionario de Entrevista de Ex-Becario
La compañía Aguirre International, bajo contrato con la Agencia para el Desarrollo Internacional 
(USAID), Oficina del Caribe y Latinoamérica (LAC), está recolectando información con respecto a 
su apreciación al programa de estudios CASS, implementado por la Universidad Georgetown. 
Esta información ayudará a mejorar los programas de capacitación a nivel mundial de USAID, y 
especialmente a la oficina de LAC para que ésta sepa de la efectividad del programa CASS: cómo 
ha funcionado, y cómo puede ser mejorado. 
Agradecemos su grata colaboración en este esfuerzo y el tiempo que está dedicando a esta 
entrevista. Sus respuestas serán usadas sólo en componentes estadísticos, mantenidas en forma 
completamente confidencial y anónimas. Su nombre jamás será divulgado sin su autorización 
individual. Por favor, contesten las preguntas en la mejor manera que le sea posible. Gracias.
Por Favor, Escribe Claramente, Usando Letra de Molde
Primer y Segundo Nombres: Apellido Paterno
Apellido Materno Apellido de Matrimonio/Casada
Fecha de Hoy: _______________/_____________/___________ No. de ID ______________
Día Mes Año
Dirección Actual de Correo
Calle
Ciudad / Provincia o Depto
Número de Teléfono Actual:
Dirección E-Mail:
SU PROGRAMA EN LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS
1. Sexo ® Masculino (01) ® Femenino (02)
Ver. 22/11/01
– 2 –
Programa CASS—Participante Regresado
2. ¿A qué grupo étnico o social pertenece Ud.? (Por ejemplo, natural, Cakchikel, Ladino, hispano, 
criollo, blanco, afro, etc.) 
( )
3. Cuando Ud. entró en el Programa CASS, su residencia estaba ubicada en un(a)
® Centro urbano (01) ® Pueblo secundario ® Zona rural (03)
4. Campo de estudio / capacitación en los EE.UU.
( )
5. ¿Cuándo empezó su programa académica CASS? ___/___ (Mes /Año)
6. ¿Cuándo terminó su programa académica CASS? ___/___ (Mes /Año)
7. ¿En cuál universidad o “college” de comunidad estudió Ud. en los EE.UU.?
( )
8. Cuando salió de [país] para viajar a los EE.UU., ¿se sintió preparado para las clases académicas 
que dio en los EE.UU.?
® Sí (01) ® No (02)
9. Si contestó No, ¿qué más le hubiera gustado saber? 
10. ¿Participó en algún curso o programa de capacitación en el idioma ingles en su universidad o 
“community college”?
® Sí (01) ® No (02)
11. Si contestó Sí, ¿durante cuánto tiempo? Meses _______
12. ¿Vivió Ud. con una familia norteamericana durante su programa académica? 
® Sí (01) ® No (02)
Ver. 22/11/01
– 3 –
Programa CASS—Participante Regresado
13. En su opinión, ¿cuáles ventajas o desventajas resultan de vivir con una familia “anfitrión?”
14. Refleje en su experiencia con la beca en los EE.UU., y imagine una regla que va, en un extremo, de 
“muy insatisfecho” a “muy satisfecho.” ¿Cómo calificaría los siguientes componentes de su 
programa CASS?
COMPONENTES
Muy 
insatisfech
o
(01)
Insatisfecho
(02)
Ni satisfecho 
ni 
insatisfecho
(03)
Satisfecho
(04)
Muy 
Satisfecho
(05)
a) Contenido del curso ® ® ® ® ®
b) Capacidad de los instructores ® ® ® ® ®
c) Ritmo de la instrucción ® ® ® ® ®
d) Las facilidades de la institución 
(laboratorios, bibliotecas, etc.) ® ® ® ® ®
e) Vivienda ® ® ® ® ®
f) Los servicios de salud, clínica, 
etc. ® ® ® ® ®
g) Los servicios y programas para 
los estudiantes internacionales ® ® ® ® ®
h) Las actividades generales de la 
comunidad universitaria ® ® ® ® ®
15. En su opinión, ¿a qué nivel calificaría Ud. los cursos académicos del Programa? Fueron: 
Bajo mis capacidades
(Muy sencillos)
®
(01)
Más o menos aptos para mis 
capacidades
®
(02)
Más allá de mis capacidades 
(Muy difíciles)
®
(03)
16. Considerándolo todo, ¿cómo evaluaría su Programa CASS? ¿Hasta qué punto está Ud. 
satisfecho(a) con su programa de entrenamiento en los Estados Unidos? 
Muy insatisfecho
®
(01)
Insatisfecho
®
(02)
Ni satisfecho ni 
insatisfecho
®
(03)
Satisfecho
®
(04)
Muy Satisfecho
®
(05)
17. ¿Ha mantenido Ud. contacto con la institución académica en los EE.UU. donde llevó a cabo su 
programa de estudios, o con individuos en los EE.UU. que conoció en esa institución? 
® Sí (01) ® No (02) 
Ver. 22/11/01
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Programa CASS—Participante Regresado
18. ¿Participó Ud. en un experiencia práctica de trabajo (una “pasantía”) durante su Programa CASS?
® Sí (01) ® No (02) (Salte a 22)
19. Si tuvo una pasantía como parte de su Programa CASS, ¿qué hizo Ud.?
20. ¿Cómo calificaría el grado de efectividad de la pasantía que tuvo Ud. en relación a apoyar sus 
estudios?
Sin ningún valor o 
efectividad
®
(01)
Faltó algo de 
efectividad
®
(02)
Neutro
®
(03)
Efectivo
®
(04)
Muy efectivo
®
(05)
21. ¿Ha mantenido Ud. contacto con la institución en los EE.UU. donde llevó a cabo su pasantía, o con 
individuos en los EE.UU. que conoció durante su pasantía en esa institución? 
® Sí (01) ® No (02) 
22. Si hubiera podido diseñar o mejorar su propia pasantía, ¿qué hubiera hecho para mejorarlo o 
dotarlo con un mayor grado de efectividad?
EFECTOS PERSONALES DE LA CAPACITACION
23. ¿Hasta qué punto ha cambiado su vida como resultado de su participación en el Programa CASS?
® No ha cambiado nada. (01)
® Ha cambiado algo. (02)
® Ha cambiado mucho o muchísimo. (03)
Ver. 22/11/01
– 5 –
Programa CASS—Participante Regresado
24. ¿Cambiaron sus expectativas o aspiraciones o planes para el futuro como resultado de su 
experiencia educacional en los EE.UU.?
® Sí (01) ® No (02)
25. Explique, por favor, cómo o en qué manera cambiaron sus aspiraciones o planes para el futuro.
26. Califique o evalúe, por favor, cómo la oportunidad de estudiar en los EE.UU. le afectó en las áreas 
siguientes, utilizando una escala de “muy dañino” a “muy útil.” 
CARACTERÍSTICAS
Muy dañino
(01)
Dañino
(02)
Ningún efecto
(03)
Útil
(04)
Muy útil
(05)
a) Confianza en sí ® ® ® ® ®
b)
Capacidad de 
comunicarse con los 
demás ® ® ® ® ®
c) Capacidad de llevarse 
bien con los demás ® ® ® ® ®
d) Aptitud para tolerar el 
cambio ® ® ® ® ®
e) Inclinación a aceptar y 
tomar riesgos ® ® ® ® ®
f) Capacidad de hablar 
delante el público ® ® ® ® ®
g) Inclinación a probar cosas 
nuevas ® ® ® ® ®
Ver. 22/11/01
– 6 –
Programa CASS—Participante Regresado
27. ¿Cómo calificaría la utilidad de su programa CASS con respecto a las áreas siguientes?
AREAS
Nada útil
(01)
Algo (Un 
poco) útil
(02)
Útil
(03)
Muy útil
(04)
a) Mejoramiento de mis capacidades 
profesionales o ocupacionales ® ® ® ®
b) Para aprender nuevas destrezas y técnicas 
para mi trabajo ® ® ® ®
c) Para aprender a trabajar dentro de un EQUIPO ® ® ® ®
d) Preparación para una carrera ® ® ® ®
e)
Oportunidades a crear enlaces, a conocer a 
estadounidenses en mi área de 
especialización ® ® ® ®
f) Oportunidades de conocer a otros colegas de 
mi país en mi área de especialización ® ® ® ®
g)
Oportunidades de conocer a otros colegas en 
mi campo que vienen de otros países en la 
región ® ® ® ®
h) Mejoramiento de mis capacidades de 
liderazgo ® ® ® ®
i) Ser voluntario dentro de mi comunidad ® ® ® ®
28. ¿Qué tal es su vida? Abajo se ve una escala que representa un especie de escalera con los varios 
momentos de la vida interpuestos. Piense en la escalera como una escala que representa como 
andan las cosas en su vida en forma general. El punto inferior de la escalera es “uno” (1) y indica 
que “mi vida va muy mal.” El punto superior de la escalera es “diez” (10) y indica que “mi vida 
está muy bien.” Indique cuál número de 1 a 10 que mejor indica cómo Ud. sentía con respecto a 
su posición en la vida en aquel momento.
Antes de ir a los 
EE.UU.
(01)
Mientras estudiaba 
en los EE.UU.
(02)
Cuando regresé a 
mi país 
(03)
Hoy en día
(04)
De aquí a cinco años
(05)
10 10 10 10 10
9 9 9 9 9
8 8 8 8 8
7 7 7 7 7
6 6 6 6 6
5 5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1 1
Ver. 22/11/01
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Programa CASS—Participante Regresado
29. Indique, por favor, su grado de acuerdo con los puntos siguientes relacionados a los procesos 
democráticos y la economía de mercado.
30.
COMENTARIOS Discrepo 
fuertemente 
(01)
Discrepo, no 
estoy de 
acuerdo
(02)
Neutro
(03)
De acuerdo
(04)
Muy de 
acuerdo
(05)
a)
Todo ciudadano, quien sea, debe 
tener los mismos derechos y 
protecciones bajo las leyes. ® ® ® ® ®
b)
Las elecciones libres y 
transparentes, en que todos los 
partidos políticos tienen acceso a los 
medios de comunicación, son 
fundamentales para un sistema 
democrático de gobierno. ® ® ® ® ®
c)
Es muy importante siempre votar en 
las elecciones (presidenciales, 
municipales, parlamentarios, etc.) ® ® ® ® ®
d)
La legislatura (parlamento) debe 
encargarse de promulgar las leyes, y 
el gobierno debe ejecutarlas. ® ® ® ® ®
e)
Los medio independientes son 
importantes para un sistema 
democrático porque pueden divulgar y 
hacer público las acciones de 
individuos, empresas, y gobiernos 
(buenas y malas) ® ® ® ® ®
EDUCACION
31. Desde su regreso de los Estados Unidos, ¿se ha matriculado en algún curso educativo?
® Sí (01) ® No (02) (Salte a 36)
32. Si contestó sí, ¿qué ha estudiado? ____________________________________________
33. ¿Fue esto el mismo campo que estudió durante su Programa CASS?
® Sí (01) ® No (02) 
Ver. 22/11/01
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Programa CASS—Participante Regresado
34. ¿En qué nivel siguió Ud. estos estudios? (Marquen todas las categorías que sean apropiadas.)
® Técnico/vocacional (01)
® Bachillerato/licenciatura (Universitario) (02)
® Maestría (Universitario) (03)
® Doctorado (04)
35. [Pregunte sólo si el entrevistado participó en un programa de becas de 9 meses o más.] ¿Tuvo Ud. 
alguna dificultad en que le aceptaran los “créditos” (unidades académicas) en su país?
® Sí (01) ® No (02)
36. Para el momento, ¿qué es el nivel más alto de instrucción o educación que ha logrado? 
Grado _____________ y Número de años____________
37. ¿Ha compartido con otros su experiencia y conocimiento obtenido en su capacitación en los 
EE.UU.? (Entrevistador: compartir se refiere a enseñar, mencionar, contarle la experiencia).
® Sí (01) ® No (02)
38. Si contesta Sí, ¿cómo?
39. ¿Con cuántos colegas o compañeros de trabajo ha compartido Ud. el contenido de su 
capacitación en los Estados Unidos, que sea formalmente o informalmente?
Por favor, dé una estimación numérica_______
40. ¿Con cuántas otras personas-miembros de la comunidad, amigos, familiares, etc.-ha 
compartido el contenido de su capacitación en los Estados Unidos?
Por favor, dé una estimación numérica_______
Ver. 22/11/01
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Programa CASS—Participante Regresado
EMPLEO
41. Antes de viajar a los EE.UU. para su Programa CASS, ¿estaba Ud. trabajando o haciendo algo 
para ganar dinero?
® Sí (01) ® No (02)
42. Si contestó Sí, ¿qué hacía? 
43. ¿Está Ud. trabajando ahora, es decir, haciendo algo que le ayuda a generar ingresos / ganar dinero?
® Sí (01) (Salte a 46) ® No (02)
44. Si no está trabajando, ¿está buscando trabajo?
® Sí (01) ® No (02)
45. Si no está buscando trabajo, ¿porqué no?
® Estoy estudiando (01)
® Soy ama de casa (02)
® Estoy enfermo o sufriendo una incapacidad física (03)
® Por otra razón (especifique) (04)
(Salte a 63)
46. ¿Tiene Ud. personalmente más de un empleo o fuente de ingresos?
® Sí (01) ® No (02)
47. ¿Para quién trabaja Ud.? (Marque sólo una respuesta, que es el sector en que el ex-becario 
considera se ubica su empleo principal.)
® Por cuenta propia (pequeña empresa, pequeño agricultor, empleador con cuatro o 
menos empleados) (01)
® Empleador del sector privado (dueño, empresario) (empresa agrícola, fábrica, negocio 
con 5 o más empleados) (02)
® Empleado del sector privado (empresa agrícola, fábrica, negocio con 5 o más
empleados) (03)
Ver. 22/11/01
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Programa CASS—Participante Regresado
® Empleado de cooperativa (04)
® Organización privada sin fines de lucro (no gubernamental) (05)
® Empleado del sector público (cualquier organización del gobierno) (06)
® Otro (autónoma, mixta), describa (07)
48. ¿Trabaja Ud. en el mismo área o campo en que recibió su capacitación en el Programa CASS? 
® Sí (01) ® No (02)
49. ¿Qué es el nombre de la firma u organización donde trabaja? 
50. Describe su trabajo o puesto actual.
51. ¿Cuántas personas trabajan en su firma u organización? ________
52. ¿Cuántas personas supervisa Ud. personalmente? _________
53. ¿Cuánto de lo que aprendió en su programa de capacitación en los EE.UU. ha podido poner en 
práctica en su trabajo actual?
Nada
®
(01)
Sólo un poco
®
(02)
Algo
®
(03)
Mucho
®
(04)
Muchísimo
®
(05)
54. Si Ud. escogió “mucho,” o “muchísimo” con respecto a poner en práctica lo que aprendió en su 
entrenamiento, describa, por favor, un ejemplo concreto y específico de algún cambio, 
cualquiera que sea, que ha podido Ud. llevar a cabo en su trabajo que se debe a la capacitación.
Ver. 22/11/01
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Programa CASS—Participante Regresado
55. Si Ud. escogió “nada,” “sólo un poco,” o “algo” en la Pregunta 53, díganos porqué, por favor. 
(Marquen todas las respuestas que son relevantes a su situación.)
® Mi trabajo actual no requiere de las destrezas y conocimientos que aprendí en mi 
Programa CASS. (01)
® No había trabajo en mi área de capacitación. (02)
® No tengo la autoridad para ponerlo en práctica.. (03)
® No tengo apoyo de mis jefes/ superiores/ supervisores.. (04)
® No tengo apoyo de mis colegas, o mis colegas tienen envidia (05)
® No tengo las herramientas/ equipos/ recursos necesarios.. (06)
® La capacitación que recibí no se puede aplicar a las realidades de mi país. (7)
® Otro Especifique (08) ____________________________________________________________
56. ¿Cómo compararía su trabajo actual con el que tenía antes? (marque sólo una respuesta).
Mejor
®
(01)
Igual que antes
®
(02)
Peor
®
(03)
No aplicable*
®
(04)
*Sin empleo antes del Programa CASS o sin empleo ahora.
57. ¿Lo han ascendido en su trabajo actual desde su regreso del programa de capacitación en los 
EE.UU.?
® Sí (01) ® No (02)
58. Si la respuesta es sí, ¿cree Ud. que esto se debe, por lo menos en parte, a la capacitación que 
recibió?
® Sí (01) ® No (02)
59. ¿Han aumentado sus responsabilidades en su trabajo actual desde su regresó del programa de 
capacitación en los EE.UU.?
® Sí (01) ® No (02)
60. Si la respuesta es sí, ¿cree Ud. que esto se debe, por lo menos en parte, a la capacitación que 
recibió?
® Sí (01) ® No (02)
61. ¿Han mejorado sus ingresos desde su regresó del programa de capacitación?
® Sí (01) ® No (02)
Ver. 22/11/01
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Programa CASS—Participante Regresado
62. Si la respuesta es sí, ¿cree Ud. que esto se debe, por lo menos en parte, a la capacitación que 
recibió?
® Sí (01) ® No (02)
63. Según su opinión, ¿qué es el logro más importante y significativo en su carrera hasta he momento?
PARTICIPACION EN LAS ACTIVIDADES EN LA COMUNIDAD
64. ¿Participó en actividades voluntarias (organizaciones o proyectos del barrio, comunidad, iglesia, 
grupos especiales, partidos, sindicatos, etc.) antes de asistir al programa CASS en los EE.UU.?
® Sí (01) ® No (02)
65. ¿Ha participado en actividades voluntarias desde su regreso del programa CASS en los EE.UU.? 
® Sí (01) ® No (02) (Salte a 69)
66. Si contestó Sí, ¿en qué tipo de actividades comunitarias /voluntarias ha participado Ud. después de 
su Programa CASS? (Marque hasta tres respuestas, evaluándolas del 1 a 3 en orden de 
importancia.)
(01) _____ Culturales (actos artísticos, danza, etc.)
(02) _____ Humanitarias (de caridad, etc.)
(03) _____ Económicas (construcción de escuelas, camino, posta sanitaria, mercado)
(04) _____ Cívicas/sindicalistas (Campañas para elecciones, consejos municipales, 
trabajos de partido)
(05) _____ Salud (Vacunas, campaña anti-drogas, planificación familiar, etc.)
(06) _____ Agrícolas (programas anti-pesticidas, recuperación del agua)
(07) _____ Religiosas (obras benéficas, auspicio de fiestas comunales, etc.)
(08) _____ Educación (Alfabetización, educación de adultos, etc.)
(09) _____ Otra Especifique: ________________________________________
67. ¿Qué papel ha desempeñado en las actividades comunitarias que más ha participado después de su 
Ver. 22/11/01
– 13 –
Programa CASS—Participante Regresado
capacitación en los EE.UU.? (Marque todas las que correspondan.)
(01) _____ Asistiendo a reuniones
(02) _____ Ayudando a planificar eventos/ actividades/ proyectos
(03) _____ Participando como dirigente/ director/ facilitador de eventos/ actividades/ 
proyectos
(04) _____ Entrenando a otros
(05) _____ Participando como vocero/ representante del grupo en actividades 
extracomunales (fuera de la comunidad)
(06) _____ Asumiendo cargos formales de liderazgo o administrativos
(07) _____ Otro: ___________________________________
68. Si está participando actualmente en actividades voluntarias, ¿hasta qué punto ha podido poner en 
práctica lo que Ud. aprendió en su programa en los EE.UU. en sus actividades voluntarias o 
comunitarias?
Nada
®
(01)
Muy poco
®
 (02)
Algo
®
 (03)
Mucho
®
 (04)
Muchísimo
®
 (05)
69. Compare, por favor, su nivel de participación en organizaciones y actividades comunitarias antes y 
después de su capacitación en los EE.UU. ¿Diría Ud. que participa ahora en menos actividades, el 
mismo número, o en más actividades, comparado con su nivel de participación antes de su 
capacitación en los EE.UU.? (marque sólo una respuesta)
Menos
®
(01)
El mismo número
®
(02)
Más
®
(03)
70. [Si respondieron “menos” o “más” a 69] ¿A qué atribuye Ud. el cambio en su nivel de 
participación en estas actividades? ¿Porqué cambió? 
71. ¿Su entrenamiento en los EE.UU. le ha ayudado a ser más eficiente como líder de su comunidad, o 
en su universidad, o lugar de trabajo?
® Sí (01) ® No (02) ® No sé (03)
Ver. 22/11/01
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Programa CASS—Participante Regresado
72. ¿Cómo participa Ud. (o ha participado en el pasado) en las actividades cívicas o en el proceso 
político en su comunidad, ciudad, región, o país? (Marquen todos que sean apropiados).
® Votando en las elecciones gubernamentales (municipales, nacionales) (01)
® Votando en las elecciones no-gubernamentales (empresa, sindicato, asociación)(02)
® Participando en las campañas electorales gubernamentales (03)
® Participando en las campañas electorales gubernamentales (04)
® Postulándome como un candidato en las elecciones gubernamentales (municipales, 
locales, regionales, nacionales) (05)
® Postulándome como un candidato en las elecciones no-gubernamentales (empresa, 
sindicato, asociación) (06)
® Ocupando un puesto en el gobierno local, nacional, por elección (07)
® Otro (especifique, por favor): (08) _______________________________________
CONOCIMIENTO Y COMPRENSIÓN DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS
73. Responde, por favor, con sus opiniones respecto a los comentarios siguientes referentes a los 
Estados Unidos, tanto positivos como negativos.
COMENTARIO Discrepo 
fuertemente 
(01)
Discrepo, no 
estoy de 
acuerdo
(02)
Neutro
(03)
De acuerdo
(04)
Muy de 
acuerdo
(05)
a)
La sociedad norteamericana 
representa un modelo bueno de la 
democracia.
® ® ® ® ®
b)
Los norteamericanos cuentan con un 
sistema de leyes y las cortes de 
justicia para proteger al individuo.
® ® ® ® ®
c)
Los países extranjeros no deben 
meterse de ninguna manera en los 
asuntos internos de mi país.
® ® ® ® ®
d)
Los norteamericanos se preocupan 
sólo de comprar más y de tener más 
cosas.
® ® ® ® ®
e)
Se hacen decisiones verdaderas y 
importantes en las elecciones 
norteamericanas.
® ® ® ® ®
f)
Los EE.UU. es un país violento 
donde la gente no tiene seguridad 
personal en las calles.
® ® ® ® ®
g)
La economía de mercado de los 
EE.UU. proporciona una vida buena a 
la mayor parte de sus ciudadanos.
® ® ® ® ®
h)
En general, los norteamericanos 
expresan actitudes de amistad hacia 
mi país.
® ® ® ® ®
Ver. 22/11/01
– 15 –
Programa CASS—Participante Regresado
LAZOS INSTITUTIONALES Y PERSONALES CON LOS EE.UU.
74. Con referencia a la lista que sigue abajo, indique, por favor, las variedades de contactos que ha 
tenido en los últimos 12 meses. (Marquen, por favor, todos que sean apropiados.)
(01) _____ tuve contacto personal con personas de los EE.UU. que residen ien mi país 
(___)
(02) _____ recibí cartas de norteamericanos (___)
(03) _____ recibí visitas de amigos norteamericanos (___)
(04) _____ tuve correspondencia electrónica (“e-mail”) con norteamericanos (___)
(05) _____ leí revistas y/o periódicos norteamericanos (___)
(06) _____ he visitado sitios “Web” ubicados en los EE.UU. regularmente (___)
(07) _____ mantuve contactos comerciales o de negocios con los EE.UU. (___)
(08) _____ mantuve contactos con personas en instituciones educacionales o universidades 
en los EE.UU. (___)
(09) _____ viajé a los EE.UU. por otro motivo que el Programa CASS (___)
 (10) _____ Otro ________________________________________________(___)
POST-PROGRAMA
75. Cuando volvió de su Programa CASS, ¿se trasladó su residencia de donde vivía antes de ir a los 
EE.UU. a un nuevo lugar? 
® Sí (01) ® No (02) 
76. Si contestó Sí, ¿a dónde se traslado? “Urbano” quiere decir 
® De una zona urbana a una zona rural(01)
® De una zona rural a la ciudad (02) 
® Dentro de la zona rural (03)
® Dentro de la zona urbana (04)
77. ¿Porqué se trasladó?
Ver. 22/11/01
– 16 –
Programa CASS—Participante Regresado
INTERESES DE LOS EXBECARIOS 
78. Hasta que sepa Ud., ¿hay una organización nacional o local para los regresados del Programa 
CASS?
® Sí (Si contestó Sí, responde, por favor, de 79 a 81) (01)
® No (Si contestó No, salte a 82 y 83) (02) 
79. Si contestó Sí, ¿participa Ud. (o ha participado Ud.) en las actividades de la organización o en 
actividades organizadas del Programa CASS? 
® Sí (01) ® No (02) 
80. ¿En qué tipo de actividades ha participado?
81. ¿Qué actividades adicionales sugeriría Ud. para la asociación?
_____________________________________________________________________
82. Si contestó No, ¿participaría en una asociación si tal organización estuviera establecida? 
® Sí (01) ® No (02) 
83. ¿Qué tipos de actividades debe proporcionar una asociación de ex becarios?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
CONCLUSIONES / RECOMENDACIONES
84. ¿Hasta qué punto cumplió el Programa CASS sus expectativas? 
Nada
®
Muy poco
®
Algo
®
Mucho
®
Muchísimo
®
Ver. 22/11/01
– 17 –
Programa CASS—Participante Regresado
(01) (02) (03) (04) (05)
85. Si su respuesta es “nada” o “muy poco,” explique porqué respondió así.
86. ¿Qué comentarios o recomendaciones tiene Ud. para mejorar el Programa CASS? ¿Cuál aspecto 
del Programa tenía el mayor valor para Ud.?
87. ¿Cómo compararía su su situación actual (en sus estudios, o en su trabajo, o sin empleo) con sus 
compañeros de su edad que no participaron en el Programa CASS?
Mejor 
®
(01)
Más o menos 
igual 
®
(02)
Peor
®
(03)
88. ¿En qué manera es mejor o peor?
89. ¿Recomendaría Ud. este programa de becas a otras personas? (marque sólo una respuesta).
® Sí (01) ® No (02) ® No sé’ (03)
Ver. 22/11/01
– 18 –
Programa CASS—Participante Regresado
GRACIAS POR SU PARTICIPACION
Aguirre International quiere agradecerle por su participación en este esfuerzo. Tratamos toda la 
información que compartió con nosotros con confidencialidad estricta. No identificamos a los 
participantes por nombre o puesto. Sólo reportamos datos estadísticos agregados, y no 
utilizaremos su nombre sin su permiso.
Entrevistador:
Ubicación:
Fecha:
Apuntes del Entrevistador
(Utilice el verso de la hoja, se es necesario)
Ver. 22/11/01
– 19 –
Programa CASS—Participante Regresado
ANECDOTA, “CUENTO DE ÉXITO” O TESTIMONIO PERSONAL
APPENDIX D
Host School Interview Protocol
CASS U.S. Host Schools Protocol
1
 CASS Program
Georgetown University
Protocol for CASS U.S. Host Schools
2001-2002
1. University: 
2. Faculty Member: 
3. Position: 
4. Program Role: 
5. Years with the Program: 
6. Participants’ Fields of Study:
7. Length of Training: 
8. Approximate numbers of students per year: 
9. Process Questions:
· How would you characterize your relationship with Georgetown 
University during the course of this program?
· Were there any particular issues that arose in working with this group of 
USAID-funded students? Visa? Adjustment? Legal? Medical?
· Do you have any observations about the process of working with 
USAID-funded students as opposed to international students studying 
under other auspices?
CASS U.S. Host Schools Protocol
2
10.Did the participants have any problems communicating in English when 
they came to the University? 
If so, how were these problems addressed? 
Were these problems more prevalent in earlier groups or later groups?
11.To what extent do you feel that the participants were oriented for this U.S. 
academic experience?
Culturally:
Educationally:
Were there any differences between earlier and later groups?
12.In general, how would you characterize their academic performance?
Relative to other international students:
Relative to other U.S. students:
13.What provisions were made for assistance with academic problems?
14.What changes did you observe in student behavior from their time of arrival 
until their departure in the follow areas?
a. self esteem
b. self-reliance
c. ability to communicate with others
d. ability to get along with others
e. ability to tolerate change
f. willingness to take risks
g. ability to speak in public
h. willingness to try new things
CASS U.S. Host Schools Protocol
3
15.During the course of their studies, did they have an opportunity to learn 
about the economic system of the U.S.?
Yes (01) No (02)
16.We are interested in how frequently CASS participants took part in campus 
and community activities in the U.S. 
How frequently would you say the participants took part 
in the following?
Never 
(1)
Occasionally 
(2)
Frequently
(3)
a. Visit a U.S. family other than host family ’ ’ ’
b. Meet with local community leaders ’ ’ ’
c. Interact with private business sector ’ ’ ’
d. Observe/participate in community meetings/ events ’ ’ ’
e. Attend cultural events ’ ’ ’
f. Attend church ’ ’ ’
g. Participate in recreational activities ’ ’ ’
h. Travel within the U.S. ’ ’ ’
i. Participate in campus activities ’ ’ ’
j. Participate in volunteer activities ’ ’ ’
17.During the course of their training, what do you think the participants 
learned about the U.S. political system or any of its democratic institutions?
18.Did each participant serve an internship?
19.Did the university or the participant set up the internship?
20.How were these internships monitored?
21.If a participant did not take much initiative in seeking an internship, how did 
 you deal with it?
22.What were the responses to the internships?
From the students:
From the organizations:
CASS U.S. Host Schools Protocol
4
23.Have you maintained contact with any of the students since their return to 
their home countries?
24.What was the nature of these contacts?
25.Is there any plan for follow-up to the participants’ program?
26.To what extent do you think that the participants who took part in your 
programs will be able to implement their new knowledge and skills?
27.Leadership is an objective of this program. Do you feel that this type of 
program provided the necessary tools for the participants to become 
leaders?
Why?
Why not?
28.Did you have any unexpected experiences or consequences resulting from 
this program?
If so, please describe them.
27. How has your University, college, or department benefited from hosting 
students from the CASS Program?
28. Were there any particular problems surrounding the CASS Program that 
remained unresolved?
CASS U.S. Host Schools Protocol
5
RECOMMENDATIONS
27.What recommendations or suggestions can you make about how to 
improve the program?
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION
APPENDIX E
Country Reports
Dominican Republic
Guatemala
Honduras
Observations
CASS in the Dominican Republic:
An Evaluation of Activities from 1994 to 2001
The principal objective of the evaluation team’s visit to the Dominican Republic (the DR) 
was to obtain information from returned CASS participants that would shed light on the issue 
of program impact. Information was collected through a survey of 99 returned participants 
and through interviews with CASS staff, USAID staff, about 30 returned participants (who 
participated in three focus groups), and several employers. This Appendix discusses the 
team’s observations based on its review of documents and interviews. The results of the 
survey are discussed in the main body of the evaluation report along with survey results from 
two other countries.
Overview
Discussions with ex-becarios1
 strongly suggest that attending college in the U.S. as a CASS 
student is a life-changing experience, particularly for those who go for two years. For these 
young people, the opportunity to travel internationally and to visit another country 
enormously broadens their experience and their horizons. For two-year participants, the 
opportunity to learn English and a trade, to become computer literate, to obtain some 
experience working in an American business, to learn how to make friends and to get along 
in an foreign culture changes their outlook and their employment chances. Returned CASS 
participants have generally found good jobs, advanced in responsibility, and earned higher 
incomes as a result of their CASS experience. The CASS program is clearly contributing to 
Dominican growth, although the evaluation team could not measure the magnitude of that 
contribution or compare it with other USAID investments.
Dominican teachers who participated in one-year programs have also benefited, but the 
impact on their lives seems significantly more limited. However, the efforts of CASS 
teachers to train others may yield a very significant social benefit.
In looking back at their period in the program, ex-becarios recollections were dominated by 
fond memories. Most students reported that the orientations were effective in preparing them 
for their entry into the U.S, although clearly not all problems were avoided. Most ex-becarios 
expressed very positive feelings toward their host families, although there were some notable 
exceptions. The fact that some difficult host family situations were apparently allowed to 
continue for extended periods of time suggests that some CASS campus coordinators may not 
have dealt with these problems adequately. With only a small number of exceptions, ex￾becarios were enthusiastic about the quality of teaching and community support. Internships 
were valuable for most participants, although there were again indications of sporadic 
problems that campus coordinators did not deal with in a firmfashion. Overall, the ex￾becarios were extremely enthusiastic about their experience and grateful for having had this 
opportunity.
Although Dominican participants seem to do well in the labor market, they experience a 
serious problem with respect to obtaining credit from Dominican universities for their U.S. 
studies. Many of the ex-becarios who participated in focus groups had sought to continue 
their education after returning, and virtually all of these reported having great difficulty with 
 
1
 The Spanish term “becario,” means scholarship recipient. This paper will sometimes refer to former CASS 
participants as “ex-becarios.”
Dominican universities in obtaining even minimal credit for their U.S. studies. The process 
they described was lengthy and expensive and often unproductive. 
The evaluation team observed that CASS operations in the Dominican Republic are well 
organized and managed by a small team of experienced and dedicated professionals. The 
CASS team in the DR appears to collect useful data on labor force needs, to take great care in 
selecting candidates for the program, to work diligently to provide useful pre-departure 
briefings, to maintain contact with many of its students who are in the U.S., to assist the 
students to find employment when they return and maintain contact with them. The CASS 
staff was extremely helpful to the evaluation team in providing data and setting up meetings. 
The evaluation team did find that addresses of ex-becarios were sometime incorrect (a 
problem that is common to CASS offices and very difficult to resolve) and found some 
inconsistencies in the program data provided. Also, the team was surprised that there was no 
document for the public in Spanish that provided an overview of this program in the 
Dominican Republic.
Key Features of the CASS Program in the DR
CASS activities in the Dominican Republic began in 1989. In the 13 years the program has 
operated it has sent 559 Dominican students to study in U.S. community colleges. These 
include 487 (87%) who were sent for two-year programs and 72 (13%) in programs lasting 
one year or less. 
Table 1 on the following page shows the fields shows the fields of study of CASS DR 
students between 1989 and 2001. The table shows that the fields given most emphasis include 
business administration, quality control, food technology, education, hotel and restaurant 
administration, electronics and environmental science. The fields of study are clearly quite 
diverse, preparing graduates for a wide variety of types of employment. The fields of study 
have varied over time, presumably reflecting changes in Dominican (or regional) labor 
demand and perhaps the program’s greater attention to fields of particular interest to USAID.
Table 12
CASS Scholarships in the Dominican Republic
Fields of Study, by Year
Cycle: F G H I J K L M N O P Q R Totals
Field of Study Year: 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 0 1
Marketing 9 5 5 3 22
Electronics/Computer Repair 6 3 1 3 13
Electronics 7 4 2 8 3 3 27
Hotel/Restaurant Admin. 9 6 6 11 9 41
Business Administration 7 4 4 9 7 11 6 11 3 62
Quality Control 2 10 7 7 4 5 2 6 3 3 2 5 56
Food Science/Technology 2 3 4 8 2 5 12 6 2 4 3 51
Medical Equipment Repair 5 3 2 10
Maint. Technology (Industry) 3 1 1 2 3 3 3 2 18
Interpretation of Sign Lang. 1 1 1 1 4
Telecommunications Tech. 9 7 2 3 3 24
Printing and Publications 3 3
Special Education 1 2 3 6
Agriculture Administration 3 3 5 7 3 5 2 28
Agricultural Technology 2 2 4
Computers for the Deaf 3 3 1 2 2 11
Graphic Design 1 1
Environment/Eco-tourism 2 2
Environment/Water Mgt. 2 2
Environmental Science 5 8 7 3 3 26
Forest Administration 2 2
Computer Science 2 2
Small Business Admin/Devel. 4 3 2 9
Small Bus. Women/Rural 4 4
Math-Science Technology 3 3
Public Health - Vector Control 3 3 6
Medical Laboratory Tech. 3 3
Primary Education 16 17 17 50
X-ray Technology 4 4
Construction Management 6 6
Community and Rural Health 3 3 6
Natural Resources Mgt. 3 3
Industrial and Eng. Tech. 3 3
Totals 35 46 23 63 34 39 32 47 41 36 38 41 37 512
Subtotals 1989-93 1994-2001 201 311
Scholarships Granted 82 46 22 43 39 40 38 48 41 42 42 42 34 559
Subtotals 1989-93 1994-2001 232 327
 
2
 The table shows (at the bottom) some inconsistency between CASS data on students by subject area per year 
and CASS data on scholarships granted per year. The evaluation team was unable to clarify these numbers. In 
this study, we have assumed that CASS gave 327 scholarships to Dominicans during the 1994-2001 period.
Geographic Origin of CASS Scholarship Recipients. These students are drawn from all 
regions of the country. The following table shows the origin of the students by region.
Table 2
Region of Origin, CASS Becarios in the DR
South North East Northeast Capital 
District
Total
122 192 114 53 78 559
22% 34% 20% 10% 14% 100%
The CASS program is intended to reach young people from low-income families, particularly 
those residing in rural areas. In the DR, the CASS program has defined “rural” to include 
every place other than the two largest cities, Santo Domingo and Santiago. Since the DR 
includes many population centers that most people would not consider to be rural, this study 
(see survey question #3) used three geographic divisions: major urban centers (CASS’ 
definition of urban), secondary cities (other urban areas having more than 5,000 people) and 
rural. (The results of the evaluation team’s survey are summarized in the main body of the 
evaluation report.)
Survey of Returned Participants 
From 1994 to 2001, CIED data on the CASS Program show that it provided scholarships to 
327 Dominicans. However, some of these are still studying in the U.S., and others have 
returned so recently that it would be too early to review the impact of their studies. 
Georgetown University’s Center for Intercultural Education and Development (CIED) thus 
provided to Aguirre International a list of 193 Dominican CASS graduates who had studied 
during this period and who had returned at least six months prior to the study. Aguirre 
International determined to interview 99 participants, slightly over half, of these returned 
participants. 
The list of 193 returned participants was reduced by 30 Dominicans who, according to the 
CASS office in the Dominican Republic, were out of the country or would for other reasons 
not be available or appropriate to interview. These included 12 Dominicans who had married 
persons from another country and who were now living in that country, and smaller numbers 
who were working or studying out of the country (nine), who had left the CASS program 
without completing their studies (seven) or who were traveling for unknown reasons (two). 
The evaluation team found this interesting as it provides an indication of the number of 
students who for one reason or another were not currently contributing to the Dominican 
economy.
In refining the database of graduates for the survey, the evaluation team also eliminated the 
small number of CASS graduates who are deaf, as interviewing them would have required 
additional time and expense. The team divided the remaining returned graduates into four 
groups by their current residence and assigned an interviewer to each group. Each interviewer 
was given a list of 35-40 graduates from whom they were required to interview 25. 
Anticipating some difficulty in arranging interviews prior to the December holidays, the 
evaluation team decided to allow the interviewers to interview any of the people on their 
respective lists. To avoid an urban bias in the interviewees selected (as they would 
presumably be easier for interviewers to reach and to meet), the team established a two-tier 
payment system, with interviewers receiving a premium for interviews with graduates in 
more distant areas. 
The interviewers all had previous experience. They were trained and actively supervised by 
an Aguirre International consultant with extensive survey experience. The interviewers 
succeeded in conducting 99 interviews. Interviews took place during December 2001 and 
January 2002. (As noted above, the evaluation team has integrated the results of the surveys 
in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Honduras and reported the results in the main text 
of the CASS evaluation.)
Employer Interviews in the Dominican Republic
The evaluation team interviewed four Dominican employers located in the Santo Domingo 
area. This small sample of employers was not random (as the small number of firms visited 
would in any case have prevented a statistically valid study). Rather, the team sought to 
interview companies that had several graduates of the CASS program to see what positive 
attributes these firms saw in CASS graduates. Thus, there was presumably a bias toward 
firms with favorable views of CASS. The four companies visited currently employ more than 
a dozen CASS graduates, and those firms have previously employed other CASS graduates 
who subsequently moved better jobs elsewhere. 
None of the CASS graduates employed by these firms had worked for the same company 
prior to going to the U.S. This is not surprising as most of the Dominicans selected to go to 
the U.S. under this program have little, if any, employment histories. Thus, because the 
employers could not comment on changes that had occurred as a result of the program, it was 
difficult to attribute work attitudes, leadership skills, and other traits to the program. 
All of the employers interviewed were very pleased with their CASS graduates. Firm #1, a 
very successful Dominican company employing four CASS graduates indicated, “They all do 
excellent work.” In technical areas, they have formed a nucleus that has provided training to 
upgrade the skills of others. English has also proven useful; even though the company 
produces exclusively for the domestic market, the CASS graduates’ English ability has 
proven very useful for reading literature and computer programs. All four have shown good 
interpersonal skills. In terms of leadership, two of the four have unusually good skills. The 
upward trajectory of these ex-becarios has been good, for some more so than others, and 
equally to or better than other employees’ upward mobility.
A second large and successful Dominican company that the team visited employs six or 
seven CASS graduates, but the person interviewed was familiar with the performance of only 
one CASS graduate. That graduate has risen rapidly in the firm. He now supervises nine 
people directly and assists in the supervision of more than 150 others. The firm noted his 
good work habits and leadership skills.
Firm #3, a U.S. export-oriented firm with almost 600 Dominican employees, currently 
employs three CASS graduates. The team interviewed the American plant manager who was 
very familiar with their work. The plant manager indicated that the firm does not have 
difficulty finding Dominicans with good technical training. However, CASS graduates are “a 
step ahead in their practical, business-related skills and outlook.” CASS graduates tend to 
know how to collect and organize data, to analyze problems, to write reports and to make 
coherent presentations. Their English and leadership skills are also important assets. The 
firm’s CASS graduates have performed very well, and all three now have supervisory 
positions.
Firm #4, also a U.S. firm that produces in the DR for the U.S. market, currently employs five 
former CASS participants. Of the firm’s 1,500 employees, most work in assembly, clerical or 
maintenance positions. There are also 75 technicians, 58 supervisors, and eight managers. 
CASS graduates enter either as technicians or in clerical positions. Of the firm’s five CASS 
employees, all but the most recent graduate (who joined the firm about seven months ago) 
have moved upward within the firm to better positions and higher pay. Their rate of progress 
has been good to excellent. Two are now in supervisory positions earning three to four times 
their starting salaries. At least one of these is likely to be promoted to one of the firm’s small 
number of managerial positions. The firm screens candidates with an entry exam on which 
CASS graduates typically score very high. Among the skills that distinguish CASS graduates 
on the job, the firm’s representative mentioned problem-solving, English language, and 
computer skills. The only concern that the firm expressed about CASS graduates is that they 
sometimes come to the firm with unrealistic expectations – expecting to start in supervisory 
or managerial positions. This firm previously employed eight other CASS graduates who 
have moved on to better jobs in other private sector firms.
Overall, the employers seem to view the CASS graduates as exhibiting skills that make them 
particularly valuable employees. Certainly, the technical training they bring back is valued. 
So also are their English language ability and the added maturity, confidence, leadership and 
problem-solving skills.
Focus Groups Findings
The evaluation team conducted three focus groups in the Dominican Republic. These 
included two in Santo Domingo and one in San Francisco de Macoris. Two of the groups 
included CASS graduates from the period 1994 to the present, and the third was composed of 
graduates from earlier cycles. Earlier graduates were included to see if the perceptions about 
the value of the program and the experiences in the labor force and as community leaders 
would change after the CASS graduates had been out of the program longer. Of the two 
groups of recent graduates, one was composed predominantly of students who had completed 
two-year associate degrees in community colleges and the other predominantly of 
Dominicans who had completed shorter programs in education or health. The focus groups 
thus afforded the team an opportunity to hear from participants with a wide variety of 
experiences.
Participation in the focus groups was excellent both from the perspective of the number of 
CASS graduates that came and in terms of their active participation in the discussions. In 
general, the ex-becarios were extremely positive about their experience and grateful to the 
program, to CIED, to USAID, and to the United States for giving them that opportunity. One 
graduate, a young man who is now the warehouse supervisor of an international company 
producing in the DR, summed up what a great many graduates clearly thought by describing 
his CASS scholarship as “a life-changing event.”
Despite their very positive overall experience and outcomes, the graduates recounted many 
experiences that had been difficult and, sometimes, quite unpleasant. From these, many 
suggestions were put forward.
Preparation for Overseas Study
Most Dominican participants thought that CASS had provided excellent pre-departure 
briefings and that these had been invaluable in preparing them for the U.S. Many ex-becarios
indicated that the briefing had helped them to avoid problems and embarrassing situations. 
Some participants indicated that it would have been useful to have had English language 
skills when they arrived. This view was particularly expressed by Dominicans who 
participated in the shorter programs (12 months or less). Since the courses offered to these 
participants were in Spanish, the participating colleges provide these students with only 
limited English language training. A number of participants found this to be a problem. Some 
found difficulty in the activities of daily living (e.g., buying food). Others found difficulty in 
the work-study aspect of the program. Teachers, for example, mentioned having spent time 
observing classrooms where they could not comprehend the instruction and could not interact 
with their mentors. 
Several focus group participants suggested that it might be useful for CASS to require some 
English language training. One suggestion was that CASS select students some months 
earlier to permit them to undertake some preparatory English course. To avoid discouraging 
candidates with few resources, CASS might offer to subsidize such in-country training.
Participants from the Dominican Republic receive not only preparation about the U.S. 
environment but also training about the other CASS countries sending participants. 
Participants from the DR indicated that they felt better prepared in this sense (i.e., in knowing 
about other CASS countries) than the CASS students that they had met from other countries, 
and that this had been helpful.
Programs of Study in U.S. Community Colleges
Most of the students arrived in the U.S. with little English-language ability. Participants 
indicated that the English-language program that they took in the U.S. was effective and 
permitted them to move to regular programs of study. Some participants indicated that they 
would like to have continued studying English but were prevented from doing so. 
Most ex-becarios rated the technical program of studies highly and believed that they had 
learned a great deal. Many returned becarios become involved in teaching others. Some 
noted that the academic program was well balanced with non-academic activities. 
However, a few CASS graduates indicated that the content did not match their needs very 
well. Several of the teachers, for example, considered that the content was considerably 
below their level of preparation and experience. (The team noted, however, that these same 
teachers were now giving seminars around the country to spread new pedagogic technologies 
to others.) Several other participants noted problems with one or more particular courses, e.g., 
“We had already learned the mathematics [being offered to us in the community college] in 
[Dominican] secondary schools.” Sometimes there was an inconsistency between the 
program content and the students’ expectations, presumably reflecting a need to strengthen 
pre-departure briefings in this area. (CASS may well have already addressed this. The 
evaluation team believes that pre-departure briefings in recent years often rely on returned 
participants who can accurately prepare departing students for many aspects of the programs 
they will encounter.)
CASS students reported a mixed situation with respect to the program’s flexibility, 
apparently reflecting differences between the participating community colleges and 
programs. Some graduates indicated that they have added courses of particular interest to 
them; a number of other participants indicated that they were prohibited from adding to or 
changing their academic programs (e.g., to permit further studies of English or some 
technical area of particular interest). Ex-becarios with this complaint tended to see their 
campus coordinators as the villains, suggesting that person failed to use available funding in a 
flexible manner to benefit the CASS students. 
The returned participants generally rated teaching quality in their community colleges quite 
highly. A partial exception was the Dominican teachers who studied in the U.S.; they praised 
the Puerto Rican teachers (teacher trainers) they had encountered, but they were quite critical 
of many of their other teachers.
One-year CASS students, many of whom have spouses and children, were critical of CASS’ 
prohibition against students returning home during the period of study. These graduates 
argued that this requirement placed an undue hardship upon them, as there was little to do 
during holiday periods, and the airfares to the DR (and to other CASS countries) were 
modest.
Internships
Former participants described highly varied experiences with internships. Most were 
extremely positive. Many focus group participants indicated that internships had provided an 
opportunity to apply what they had been studying and to see how things worked in practice. 
These graduates had learned a great deal and had been treated well. For many, this was an 
opportunity not only to learn technical skills, but also to see how a business operates and 
what is expected of employees. A few graduates noted that their experience with U.S. firms 
had facilitated their ability to find employment with U.S. firms with operations in the 
Dominican Republic. Several graduates who had studied rural health had valued the 
opportunity to work directly with needy people in the U.S.
For a number of others, the assignment to firms or institutions was far less than ideal. A 
number of the Dominican teachers reported that they had no opportunity to practice their 
skills, sometimes had difficulty with the language of instruction that they were observing, and 
had little opportunity to meet and talk with the American educators. A few participants 
reported that they were assigned to a type of business that had little or nothing to do with 
their courses of study. One participant said that he spent a month watching videos and 
movies, even though he claims to have reported this to his program coordinator at the end of 
the first week. 
Volunteer Work in the Communities
The observations regarding community service activities were mixed. A few participants 
described them as important learning experiences, and many of the ex-becarios were pleased 
to have helped out in the communities where they were studying. However, not many seem to 
have found their volunteer work to have taught them very much, and some felt exploited by 
the experience. One graduate, for example, was not pleased to have been required to rise at 2 
a.m. to paint houses for the poor. Another graduate suggested that the volunteer work had a 
high opportunity cost, reducing time that could have been more usefully spent interacting 
with U.S. students.
Leadership Training
Returned participants generally view the leadership training as an important and effective part 
of the program. This training has helped them both on the job and in community activities. 
No criticisms of this component of the program were expressed.
Host Families
The majority of focus group participants reported that they had had excellent experiences 
with their host families. The families had helped immeasurably to educate the participants 
about American social and cultural norms and to provide them with many opportunities to 
experience American culture. Many returned CASS participants maintain contact with their 
host families, and a significant number of the American hosts have subsequently traveled to 
the DR for a visit. Expressing a sentiment that was not uncommon among returned 
participants, one graduate said simply, “My [host] family adopted me.”
Dominican participants often felt that their expectations about American families, thanks to 
the CASS preparation, were considerably more accurate than the host families had of the 
arriving students. Several participants seem to have been somewhat offended initially by host 
families who expected that their students might never have ridden in a car and to rarely have 
eaten meat. They suggested that CASS needed to do a better job of briefing host families.
Other ex-becarios reported problems with their host families, some seemingly fairly serious. 
Several reported that the diet of the hosts was unusual and that they were obligated to follow 
the same regimen. Two participants indicated, for example, that their hosts ate little other 
than salads and would not allow them to use the kitchen to prepare other dishes. Several 
others reported that there was a lack of clarity about what food and other consumables they 
were permitted to touch (to help themselves to). One participant in a focus group drew 
considerable laughter and some sympathy when she described her host family’s practice of 
allowing the family dog to eat off of the same dishes used by family members. A number of 
participants indicated that their host families had been very controlling and overly protective, 
unduly limited the student’s freedom of activity. On the opposite side, a small number of 
participants indicated that, although they shared a house, they hardly ever saw their host 
family. 
A number of students who had experienced difficulty with their host families had changed to 
another family. This seems to have been helpful, although time-consuming. One unfortunate 
student summed up a serious of disastrous experiences, “I lived with three separate families, 
and it was terrible!”
Role as “Friendship Ambassadors”
Dominican participants took this responsibility seriously and view it as an important and 
successful part of their overall experience. Clearly, the program educated many Americans 
about this Caribbean neighbor and left many Americans dancing the meringue. Dominican 
participants took this responsibility seriously and view it as an important and successful part 
of their overall experience.
Views on Gender Equality
Dominican participants returned home with a heightened appreciation of gender issues. Focus 
group participants indicated that the DR was making progress in this area, but that there was 
considerable room for improvement in areas such as salary parity, equal access to jobs, and 
the treatment of pregnant women in the workplace. One participant remarked how surprised 
she had been to see women driving buses in the U.S. and indicated that this was not currently 
possible in the DR. 
Acceptability of U.S. Academic Credits in the DR
Despite reports that some Dominican universities have agreed to honor U.S. academic 
credits, the lack of acceptability of U.S. community college credits in Dominican universities 
remains a serious problem for returning CASS students. Many of the focus group participants 
said they had difficulty, some receiving no credit whatsoever for their U.S. studies. To 
receive any credit at all for those studies is typically a long and often expensive process. One 
participant suggested that Dominican universities view this issue as an opportunity to 
generate income. Another mentioned that his two semesters of accounting in the U.S. had 
covered the material of six courses in the DR, but that he would be lucky to get credit for 
two. 
Private Dominican universities are the most willing to consider giving credit for U.S. study; 
none of the participants indicated that they had received any significant credit for their U.S 
studies from a public sector Dominican university. Instead, those that had continued their 
studies had found it necessary to start over at the beginning in order to pursue a university 
degree. The Dominican labor market, it was often remarked, recognizes the value of the 
North American educational experience far more than do Dominican universities.
CASS Reintegration Workshops
Focus groups participants viewed these workshops as important and effective for 
reintegrating graduates into the Dominican culture and in helping them to find employment. 
As in the pre-departure briefings, participants found that the opportunity to hear from CASS 
graduates who had already gone through this experience was particularly useful. 
Several graduates noted that the workshops had occurred too late – some two months after 
their return to the D.R. 
CASS Graduates’ Role in Strengthening Democratization and Community 
Development
Graduates reported that they returned with a heightened appreciation of democratic values 
and the importance of participation in the community. Nevertheless, most graduates feel quite 
powerless to influence the process in the D.R. CASS graduates are focused on their jobs and 
their families, and to a much lesser extent on small-scale community activities; none claimed 
to participate actively in the larger political process.
Determination of Priority Areas for Study
CASS country offices conduct an annual market survey to determine local training needs that 
might be met through training in U.S. community colleges. The CASS survey form3
 is simple 
and can be completed in a few minutes. Were this not the case, few would be completed and 
returned to the CASS office. The simple form is appropriate for CASS needs. 
The information obtained in each participating country is transmitted to Georgetown where it 
is compiled and analyzed. CIED takes the survey results, compares them with the offerings of 
participating community colleges, and determines the areas that CASS will offer in the 
following year. The results are then shared with the LAC Bureau’s COTR for the CASS 
program.
In the past, a USAID concern about the CASS program has been that it did not appear to give 
sufficient importance in determining training areas to USAID country strategic. CASS 
appears to have addressed this concern by consulting with the various USAID Missions. In 
the DR, for example, CASS desire to respond to USAID is shown by the prominent role it 
asks the Mission to play in the demand survey. The DR CASS office shared the results of the 
survey conducted for the 2001-2002 cycle. There were forty-one responses including 13 from 
the for-profit private sector, four from NGOs, 13 from government organizations, seven from 
USAID, one from the U.S. Embassy, one from the Peace Corps, and two from organizations 
that the evaluation team was unable to identify. The large number of responses from USAID 
testifies both to CASS/CIED’s efforts to consider USAID priorities and to the interest of 
Mission staff in ensuring that the program does so.
CIED’s efforts in this regard are commendable. However, because USAID interests are 
disaggregated and then merged into general demand data and run through a process totally 
controlled by CIED, it is difficult to know to what extent CASS training actually reflects 
USAID’s strategic objectives in individual countries. 
A minor modification in the current process (primarily on the USAID side) might help to 
strengthen the relationship of CASS and USAID training priorities. The proposed change 
would require that LAC Bureau’s COTR for CASS to play a somewhat greater role 
determining CASS training priorities. In order for this to occur, the COTR would need data 
from the Missions about their priorities so that s/he would be able to represent the Missions in 
a dialogue with CIED on this question. Mission Program Offices might, for example provide 
information to the COTR on Mission training priorities. Alternatively, Mission officers 
responding to the CASS training needs survey might simply send a copy of their response to 
the COTR. With this information about Mission priorities, the COTR could then become a 
more active participant with CIED in determining annual priorities and allocations. It would 
be important, as well, that the COTR then summarize the process and results and report back 
to each of the Missions. Such a synthesis would alleviate lingering concerns that the CASS 
program is operating outside of the USAID strategic framework.
Information on the CASS Program in the Dominican Republic
 
3
 The author assumes that the form utilized in the DR comes from CIED and is the same form utilized in each 
CASS country.
Information about the CASS program in the DR can be found in the files of the organization, 
in the memory of the director, and buried in CASS publications that cover the region. The 
evaluation team did not see any publication that allows the USAID Mission in the DR or 
other interested parties (e.g., CASS graduates, local universities and employers, the GODR, 
evaluators) to obtain information on the number of Dominican students who have gone to the 
U.S. with CASS sponsorship, areas of study, student performance in the U.S. or after 
returning to the Dominican Republic, or on other program variables. Besides meeting these 
needs, such a publication in Spanish, updated annually, would help to market the program to 
a variety of Dominican audiences. This kind of report might also include a description of the 
activities of the alumni association. 
CASS in Guatemala:
An Evaluation of Activities from 1994 to 2001
Introduction
Nineteen ex-becarios (returned CASS graduates), all living in Guatemala City, 
participated in two different focus groups, eight in the first and 11 in the second one (7 of 
19 were men; all 19 studied in the U.S. since 1994). Evaluators scheduled three other 
focus groups, one in Antigua where only two women arrived out of a group of seven to 
eight local ex-becarios (no reasons offered about the failure to attend), and two in 
Quetzaltenango for which the ex-becarios called to cancel (again, no reasons offered 
about failure to attend). A survey of CASS alumni took place with all the post-1994 
graduates who evaluators could contact. Georgetown provided evaluators with a list of 
295 alumni. Of these, the Guatemala City CASS office had addresses and telephone 
numbers of 238. Evaluators selected 150 of these 238 names. They reduced the list to 127 
due to the deaths of some ex-becarios and the travels abroad of others. Inaccurate 
addresses and phone numbers, travels, work, the December holidays, and other reasons 
generated large difficulties in locating the alumni. Finally, every alumnus on the original 
list Guatemala City list was called. Evaluators interviewed only 90 of the 213 (295 on 
CIED’s list), most of whom agreed only to a phone interview with one member of the 
team of five evaluators.
Six Guatemalan City employers of CASS graduates responded to questions about 
employee performance. Interviews with eight specialists in the country's labor force 
needs provided the bases to suggest what fields of study will continue to assure CASS 
graduates of a high degree of employability in careers resolving many of the country's 
problems. The evaluation also included interviews with USAID mission officers about 
CASS, fields of study, workforce needs, and the mission's strategic focus. The evaluators 
spent one day training the interviewers (five women and one man, three of the women 
being bilingual Maya-Spanish speakers, two being twenty somethings and university 
students), conducting practice interviews with three CASS alumni living in Guatemala 
City. 
Focus Groups
Nineteen ex-becarios, all living in Guatemala City, participated in two different focus 
groups (seven men and twelve women). Evaluators scheduled two other focus groups: 
one in Antigua, where only two women showed up out of a eight local ex-becarios focus 
group recruits, and two recruits were scheduled for a focus group in Quetzalenango, but 
called at the last moment and cancelled.
Participants discussed about 17 different questions, dealing with the CASS experience in 
the U.S. (issues such as the host families, volunteering, internship, leadership training, 
etc.) and nine dealing with issues concerning changes in their lives since returning 
(difficulty in transferring U.S. college credits to Guatemala, role in strengthening 
democracy, the CASS alumni association, changes in thinking about the country's 
environment, gender equity, and ethnic groups and minorities such as the deaf). Each 
focus group lasted about 90 minutes, was taped (after participants consented to do so), 
and transcribed. 
The following synthesizes the comments of the 19 participants, highlighting their 
suggestions about possible changes in CASS. Several ex-becarios mentioned ending up 
in U.S. communities where most residents spoke primarily Spanish, an obstacle slowing 
their learning of English. All stated strongly that the quality of education at the U.S. 
colleges was top notch, instilling in them a value of being more competitive with 
themselves, always demanding more of themselves and worrying less about whether they 
know more than others in their cohort. For example one described the education as 
follows: "the best part (lo bonito) was that there was theory and practical experience." 
Several stated that learning English was the most notable outcome and, to a lesser degree, 
learning to be more independent, more of an individual. Several of the 19 mentioned the 
most valuable aspect of the experience being to learn to make it on one's own, improved 
self-esteem, better relationships with other cultures.
As in Honduras, a few focus group participants believed that CASS awarded some 
scholarships because the candidate had the "pull" to influence the selection committee's 
thinking ("Uno de mis objetivos al venir a esta reunión es pedir que se le siga dando el 
apoyo al programa CASS, a la asociación, que se siga apoyando a los jóvenes de 
Guatemala, porque en realidad lo necesitamos, que le den el apoyo a las personas que se 
lo merezcan, porque habían personas que por 'cuello' obtuvieron la beca."). Another 
participant expressed similar thoughts by saying he knew someone awarded a scholarship 
who was from a family with money. A person from one of the Maya groups said that he 
knew of three cases in the last two years of award recipients who live in the city and 
"have money."
Host Families
All comments were extremely favorable, saying that it was the easiest way to learn 
English. Two of the 19 lived with Afro-Americans, learning about life in ways that have 
helped them ever since. Most lived one year with a family and a second as roommates in 
an apartment with other students, an experience they thought helped them be more 
independent on returning home. Many alumni are still in touch with their host families 
six years later; several host families having visited alumni in Guatemala. Several of the 
19 alumni mentioned learning to become more "independent," a value that they 
emphasized few Guatemalan twenty-somethings have. One woman lived in a female￾headed household. The 18 months with the 27 year-old mother of a little girl inspired the 
respondent to learn that women can live well by themselves...“here in Guatemala the 
situation for women is changing but before it was difficult for them." One respondent 
described the experience as a chance to learn how to manage time and money. Another 
participant described the experience as a chance to find out many Americans' behavior is 
"individualist," which is culturally shocking for Guatemalan's more social behavior 
although it was not completely negative and something from which the respondent could 
learn.
Predeparture Orientations
All of the participants thought the preparations were fine. They believed that they arrived 
at the community colleges better prepared than CASS students from other countries. This 
comment was similar to one heard several times in Honduras and by the Aguirre 
evaluator in the Dominican Republic. However, three or four participants mentioned 
knowing Honduras CASS alumni and thought that they had received better support 
before going and after returning.
Internships
This work experience ranked as one of the most valuable CASS experiences, several 
participants suggesting that internships should last longer than a few weeks and occur 
more than once weekly. Four of the 19 were dissatisfied that about having performed the 
internship in a type of work completely unrelated to the student's field of study. For 
example, one of these two worked two weeks packing clothes in boxes that he carried to 
trucks. Three of the 19 only performed data-entry tasks, an activity allowing little 
practice of their course materials. Two respondents said that the internship was too short, 
taking place in the last month of the respondent's 24 months in the U.S. and not fulfilling 
the 200 hours of internship the college coordinators had promised. The second of these 
two mentioned only interning two hours weekly for a total of 50 hours. Another 
mentioned starting an internship repairing hospital equipment although he was studying 
telecommunications. He mentioned this problem to the college coordinator, who 
answered that hospital equipment is electronic equipment, and one week later changed 
the respondent to a more appropriate internship, lasting two months, which seemed 
adequate to the respondent. 
Volunteering and Community Service Activities
Most participants commented that these activities had been useful, learning 
opportunities. For example, one participant learned about teamwork. One of 19 
described it negatively, saying that "it had been misunderstood as a chance to abuse us as 
a source of free labor in that one activity had been to help repair someone's house during 
which we were not even offered a glass of water. Even the college coordinators admitted 
that this had been a mistake. I suggest that the coordinators plan more carefully these 
activities so that they benefit a community and not simply one person." Three others 
suggested that students would benefit more from volunteering if there were better 
guidelines about which activities to select.
Leadership Training
Several of the 19 described it as "positive and enriching." One respondent expressed 
other participant's thinking on saying that "It was positive, giving us the chance to use the
freedom one possesses. These activities are directed at making us into leaders, someone 
who serves and motivates others." Another participant stated "It has a multiplier effect, 
like a seed that bears many fruits in others due to our example." Three of the 19 did not 
participate in any sort of leadership training in the U.S. Another only received one lecture 
about leadership one month before returning to Guatemala. Many of the women spoke 
about leadership in terms of stronger self-esteem and willingness to speak up to defend a 
"woman's" point of view.
Students' Impact on People in the U.S.
As "friendship ambassadors," many ex-becarios identified their biggest contribution to 
the U.S. as one of helping people learn more about Central and Latin American 
geography and history: "It was a beautiful experience because we broadened the North 
Americans' cultural vision." Most of the 19 participants' thoughts are summed up in this 
one comment: "It was important because we acted like multipliers of our cultures and 
through that North Americans learned about other cultures without having to travel."
The Environment, Gender Equity, and Ethnic Groups and Minorities in 
Guatemala
One woman spoke emotionally about how Guatemalan society had discriminated against 
her when she first opened her own microentreprise, overcoming sense of vulnerability by 
drawing on self confidence she had strengthened while in the U.S. Another stated that the 
CASS experience had reaffirmed the notion this respondent left Guatemala with, that all 
women have the same rights as men. Another female respondent added: "Due to CASS, I 
am more sure of myself and have another perspective about women in the labor market. 
Education is the base of everything because it makes us more sure of ourselves."
With respect to gender issues, one respondent said that he now treats women employees 
he supervises better after having lived in the U.S., saying that "it helps to know another 
culture in order to imitate part of it in yours."
One woman admitted that the experience had changed her thinking in that she used to 
believe that men knew more than women. She now realizes that women could do the 
same activities as men.
One of the participants identified himself as a Mayan Indian, saying that he now has a 
stronger self-esteem, appreciates other cultures more, and values his own and his home 
community more now than before. An Indian woman dressed in traje tipico (Maya 
clothing) said that she has a stronger sense of ethnic identity, fights against discrimination 
of Guatemala's Indians, and values her ethnic group more than previously.
Regarding the environment, several ex-becarios described how watching the behavior of 
people in the U.S. had changed their actions in that they no longer threw trash on the 
streets and felt badly watching others do so.
Acceptance of U.S. College Credits
Many of the 19 participants in the in-depth group interviews experienced large 
difficulties in transferring credits to Guatemalan universities. Some mentioned it being so 
difficult that it was simply easier to start from zero at local institutions. One respondent 
mentioned that the course credits did not help him find work, although he had pushed 
himself in the U.S., due to his lack of work experience. One of the 19 responded, "It cost
me a little to have my course credits accepted. I advanced my studies one year here in 
Guatemala based on these credits. It would be better to have a four-year degree because 
that's what the work context demands." A second respondent supported this answer by 
saying, "The technical education did not help much. What helps the most is knowing 
English and having studied in the U.S. A two-year technical degree leaves us out of the 
labor market because this demands that one have a four-year degree." As in Honduras, 
some Guatemalan alumni believe that CASS should provide scholarships for complete 
undergraduate degrees. 
Re-entry Workshops
One of the 19 participants said that the workshops "...had given us some guidelines about 
how to get into the labor market, helping us a lot due to our lack of work experience and 
that the workshops were practical." Several thought that the practice interviews were the 
key to their having found work. Most evaluated the workshops as useful, although one 
stated the workshop had partly "confused me about the salary level I should strive to earn 
and I had a difficult time finding work and then only found a job earning a low salary." 
Another said that the workshops had given her realistic salary expectations. She spent 
three months finding her first job after the scholarship and earned less than she had 
before going to the U.S. One year later she is now earning much more. She mentioned 
knowing alumni who had obtained well-paid jobs shortly after returning but had "bad" 
attitudes and lost them and are now unemployed.
Two of the 19 participants said that their workshops had occurred several weeks to two to 
three months after their return. They suggested that future workshops be scheduled for 
immediately after the ex-becarios' arrival. Apparently, as in Honduras, these participants 
were unaware that the country office can only schedule the re-entry workshop once the 
entire cohort of returnees have arrived which can be any time between June and August 
during any one promotional cycle.
Strengthening Democracy
Several of the 19 agreed with one participant's comment: "I am now more aware about 
the diversity of cultures and opinions and this is an excellent way to understand more 
about the overall diversity among peoples and know how to deal with confrontations, 
which might arise due to such differences, and I think this attitude can help us 
democratize our country." Another said, "I learned about the concept public well-being 
(concepto del bien común) and to seek the development of others." Another participant 
responded, "Because of the experience I am more tolerant and have learned to respect 
others' opinions and this multiples due to our example and others try to imitate our 
behavior of being tolerant." Two others said that this comment was identical to their way 
of thinking. Another participant linked leadership training to democratization of 
Guatemala, "People with whom I interact feel friendly with me and expect a lot from me. 
Both of us can help each other and, thus, together, we can help make our country a 
greater one. I can now count on my background including a positive mental attitude." 
Several respondents mentioned being more socially aware now than before. One 
respondent said, "The problem is that we used to believe that people don't change but I 
now know that change starts with every one of us. If all of us begin change with 
ourselves, in our homes and families, then we will democratize this country." Several 
mentioned teaching their children and those of others about gender equality and not 
throwing trash on the ground, two ways to make the country more democratic in the long 
run.
Alumni Association
The alumni in Antigua as well as most of the 19 in the Guatemalan City focus groups 
agreed that association is weak. Many commented that communication among alumni is 
difficult; some are "individualists who once back in the country completely lose their 
values about serving others." Another said, "I live too far away from Guatemala City to 
come to the meetings here and almost never receive any news about the association." One 
respondent suggested that the association should keep up with the ex-becarios' efforts to 
find jobs and that the association helps very little to do this. Another, from one of 
Guatemala's ethnic groups, does not participate in the association because it’s too 
"centralized," doing little outside the city and nothing for the rural education of the Maya 
peoples.
Another participant was involved with the association in 1997, saying that it only had a 
treasurer and a vice president. Alumni do not attend the meetings because few are 
notified about them because few bother to update the databases with changes in their 
telephone and addresses. To this comment, another added that the association's weakness 
is the alumni's fault who lack the interest or time to support its activities.
Interviews with Guatemala City Employers of Ex-becarios
The evaluation team interviewed six employers in or near Guatemala City. All were 
satisfied with the CASS employees and had not known them before their scholarship. 
Telephone calls to four other alumni employers did not result in interviews because the 
appropriate supervisors were too busy or traveling.
· A telephone interview with Firm #1 was about two of CASS' five deaf alumni 
who have worked several years in this U.S. subsidiary of a Guatemalan contractor 
(recently established firm with dozens, perhaps hundreds of employees) for data 
entry of health and medical insurance forms for U.S. fortune 500 companies. The 
supervisor evaluating the two alumni had managed them for about four to six 
months and knew little to nothing about the CASS scholarship. The alumni's 
career advancement was between the same and faster when compared with other 
similar, non-CASS employees. What stood out most among the supervisor's 
answers was the response to the question about how the firm had benefited most 
from the employees' U.S. training program "good production, they arrive here to 
do what everyone is supposed to do on arriving which is not to waste time and to 
get to work" (buena producción...viene a lo que es, vienen a lo que vienen que es 
trabajar y no perder el tiempo.).
· A telephone interview about an alumnus working for two years at Firm #2, a 
cement factory (founded many years ago, employing hundreds), revealed that the 
supervisor wanted to hire more people like the CASS employee who, apparently, 
has a gift for "getting along with people” (un don de gente). The supervisor 
commented favorably that the employee offers good suggestions about how to 
solve data-processing problems. The alumni's career advancement was, when 
compared with other similar, non-CASS employees, faster. The supervisor said 
that he would hire any CASS graduate with experience in technical drawing and 
technicians and mechanics knowledgeable about cement machinery. 
· An interview in the office of Firm #3, a 20 year-old Guatemalan subsidiary of a 
U.S. multinational, indicated that it employed about 35 technicians to maintain 
and sell security systems for businesses and airports. The supervisor offered the 
job to the CASS alumnus one year ago after interviewing five ex-becarios of 
which only this employee accepted the offer. He knew a lot about the CASS two￾year program. The alumnus' career advancement has been similar to that of other 
non-CASS employees. The firm has an adequately trained staff to meet needs. To 
the question about how has the firm benefited from the employees' CASS 
training, the supervisor responded, "The training gave him a can-do attitude, 
confident with customer relations, although introverted with other employees, 
good at customer satisfaction." He suggested nothing about ways to improve the 
CASS program, asking only that more Guatemalans be given the chance to study 
in the U.S. in that only one percent receives such training yet more than 10 
percent need it.
· A phone interview with a supervisor at Firm #4 dealt with the performance of one 
of five alumni at this firm (recently established with about 400 employees) 
contracted by the USDA to experiment with insects. One proxy indicator of the 
firm's satisfaction with CASS employees was that the Aguirre evaluator had a 
hard time convincing the supervisor that the interview was about employees' 
performance, not about offering more recent graduates to work there. The firm 
wants to hire two more like the CASS staff, although he mentioned having 
enough adequately trained employees to meet the goals of the firm's business 
plan. He had six CASS graduates, hiring five and not the sixth due to the person's 
lack of the correct work attitude. 
The supervisor knew a lot about CASS training, directing the CASS employee 
since March 2001. What he most liked about the training was the internship, 
practical experience distinguishing CASS from non-CASS employees. The career 
advancement of the five CASS graduates is faster than other non-CASS 
employees. Regarding the firm's greatest benefit from the CASS training, he said 
that it changed their attitude, giving them a more positive one of "getting things 
done," and "nothing impossible," a view that contrasts markedly with the average 
work attitude of non-CASS employees. He trusts these employees to make the 
most appropriate technical and managerial decision to resolve problems, whether 
the supervisor is there or not. His suggestions for improving CASS are that the 
graduates resumes are too similar, need to be tailored more to each ex-becario's 
background, and that the internships should be stressed even more in the letters of 
recommendation. He would like to see CASS work even more at recruiting high￾school graduates from small towns. Regarding future fields of study, he answered 
that his firm needs managers that know how to work with employees with low 
levels of education, high school or less; for example, how to tell an employee that 
the manager wants a 20 percent sample from 100 insects is easy but harder to 
communicate to less educated employees if the sample is 20 percent of 156 
insects.
· A telephone interview with a supervisor at Firm #5 was about the performance of 
one CASS ex-becario in a four-year old company with 250 employees making 
school uniforms for a U.S. multinational. The textile manufacturer has an 
adequately trained staff among whom were one, perhaps two other CASS alumni, 
one of which the supervisor knew. The respondent had managed the employee, 
whose career advancement has been faster than non-CASS employees, for about 
six months. What has most benefited the company from the CASS training was 
that the employee "...catches on to new ideas and procedures quickly." He 
identified as the most useful aspect of the training the students' learning about 
high, professional work standards, and the communal living experience 
(convivencia) of being in the U.S.
· Firm #6 was a producer of soft drinks and food products, an older company with 
hundreds of employees. The telephone interview was about a recent CASS 
returnee who started there about six months ago and has been managed by this 
supervisor for two months. The firm had another CASS employee, considered by 
everyone a good performer, who was there for a while and has now left the 
company. The manufacturer has an adequately trained staff but still needs to hire 
more appropriately trained people. Although this CASS graduate studied small 
business administration, the ex-becario did not work in this field for the company. 
Regarding the greatest benefit of the training for the company, the interviewee 
mentioned the employee's language skills in English and knowledge of computer 
programs.
Fields of Study and the USAID Strategic Focus 
The Guatemalan CASS office conducts a survey to determine local training needs that 
might be met through training in U.S. community colleges. The survey form used to 
evaluate training needs for scholarships in 2001 and 2002 is simple, easily completed in 
only a few minutes, and appropriate for the predicting the country's training needs. Such 
simplicity guarantees a high response rate, about 90 percent of the 63 organizations and 
individuals asked to answer the questionnaire returned it. The 63 participants represented 
an excellent range of private sector, governmental, and university institutions (journalists 
and specialists in microfinance to private business consultants) from throughout 
Guatemala. At least two people in the USAID office participated in the survey. The form 
of about 15 questions is appropriate for CASS information collection needs and 
consultation with its primary and secondary stakeholders.
A previous USAID concern about the CASS program was that it determined future 
training needs with only little consultation with USAID officials and their strategic focus 
for the country. Indeed, officials characterized the overlap between the strategic focus 
and the CASS fields of study as, until recently, "very little." During the last recruiting 
cycle and survey of future training needs, CASS appears to have addressed this concern 
by consulting with and working closely with several mission officials, who participate in 
the survey and in the interviews of candidates. The Aguirre team interviewed two of 
these officials who said they were satisfied with the way the CASS efforts complemented 
those of the USAID mission. Thus, the CASS coordination with USAID, one of its most 
significant stakeholders in all consultations, is clearly highlighted by the prominent role it 
asks the Mission to play in the survey of training needs, recruitment of candidates, and 
interviewing. The local office transmits this survey data to Georgetown for analysis. 
Georgetown takes the survey results, compares them with the offerings of participating 
community colleges, and determines the areas that CASS will offer in the following 
scholarship period of two years. The results are then shared with the LAC Bureau’s 
COTR for the CASS program.
As in Honduras, interviews with candidates took place in 2001 in several different parts 
of the country. The interviewers included CASS alumni, USAID officials, educators from 
the education and health ministries, and specialists from the Instituto de formación 
técnica.
Workforce Needs and CASS Alumni as "Risk Takers and Catalysts"
Aguirre interviews took place with one manufacturing association in textiles and 
maquilas, two governmental ministries, two U.S. governmental representatives, a labor 
economist with the United Nations, a health economist at a governmental and private 
training institution, INTECAP (Instituto Técnica de Capacitación y Productividad), and a 
labor market specialist at AGEXPRONT (Asociación Gremial de Exportadores de 
Productos no Tradicionales). Several of the interviewees stressed that the country is 
witnessing a sharp worsening (agudización) of the economic crisis, one which another 
interviewer described as an "economic calamity." The crisis has resulted partly from the 
collapse of international coffee prices (Guatemala is Central America's largest producer, 
now drowning in cheap coffee), a regional drought wiping out maize and bean fields for 
tens of thousands, and the economic recession among the country's major trading 
partners, particularly the U.S. and Mexico. 
Although less than two percent of the economically active population is unemployed, 33 
percent is underemployed in that these employees want to work more hours and cannot; 
or believe that they cannot find more work. Several interviewees commented that the 
government and private sector lack a clear vision of the nation's economic future, partly 
because the state has always been weak and done little to provide appropriate technical 
education to Guatemala's youth so that productivity rates increase, particularly for 
agricultural and maquila sectors. Public high schools are of low quality and few are free 
or inexpensive. The lack of an economic plan for sustainable development is a major 
structural weakness of the labor market. The following is based on the comments from 
eight different interviews and the analysis of documents provided by the participants.
· The president of the American Chamber of Commerce of Guatemala seemed to 
know little about CASS, preferring to describe the successes of the Universidad 
Galileo from which he suggested that CASS might learn something. Apparently, 
one of these successes includes teaching Guatemalan Army soldiers to build their 
own homes so that when they leave the Army they might work as construction 
foremen helping to solve the national crisis of low-income housing. The Aguirre 
evaluator called dean's office at the Universidad Galileo several times to speak 
with the assistant dean who was recommended by the chamber of commerce. 
During the two days left to finish the evaluation, no one in the dean's office had 
time to meet and discuss future training needs.
· The second interview was with a USAID official who said the candidates and the 
fields of study for CASS used to be selected "very independently" from USAID's 
strategic focus. The official mentioned that recently the two programs have started 
to complement each other a little more, CASS "coinciding" more with the training 
needs identified by USAID's network of member institutions.
· The third interview was with a labor and political specialist from the U.S. 
Embassy who knew nothing about CASS. He discussed the following types of 
work as probably continuing to generate jobs: low-income housing, bamboo 
(particularly for construction), telephone-line technicians, shrimp for export 
(apparently described in a New York Times article in November 2001), certified 
gourmet, organic coffee growers (production, classification, and packaging for 
export and to take over the role of foreign middlemen and roast, grind, and 
package), and non-traditional farming of cold weather export crops (Chinese 
cabbage, broccoli, snow peas—products also mentioned in Honduras as growth 
sectors).
· The fourth interview was with a specialist at the education ministry who has 
collaborated with CASS for four years in recruiting, interviewing, and selecting 
rural candidates for one-year teaching scholarships at the Alamo Community 
College District in San Antonio. The ministry has a strong commitment to CASS: 
while they study in Texas, it pays for teachers' salaries. The specialist was 
satisfied with the candidates' profile in that all are from rural areas and low￾income, and most are women and from ethnic groups. Five scholarships had been 
dedicated to Garífuna teachers, but this specialist said that size of this ethnic 
group is small and that only two were awarded. He characterized the selection and 
interviews as rigorous and transparent, with no one's "pull" ("cuello") or influence 
helping candidates to obtain an award. Moreover, the education minister had told 
him to tell the Aguirre evaluator that the minister was "very satisfied" with CASS. 
The Texas curriculum seemed sound, excellent for Guatemala's needs, given that 
the country's recent educational reform receives some attention by Alamo's 
professors.
· INTECAP (Instituto Técnica de Capacitación y Productividad) was the fifth 
institutional interview. A health economist, who knew little about the CASS 
program, discussed some of the achievements of the Swedish development 
agency (Apoyo sueco para el desarrollo intergral, ASDI) as examples of future 
training in rural health. The country needs technicians and advocates (promotoras 
de salud) for dealing with family violence, reproductive problems among 
teenagers, the health concerns (such as outbreaks cholera and dengue fever) of the 
country's migrant farm laborers and of Indian women, and ethno or folk medicine 
(seven municipalities have handicraft workshops for the processing medicinal 
plants and more should exist).
· Two labor market specialists and several of their reports were the source of 
information resulting from the sixth interview at the United Nations Program for 
Development (UNDP). The reports included Mercado de trabajo y pobreza en 
Guatemala, which is based on the 1998-99 Encuesta de Ingresos y Gastos de las 
Familias, and the UNDP's 2001 publication, Guatemala: El financiamiento del 
desarrollo humano (www.onu.org.gt/indh2001). One of the specialists knew a lot 
about the CASS program, describing the alumni as "risk takers and catalysts." 
This information reveals training needs in the following fields: eco-tourism, 
gourmet coffee and its packaging, non-traditional agricultural products, textile 
maquila, forestry, health workers to prevent epidemics (promotoras de salud, now 
done by volunteers), and construction supervisors to build low-income housing 
(partly a result of the lack of governmental policy about such housing).
· The seventh interview was with a sociologist who is director of one of the labor 
ministry's most significant training programs. He knew nothing about CASS and, 
hearing the scholarship described, characterized it as exactly what the country 
needs to produce--two-year graduates who are technicians in empowering small￾scale communities (técnicos en potenciar pequeñas comunidades). One of the 
ministry's large-scale ideas is the farming of maize near large tree plantations. 
International funding would underwrite partly the cost of helping Guatemala 
become, like Costa Rica, a storage area (sink) for the planet's excess carbon, 
allowing other nations to meet their Kyoto requirements. Such a plan would 
generate jobs for forest technicians who would work for small associations of 
maize producers living in the country's hundreds of villages. He also suggested 
technicians in ethno-medicine.
His most noteworthy suggestion was the training of technicians in health and 
workplace safety issues who would work with export agriculture or maquilas in 
the clothing industry. Such technicians would help assure the compliance of the 
products and workplaces with labor, health, and safety standards required by the 
U.S. Department of Labor, the World Trade Organization, and ISO 9000. The 
Universidad Galileo, opened about one year ago in Guatemala City, is now 
offering courses in such a specialization, a field of study that CASS coursework in 
quality control might easily adopt.
· The labor specialist for clothing maquilas at AGEXPRONT (Asociación Gremial 
de Exportadores de Productos no Tradicionales), the eighth interviewee, 
suggested training similar to what the Ministry of Labor sociologist suggested, 
although neither knew the Aguirre evaluator had spoken with the other 
interviewee. The maquilas in the Guatemalan apparel and textile industry have a 
large capacity to grow and generate jobs requiring little formal education. 
According to the industry specialist, they are proud of providing work for Indian 
women (70% of the maquila workers) in rural areas who are widows of men 
killed in the country's civil war. However, human rights and anti-sweatshop 
advocates accuse the industry of unfair labor and workplace practices. According 
to the AGEXPRONT specialist, the industry wants to hire technicians who have 
training in human resources and health and safety issues in the workplace. Such a 
technician would be sensitive to the issues confronting Indian women on the 
factory floor while helping the firm comply with international standards for air 
and water quality, and worker safety and appropriate labor conditions. Although 
the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala offers an undergraduate degree in textile 
engineering, the industry spokesman believed that a two-year degree could 
provide technicians in workplace safety and health that clothing industry need to 
hire.
CASS in Honduras:
An Evaluation of Activities from 1994 to 2001
Introduction
Thirty-six ex-becarios participated in three different focus groups, two with participants 
in Tegucigalpa and one in San Pedro Sula (one woman, six men, five with pre-1994 
scholarships). The first group from the capital included 16 ex-becarios (7 women, 2 
participants with scholarships before 1994, one woman awarded scholarships twice). 
Thirteen ex-becarios participated in the second one (eight women, six with pre-1994 
scholarships, one man awarded scholarships twice). Only 2 or 3 of the 36 ex-becarios
lived and studied in the U.S. for less than two years, both being construction supervisors 
(one female). 
The evaluators interviewed about half of the CASS graduates who studied in the U.S. 
between 1994 and 2001. The CIED office listed the names of 269 students who 
completed successfully their scholarships and returned to Honduras. Of these, the 
Tegucigalpa office provided information about 243, 190 for two years in about a dozen 
different fields of study, 8 to study health for one year, 10 for education for one year, and 
35 for six months or less of training as construction supervisors. Evaluators reduced the 
list of 243 by about 30 ex-becarios (returned grantees) because they had married and left 
the country, studied or worked outside of Honduras no longer had accurate addresses or 
telephone numbers on the list, or had died (4). Of the 213, evaluators obtained addresses 
and telephone numbers of 208 alumni.
Evaluators selected 150 names from the list of about 208 ex-becarios for interviews. Of 
these, 127 ex-becarios participated in the interviews conducted from early December 
until January 8, 2002; the others being unavailable due to work, December holiday 
travels, and difficult to contact resulting from out-of-date addresses and phone numbers. 
Although the selection of interviewees was not random, participants seemed to include 
every part of Honduras that ex-becarios come from (for example, the Bay Islands in the 
Caribbean and one of four alumni living in the department of Gracias a Dios) and an 
equal number of men, women, and members of the country's ethnic groups, and all the 
fields of study for CASS has awarded scholarships since 1994, including several for 3-6 
and 12 months. The largest group of alumni was from Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, 
urban areas where many CASS alumni live due to the employment opportunities. 
Evaluators relied on telephone and mail interviews only in a few cases, traveling during 
December 2001 and January 2002 to the workplaces and homes of more than 90 percent 
of the ex-becarios for their participation in an interview lasting about one hour. To locate 
alumni in the departments of Colón and Gracias a Dios required innovative procedures--
radio advertisements, telephone calls, messages sent by fax, email, and people traveling 
to these departments who were friends of the alumni. For example, an official from the 
Misquitos Association (MOPAWI) traveled to Gracias a Dios, offering to contact the four 
alumni and delivery the questionnaires to them. As of early January, only one of the four 
in that department had returned the survey form. In the department of Colón, a friend of 
one of the Aguirre evaluators was a radio announcer and made public service 
announcements, asking CASS alumni in the department to meet with the evaluators. 
Eight construction supervisors and teachers filled out questionnaires and mailed them to 
the Aguirre evaluator in Tegucigalpa who then called respondents to clarify some of the 
answers.
Interviews took place with four employers of CASS alumni (two in Tegucigalpa and two 
in San Pedro Sula) and with six Tegucigalpa specialists in future workforce needs.
Impact of CASS on Honduran Education
Based on interviews at the Consejo Hondureño de la empresa privada and Instítuto 
nacional de formación professional (INFOP), governmental officials and others changing 
post-high school educational programs examined the CASS model of two-year, technical 
degrees and drew on parts of it to promote the recent Ley de Educación Alternativa no 
Formal. "Flexibility" is the term used by many observers about the CASS model, easily 
customized to the changing employment and training needs and, according to many, an 
uncommon trait of the country's national educational programs.
Interviews with Honduran Graduates (Ex-becarios) 
As discussed in Appendix B, the Aguirre International evaluators interviewed 127 of the 
CASS graduates who studied in the U.S. between 1994 and 2001. During 7 years, CASS 
awarded 269 scholarships. Of these, the Tegucigalpa office had information about 243: 
190 for two years in about a dozen different fields of study, 8 to study health for one year, 
10 for education for one year, and 35 for six months or less of training as construction 
supervisors. 
Focus Groups 
Participants discussed about 17 different questions, dealing with the CASS experience in 
the U.S. (issues such as the host families, volunteering, internship, leadership training, 
etc.) and nine dealing with issues concerning changes in their lives since returning to 
Honduras (difficulty in transferring U.S. college credits to Honduras, role in 
strengthening democracy, the CASS alumni association, changes in thinking about the 
country's environment, gender equity, and ethnic groups and minorities such as the deaf). 
Each focus group lasted about 90 minutes, was taped (after participants consented to do 
so), and transcribed. Every ex-becario was eager to talk, one interview lasting almost two 
hours. 
All 36 were extremely satisfied with their scholarship and time in the U.S. and thankful 
to CIED, USAID, and people of the U.S. for having given them this life-changing 
experience. One answered, when asked about what was most important about CASS that 
he learned to be concerned (aprender a preocuparse) about his country's well being. 
Another answered the same question, saying that he had learned how to share knowledge 
of what he knows how to do. One ex-becario summed up the thinking of many others on 
answering the same question: all feel that they owe Honduras something. Another said 
that the best part of CASS is that they recruit and award scholarships to only low-income 
candidates, people who "are diamonds in the rough and CASS is their sculptor." He said 
that most Hondurans have the intelligence to benefit from an education like CASS but 
unfortunately not all Hondurans have the same opportunities. According to one woman, 
the re-entry workshops and tips for looking for employment are so useful that she feels 
"committed to CASS and in its debt for the rest of her life." Regarding CASS's most 
significant aspect, several mentioned the strong program structure and rigorous and 
transparent selection of candidates for the award. Several comments about CASS's 
greatest value relate to sustainable development: learning to work as a group, teamwork 
with other scholarship holders from different parts of Honduras and elsewhere in Central 
America and the Caribbean.
The following synthesizes the comments of the 36 participants, highlighting their 
suggestions about possible changes in CASS. A few ex-becarios had the erroneous 
impression that most scholarships were awarded to candidates from Tegucigalpa, 
suggesting that CASS needed greater geographical coverage. Other participants 
disagreed. Several ex-becarios mentioned ending up in U.S. communities where most 
residents spoke primarily Spanish, an obstacle slowing their learning of English.
Host Families 
All comments were extremely favorable. Most lived one year with a family and a second 
as roommates in an apartment with other students, an experience they thought helped 
them be more independent on returning to Honduras. One participant had problems with 
her first family (they allowed no use of the kitchen from Friday at 6PM to Monday at 
6AM and she had little money or language skills), changed family, and still is in touch 
with them 16 years later.
Predeparture Orientation
Everyone thought the preparations were fine. They believed that they arrived at the 
community colleges better prepared than CASS students from other countries.
Internships 
This work experience ranked as one of the most valuable CASS experiences, several 
participants suggesting that internships should last longer than a few weeks. One woman 
characterized her internship as of little value, suggesting that internships be more tightly 
linked to course work and better organized.
Volunteering and Community Service Activities
All participants commented that these activities had been useful, learning opportunities. 
Leadership Training
At least participant used the training to compete and win a trip to a regional leadership 
conference in Okalahoma. Another received an expense paid trip to the Leadership 
Center of the Americas. During a presidency of the international club, one participant 
organized fundraising events to send money to the Honduran victims of Hurricane Mitch. 
One ex-becario spoke about leadership in terms of knowing better how to "market" her 
beliefs in the most persuasive way to convince others. Others simply mentioned feeling
much more self confident. A woman said that many ex-becarios were from conservative 
families in which women were submissive and silent. She said that if she had never left 
her home town she would have always remained silent rather than learning how to 
disagree politely with others and defend her viewpoint.
Students' Impact on People in the U.S. 
As "friendship ambassadors," many ex-becarios identified their biggest contribution to 
the U.S. as one of helping people learn more about Central and Latin American 
geography and history.
The Environment, Gender Equity, and Ethnic Groups and Minorities in 
Honduras
Most of the men agreed that seeing men cooking and women working at construction 
sites in the U.S. has made them more aware about gender issues in Honduras. Indeed, 
because of the six months with CASS, one of the male construction supervisors has 
started to hire female brick masons who often are more efficient workers than men. What 
most changed during his time in the U.S. was his thinking about women and their role in 
the workforce. Because of two CASS scholarships, one ex-becario has now worked for 
several years helping low-income Honduran women become microentreprenuers. One 
female student specializing in small-scale agricultural management overcame her 
stereotype about only men driving tractors and milking cows and now does both. Most 
ex-becarios were articulate about the difficulties of the Honduran deaf.
Regarding the environment, several ex-becarios described how watching the behavior of 
people in the U.S. had changed their actions in Honduras in that they no longer threw 
trash on the streets and felt bad on watching others do so.
A black nurse spoke elegantly about health issues and drug abuse in the country, 
particularly among youth and ethnic groups in rural areas.
Acceptance of U.S. College Credits
Most participants agreed that private colleges in Honduras more easily accepted their 
credits than public universities such as the Universidad Nacional Autonomy de Honduras. 
Apparently, the public ones require not only a notarized copy of the degree but also a 
detailed and notarized description of course content, something most U.S. schools seldom 
provide. According to one participant, officers of the alumni association are trying to 
solve this problem.
Some expressed frustration about not having received a scholarship for four years. One 
agreed with this opinion, although admitted that it sounded "selfish" to ask for a doubling 
of the scholarship which would reduce the number of awards for others. He also stressed 
that the scholarship had changed his life "180 degrees." These frustrations seen to exist 
partly due to the difficulty of transferring U.S. credits to Honduras, to competing with 
others with four-year degrees, and from a lack of prestige or legitimacy for two-year 
technical degrees. 
Re-entry Workshops
All of the post-1994 ex-becarios stressed that these had been useful in preparing 
themselves to work and live again in Honduras. Several of the pre-1994 becarios received 
either little or no training on returning, stressing that their transition would have benefited 
from such workshops. For example, several credited the workshops for helping them 
develop realistic expectations about salary levels and work responsibilities, even to 
accept a low-paid job to obtain experience. One participant said that the workshops 
helped him be more humble about looking for work and negotiating salaries, thinking in 
terms of the local currency and not a salary in dollars.
Three to five of the 36 participants said that their workshops had occurred several weeks 
to two to three months after their return. They suggested that future workshops be 
scheduled for immediately after the ex-becarios' arrival. Apparently, these participants 
were unaware that the country office can only schedule the re-entry workshop once the 
entire cohort of returnees have arrived which can be any time between June and August 
during any one promotional cycle.
Strengthening Democracy
Based on experiences of watching a jury trail and being an officer in the university 
student association, one participant believed that the way people debate issues in the U.S. 
is a notion about which Hondurans and its politicians need to learn more. Another 
emphasized learning about national budgetary issues, civic participation, transparency 
and accountability in political decision-making, concepts that helped him make a more 
informed choice of candidate in the country's November presidential elections. An ex￾becario followed up this discussion with the comment that he previously voted for a 
political party or based on candidates his family had always voted for but now selected 
the "best qualified candidate." Another stated that although most Honduran politicians 
might be dishonest, he plans to become involved in local politics in two to three years 
because the country needs a new type of politician.
Alumni Association
The association helps an organization dealing with children with AIDs and another with 
older people. Also it has provided several focus-group participants with information 
about employment opportunities. One novel idea was that the alumni association would 
like to conduct a marketing campaign to make the association better know to all ex￾becarios and other Honduras. Accordingly, the first step is to design a website and seek 
USAID approval to combine its logo with one of CASS so that everyone recognizes the 
CASS educational "product." 
One ex-becario credited the association with convincing him that it is better to achieve 
goals by working together than individually. Since returning, one participant has moved 
twice in Honduras, always relying on alumni for tips about where to rent and seek 
employment. One of the association founders said that in 16 years the most noteworthy 
contributions of the alumni have been in helping needy people, strengthening friendships 
among the ex-becarios, and networking for jobs.
Interviews with Honduran Employers of Ex-becarios
The evaluation team interviewed two employers in Tegucigalpa and two in San Pedro 
Sula. All were satisfied with the CASS employees and had not known them before their 
scholarship. 
Firm #1, in San Pedro Sula, specialized in telecommunications, was about seven to eight 
years old, and employed 19 people. One ex-becario worked there six years ago, another 
was with them a few months years ago, two are currently with the company, and none of 
them were there before receiving the CASS award. The employer spoke specifically 
about one ex-becario he has known for the 10 months. The ex-becario has a positive 
work attitude and is persistent at getting the done and has a career advancement similar to 
non-CASS employees. He emphasized that employees needed to shift quickly from one 
responsibility to another in the company, a skill not all employees had yet developed and 
one the ex-becario was a little better than some and could improve more. Employees 
needed to improvise a temporary solution to technical problems, exhaust their abilities to 
solve them, and then seek help from supervisors. The employer suggested, based on what 
he heard about the ex-becario’s internship, that internship should last longer. He 
described some of the ex-becario’s behavior in ways that sounded like false expectations 
in that the ex-becario had arrived at the job expecting to sit behind the desk and supervise 
others rather than going out to the field to climb tall radio towers. He noted that this 
attitude seemed to be changing.
Firm #2, also in San Pedro Sula, hired an ex-becario, who was not in the company before 
the scholarship, one year ago as a quality control specialist. The supervisor was most 
impressed with her good work attitude, willingness to get along well with other 
employers, and be a “quick learn” about the maquila industry about which the ex-becario 
had no previous knowledge. She identified the ex-becario’s spoken and written English 
as her greatest skill. Her one suggestion was that CASS should advertise more often and 
throughout Honduras so that potential employers know about the quality of the CASS 
educational "product." (See also general recommendations in this report about marketing 
CASS).
Firm #3, a Tegucigalpa business, had several dozen employees, was more than 10 years 
old, and specialized in civil and industrial engineering. The employer thought, based on 
the ex-becarios' comments, that the CASS recruiting and selection of candidates were 
transparent, thorough, and systematic. He said that the CASS employee had started the 
job with false expectations about salary and responsibilities in the firm but had become
more realistic over the many months since returning to Honduras and the new job. An 
industrial engineer graduated from UCLA in the late 1960s, the employer described the 
salaries in his sector as being "deprimidos" (stagnant, frozen), an engineer earning about 
the same in 2001 as this employer had two decades ago. The employer's comments about 
CASS returnees arriving with false expectations were similar to provided by an ex￾becario who studied in the late 1980s and participated in CASS workshops preparing 
students to start the scholarship and adjust to Honduran lifestyles and work two years 
later. He agreed that some students returned with an overly optimistic sense of how much 
they should earn and what responsibilities they deserved but thought that the reentry 
workshops of the last few years better prepared the ex-becarios for the realities of the 
national labor market.
Firm #4, a beer company in Tegucigalpa with hundreds of employees, hired two quality 
control ex-becarios two years ago (neither having been in the firm before CASS). An 
excellent work attitude (abnegados en su trabajo, sacrifice whatever for the job) and 
spoken and written English were the skills most important for these ex-becarios' 
supervisor. In fact, she was more impressed by their work attitude than their knowledge 
about quality control, which she characterized as being more than adequate. The 
company has already promoted one of them to be a supervisor of a quality-control 
department. Both employees's careers were advancing quicker than similar non-CASS 
employees. The ex-becarios' supervisor would have liked both of them to know a little 
more about statistics, microbiology, and personnel and other management issues but 
added that their CASS preparation made the firm's future training in these topics 
relatively easy.
Workforce Needs
The evaluators interviewed six specialists in six different institutions, ranging from the 
USAID to educators at a private university and business owners in the city's chamber of 
commerce.
An interview with a member of a foundation specializing in investments for and 
development of Honduran exports revealed the country needs more twenty something’s 
with two year degrees like those of CASS and the Universidad José Celio del Valle 
(Tegucigalpa), one of the few offering such programs. He believed that two-year, 
technical degrees are still poorly understood. He suggested a social marketing campaign 
to change the general public's evaluation of two year degrees. This foundation official 
thought that diesel engineering technicians are needed as are better prepared construction 
foremen like the 30 or so already awarded CASS scholarships. He and other foundation 
officials recently participated in a workshop about future Honduran labor market needs 
organized by Harvard's Michael Porter and Jeffery Sachs, among others. Four sectors 
mentioned in the workshop were tourism, forest products, highly value-added agro￾industrial products (for example, Chinese vegetables carefully packaged for Miami 
restaurants), and light assembly maquiladora production of clothes completely 
manufactured and packed in Honduras (see also Honduran Highlights, 
www.hondurasinfo.hn for 2001 quarterly reports concerning mining as becoming third 
largest export sector and agricultural maquilas). He mentioned the design of clothes as a 
possible two-year specialization as well as quality-control specialists familiar and World 
Trade Organization and ISO standards. 
Conversations with an educator at Universidad José Cecilio del Valle, who previously 
advised CASS about training needs, emphasized one specific field, elementary and high 
school mathematics teachers. She referred to a recent article in the city's newspaper, El 
Heraldo (December 4, 2001, page 10, "Sólo 2 mil de 15 mil alumnos pasaron matemática 
en la universidad") about teaching university math courses to freshmen. She described a 
recent conference she had attended by a Japanese researcher from Japan's International 
Cooperation Agency who lectured about solving this problem of poor performance 
through by better preparing elementary school math teachers. 
An interview with members of Cámara de Comercio e Industria de Tegucigalpa (CCIT) 
generated the following suggestions about future labor market needs and the training of 
twenty somethings: 
· quality-control specialists in the production of wood and metal office furniture, in 
the aquaculture, processing, and packaging of tilapia fish (or frogs and river 
shrimp), and in pottery handicrafts for export; and
· forestry engineering, wood products, and reforestation.
The Aguirre evaluators interviewed two labor economists at the Honduran office at the 
Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD). Many of their comments 
are the results of the research for and writing of PNUD's annual publications, Informe 
sobre el desarrollo humano en Honduras 1999: el impacto humano de un huracán and 
the 2000 report: Por un crecimiento con equidad. They suggested that quality control 
specialists and technicians are needed in the following: non-traditional farming products 
and packaging (for example, oriental vegetables for Miami restaurants), eco-tourism, 
low-income housing, dairy products (Olancho recently conducted the country's first 
dairy-products fair), shoes and other leather products, and traditional or ethno-medicine. 
Interviews with specialists in microentrepuership and planners at INFOP (Instítuto 
nacional de formación profesional) mentioned most of these same workforce needs. 
Fields of Study and the USAID Strategic Focus 
The Honduran CASS office conducts a survey to determine local training needs that 
might be met through training in U.S. community colleges. The survey form used to 
evaluate training needs for scholarships in 2001 and 2002 is simple, easily completed in 
only a few minutes, and appropriate for the Honduran needs. Such simplicity guarantees 
a high response rate, about 85-90 percent of the 92 organizations and individuals asked to 
answer the questionnaire returned it. The 92 participants represented an excellent range 
of private sector, governmental, and university institutions (television stations to private 
business consultants) from throughout Honduras. Several filled at the questionnaire and 
wrote one to two page, single-spaced letters describing training needs, for example, in the 
management of environmental risk after the Hurricane Mitch. At least three people in the 
Honduras AID office and four at the US embassy participated in the survey. The form of 
about 15 questions is appropriate for CASS information collection needs and consultation 
with its primary and secondary stakeholders.
A previous USAID concern about the CASS program was that it determined future 
training needs with only little consultation with USAID officials and their strategic focus 
for the country. CASS appears to have addressed this concern by consulting with and 
working closely with at least three mission officials, who participate in the survey and in 
the interviews of candidates. The Aguirre team interviewed two of these officials who 
said they were satisfied with the way the CASS efforts complemented those of the 
USAID mission. Thus, the Honduran CASS' coordination with USAID, one of its most 
significant stakeholders in all consultations, is clearly highlighted by the prominent role it 
asks the Mission to play in the survey of training needs, recruitment of candidates, and 
interviewing. The local office transmits this survey data to Georgetown for analysis. 
Georgetown takes the survey results, compares them with the offerings of participating 
community colleges, and determines the areas that CASS will offer in the following 
scholarship period of two years. The results are then shared with the LAC Bureau’s 
COTR for the CASS program.
General Recommendations about Honduras
One of the institutions seldom participating in the survey of training needs is the Cámara 
de Comercio e Industria de Tegucigalpa (CCIT). Based on interviews with four of their 
directors and members, the CCIT would like a more active role in CASS. It wants to be 
more involved in determining the future training needs, offering the services of its labor 
specialists and economists. CCIT wants to participate more in the recruitment, selection 
and interviewing of candidates, and job placement of the recently returned ex-becarios. 
They want to strengthen (afianzar) and refine (afinar) the relationship between CITT's as 
many as 2,000 associates and CASS.
Both the United Nations (PUND) labor economists and an international business 
specialist, who has advised CASS in the past, discussed general educational issues that 
CASS may want to consider. These might be covered in lectures during the orientation 
workshops before leaving for the U.S., during the re-entry workshops, and perhaps at the 
U.S. community colleges. The interviewees described one issue as follows: an education 
policy that instills the values of a culture of not immigrating to the U.S. The CASS 
becarios illustrate to their friends, relatives, and social networks this attitude of "...not 
giving up on Honduras…" a change for the better that their own lives highlight. Ex￾becarios understand this message although the interviewees thought that it should be 
positively reinforced at times and made know to the general public based on a campaign 
of social marketing. The second issue concerns an education stressing that all CASS 
awardees--as with all young, twenty something Hondurans--have to consider themselves 
potential business people and their own bosses, generating jobs, risking capital, and 
establishing small businesses. According to the interviewees, this message deserves 
constant repeating to the potential CASS awardees, ex-becarios, and the entire nation's 
teenagers and twenty-somethings (see publications by Consejo Nacional de Pequena 
Empresa and those of the United Nations, PNUD 2000, page 63, "modernizando la 
microempresa y reduciendo el subempleo"). Several of the interviewees emphasized that 
future CASS becarios and recent ex-becarios need to be "polivalentes", trained for many 
different types of technical work. They also characterized the labor market with three 
terms that all CASS participants could benefit from learning: vulnerability, immobility, 
and precariousness. The explained this mantra as follows: 
· each sector of the economy a young worker may enter is vulnerable in that each 
sector lacks a solid base resulting from the increasing productivity of its workers, 
finances that are free of taxes, debts or other encumbrances, and flexible enough 
to adjust to market changes, a solid base from which to withstand crises and 
shocks in the international, national, and sectorial economies;
· workers are immobile; they have little or no capacity to learn new job skills in 
types of work other than their own which might have extremely low levels of 
productivity; and
· conditions of work in a sector are precarious in that no one knows how long the 
job might last, the workplace is unsafe, and the chances for promotion are 
limited.
Much of what these interviews revealed seems to be the beginnings of a Creole, 
Honduran version of Daniel H. Pink's writings (2001) in Free Agent Nation: How 
America's New Independent Workers Are Transforming the Way We Live.
One of the interviewees suggested that the Honduran office needs a donation of a newer 
computer system. This person also believed that the office would operate with even 
greater efficiency if the Peace Corps were to assign it a volunteer with strong educational 
and practical experience in business and management.
Most employers agreed that the CASS education taught the ex-becarios how to continue 
teaching themselves, a notion in Spanish that translates with the precision of a laser 
beam, "enseñar a aprender."
Some Observations about Country Contrasts
Academic Issues
Eight in-depth group interviews with about 90 alumni across the three countries revealed 
that many wanted to take more courses at the colleges, perform more volunteer activities, 
and work more hours more often in their internships. Evaluators further probed them with 
questions posed as trade-offs, for example, "how many less hours of class study and 
volunteering might a student agree to in order to increase the time invested in the 
internship?" Although most of the alumni seemed to want more of everything, they did 
not respond with a strong preference ranking the activities. Perhaps future CASS 
questionnaires should ask returnees to rank the activities in terms of trade-offs in time 
and benefits.
Several alumni in Guatemala and Honduras seem to misunderstand the CASS purpose in 
that they are frustrated that the scholarships did not underwrite a four-year undergraduate 
degree rather than a two-year of study. Aguirre suggests that the departure and re-entry 
workshops emphasize even more why the scholarship funds only 24 months of study.
Alumni Association
Compared with alumni in the Dominican Republic and Honduras, Guatemalan CASS 
alumni are different. Their association is weaker than that of their counterparts in the 
other two countries. They cancelled two focus groups and only two of eight arrived for a 
third. They have not kept up to date their addresses and telephone numbers in the 
Guatemalan office; thus, they were hard to contact about participating in the interviews. 
When contacted, most of the respondents agreed to interviews only by telephone, being 
too busy to speak with enumerators willing to travel to their homes or workplaces 
whenever convenient to the respondent. In the other two countries, evaluators had to rely 
on telephone interviews in only a few cases among several hundred interviews. 
Compared with alumni from the other two countries, more of the Guatemalans seem to 
have left their country to live in the U.S. What makes the Guatemalan case noteworthy is 
the assumption that the values represented by the CASS alumni are representative of 
those of many, perhaps most, non-CASS Guatemalans.
A simple explanation about the Guatemalan differences is not readily apparent. 
Guatemala's size and population are many times larger than any of the other seven 
countries (D.R., 8.2 million population, GDP per head, $1770, area of 48,000 sq km, 
median age, 23.9 years; Guatemala: 10.8 million population, GDP per head, $1,640, 
109,000 sq.km. median age, 17.8 years; Honduras: 6.1 million population, GDP per head, 
$740, 112,000 sq. km, median age, 18.8 years). Topographically, it is more rugged and 
distances are longer between towns and cities. Guatemala City is the primary urban 
center, ranked several times higher on the settlement pyramid of cities to villages, 
overwhelming the others much like Caracas and Buenos Aires do their national 
landscapes. One of the most likely explanations would combine these "sufficient 
conditions" in any explanation with the indispensable "necessary" ones of extreme ethnic 
stratification and recent emergence from decades of civil war. 
One of these necessary conditions seems to be part of the metaphor making up a joke told 
to one evaluator in Honduras, one that is common in many parts of Latin America. When 
asked which aspect of all the CASS experiences had the greatest value, one exbecario 
answered that it was having learned while in the U.S. to work with others as a team, 
teamwork that this respondent liked as part of his collaboration with the alumni 
association. The respondent continued by saying that understanding the value of 
teamwork had changed his behavior in that he now joined in on less cangrejeras (“crab 
antics”) in which many Hondurans participate. The evaluator was not completely sure of 
the meaning of la cangrejera, asking the respondent to explain it. The term derives from 
the way crabs in a barrel, in trying to crawl out, pull one another back down the sides. In 
Honduran seafood markets, sellers never keep a lid on a barrel of Honduran crabs, only 
doing so when they are selling crabs from the U.S. because, when one of these reaches 
the top of the barrel by climbing up on the backs of others, that crab reaches down to help 
others escape. Many Central Americans talk about people behaving like these crabs with 
the expression "se armó la cangrejera." It might be that Hondurans and Dominicans have 
moved further away from the individual psychology of "crab antics" than Guatemalans. 
Thus, CASS students from this country may still need to make even larger cultural 
changes so that they and all Guatemalans work as a team to improve the country.
Perhaps CASS in Guatemala can undertake a social marketing campaign on the radio, 
TV, and in the newspapers highlighting its graduates' training that helps them create a 
dedicated sense of teamwork to help the country (sacar adelante la patria). 
Management Changes
In Honduras, one of the institutions seldom participating in the survey of training needs is 
the Cámara de Comercio e Industria de Tegucigalpa (CCIT). Based on interviews with 
four of their directors and members, the CCIT would like a more active role in CASS. It 
wants to be more involved in determining the future training needs, offering the services 
of its labor specialists and economists. CCIT wants to participate more in the recruitment, 
selection and interviewing of candidates, and job placement of the recently returned ex￾becarios. They want to strengthen (afianzar) and refine (afinar) the relationship between 
CITT's as many as 2,000 associates and CASS.
APPENDIX F
Site Visit Reports
Alamo Community College District
Broome Community College
Harris-Stowe State College
Modesto Junior College
Reedley College
St. Louis Community College
CASS EVALUATION
SITE VISIT TO ALAMO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
San Antonio, Texas
January 23-25, 2002
Overview
The Alamo Community College District (ACCD) hosts both one-year and two-year 
CASS programs. The program is administered by a very competent staff, and it enjoys 
generally strong support from the ACCD administration, the faculty and the community. 
(One exception seems to be a lack of English-speaking families willing to host CASS 
students.) The program appears to be academically strong, and it provides a large amount 
of practical job experience. CASS students work hard and do well. Despite their struggle 
with English language, the CASS students enjoy their experience and exploit the many 
opportunities for learning and personal growth that the ACCD-CASS experience offers. 
The only noteworthy concern is that, unlike other participating colleges and universities, 
the two-year ACCD program is separate from the college’s regular academic offerings 
and does not grant degrees. The evaluation team believes that this feature somewhat 
limits the interaction of ACCD CASS students with other (non-CASS) students, although 
the program administrators ensure that many other opportunities to mix are present. The 
evaluator could not determine whether the fact that ACCD cannot grant AA degrees to 
CASS participants in any way impedes their future success, i.e., as compared with CASS 
students returning home from other participating CASS institutions that do grant degrees. 
The evaluation team recommends that Georgetown’s Center for Intercultural Education 
and Development (CIED) review this issue if it has not already done so.
Introduction
ACCD, located in San Antonio, Texas, consists of four two-year community colleges: St. 
Philip’s College, San Antonio College, Palo Alto College, and Northwest Vista College. 
The ACCD is currently host to two groups of CASS participants:
· 18 post-secondary students who arrived in August 2001 to undertake a two￾year program of studies in public health/vector control.
· 17 Central American primary school teachers who arrived in San Antonio in 
January 2002, only 13 days before the Aguirre team visit, to improve their 
teaching skills. 
This report summarizes the information collected and observations during a two-day visit 
(spread over three days) that an Aguirre International evaluation team member made to 
ACCD in January 2002. During this visit, the evaluator met with the CASS participants, 
the CASS administrative staff, University administrative and support staff, instructors, a 
host family member, the supervisor of an NGO in which CASS students provide 
volunteer service and the supervisor of a site where CASS students have carried out 
internships. (A list of individuals interviewed is provided at the end of this report.) 
CASS Program Management at ACCD
The CASS office is located near the center of San Antonio. It is not physically located on 
any of the four ACCD college campuses, but its central location is reasonably convenient 
for the CASS students.
The CASS staff includes program director (40%), separate CASS coordinators for the 
one-year and two-year programs (60% and 80% time, respectively), two assistants and a 
person devoted to the extensive CASS community service program. All staff members 
are fluent in both English and Spanish. The coordinators, who have the major 
responsibility for the students, are very personable and clearly have excellent 
relationships with the participants. The staff works very hard to create a program and an 
environment in which the young CASS students have a positive experience in the United 
States. 
The CASS operation at ACCD appears to enjoy the services of dedicated, well organized, 
experienced and capable staff. As a result, the program is managed professionally and 
generally runs smoothly. The coordinators are very much aware of what is going on with 
each student and act promptly to address problems that arise. As in any program 
involving people, problems do develop. One problem present at the time of the 
evaluator’s visit was that the new teacher training program just beginning was suffering 
from several last minute changes in schedule and classroom scheduling problems. The 
team expects that the ACCD CASS staff will have resolved these problems well before 
this report is disseminated. The evaluator did not learn of any persistent problems that the 
staff could address but did not.
College and Community Support for the CASS Program
ACCD and the community provide a very welcoming environment for the CASS 
program. San Antonio is a city with a high percentage of Hispanic population and a city 
that makes a concerted effort to welcome and encourage cultural diversity. 
The ACCD provides strong support, including financial resources to the CASS program. 
Financial support includes partial funding and all benefits for the CASS administrative 
staff, some teaching costs and indirect costs. A review of ACCD’s budget for the current 
two-year program shows that ACCD’s share totals almost 30 percent of the costs incurred 
at the college. If one adds the costs incurred at CIED and by the country offices 
(approximately 33% of training costs), the college’s contribution equals approximately 
23 percent of the total cost of the students’ program. 
ACCD’s support for CASS reflects its vision and strong commitment to international 
programs. This commitment starts at the highest levels of the ACCD system. College 
administrators view the CASS program as making a variety of positive contributions to 
the ACCD system. In a world moving rapidly towards “globalization,” those 
administrators believe that ACCD students need exposure to peoples from different 
countries and cultures. CASS helps ACCD to make that possible. CASS also allows the 
college to move into new curriculum areas. Developing the CASS teacher training 
program, for example, moves the college into a new technical area it would in any case 
like to pursue. Although teacher training typically occurs in four-year institutions, ACCD 
administrators seek to offer to the public new routes for earning a teaching credential to 
assist professionals (including retired people) seeking to move into second careers in 
teaching. 
Features of the ACCD’s CASS Programs
Like programs at other participating community colleges, the CASS programs at ACCD 
are intensive. Although regular full-time college students typically take course loads 
involving perhaps 15 –18 class hours per week, CASS students are typically in class 
more than 30 hours per week. This occurs largely because CASS students take many 
courses in English (i.e., English as a Second Language or ESL) in addition to a full 
academic program. It is quite remarkable that the CASS students are able to carry this 
number of semester hours successfully. That they do so is a tribute to the students 
themselves, to their seriousness and willingness to work hard. It is also a tribute to the 
effectiveness of the CASS selection process and to the very supportive ACCD personnel 
involved. One professor in the ACCD CASS public health program indicated that, despite 
their problems with English, the CASS students function “pretty much on a par with 
other students.”
An unusual feature of ACCD’s CASS programs is that they are stand-alone programs, 
sometimes drawing on the college’s regular program content and instructors, but not part 
of the college’s regular course offering. ACCD has been forced to adopt this unusual 
programming policy because, under Texas law, students must pass an English language 
and mathematics competency test before they can be admitted to regular college classes. 
CASS students would not be able to pass these exams, at least not until they had been 
studying in the U.S. for some time. Thus, ACCD must set up special courses outside of 
the regular ACCD course offering for its CASS students. 
This anomaly has several implications, some positive and some negative. First, it means 
that each of ACCD’s CASS groups take the same courses at the same time. This is not an 
unusual characteristic of CASS’ short programs (in Spanish) at ACCD or at other 
colleges, but it is unusual for participants in two-year programs. On the positive side, as 
only CASS students are present in the classroom, instructors can more readily adjust the 
program content to make it relevant to the environment and problems incurred in the 
participating CASS countries. Further, the rate at which instructors present materials can 
be geared to the CASS students’ abilities, including their increasing capacity in English. 
However, the fact that classes do not have non-CASS students present limits CASS 
students’ opportunity to interact with American students and with other international 
students. Another concern is that ACCD’s CASS students have little, if any, opportunity 
to take electives, i.e., to make their own selection of courses outside of the core program. 
Finally, unlike their counterparts in some two-year programs at other colleges, ACCD’s 
CASS students cannot earn an Associates Degree when they complete their work. 
Internships. In addition to the rigorous program of classroom instruction, the ACCD 
strives to give the students practical workplace experience. CASS students in the one￾year teacher-training program have the opportunity to observe and contribute in primary 
school classroom situations in the San Antonio area. CASS students prepare lesson plans 
and teach under the supervision of experienced bi-lingual educators.
CASS students in the two-year programs have extensive opportunities for on-the-job 
training during the school year and during summer internships. To enable this to occur, 
the ACCD CASS staff has developed relationships with a variety of service providers. 
The CASS public health students from the 1999-2001 cycle, for example, made weekly 
visits during one term to facilities such as the San Antonio Metro Health District Chest 
Clinic, the Metro Health District, the Texas Center for Infectious Diseases, the Santa 
Rosa Health Care WIC, a TB clinic and others. Students also completed a six-week 
summer internship at these or similar sites. (Internships for public health students are 
discussed below.)
The supervisor at a site that has offered internships to groups of CASS radiology students 
was enthusiastic about CASS students and about the internship program. The program 
emphasizes the kinds of radiology work (e.g., bone work, use of barium) that might be 
done in CASS countries, although some of the equipment may be newer and more 
sophisticated. The supervisor has found CASS students to be highly motivated and is sure 
that they acquire skills that will be highly useful in their respective countries.
Short Courses: Teacher Training Program 
Teacher training is not a course of study normally provided by ACCD colleges. Thus, to 
meet CASS needs, the ACCD created a program especially for the teachers from Central 
America and the Caribbean. Expertise to design and teach the program has been drawn 
from ACCD’s own staff working in child development and related areas, from the 
University of Texas and other sources. 
CASS-sponsored teachers typically have minimal English language competency and 
slightly less than a year for this program; thus, instruction is provided in Spanish. The 
program has been successful in finding competent Spanish-speaking instructors. 
Although their courses are taught in Spanish, ACCD provides participants with an 
intensive four-week period of ESL training designed to permit them to get around San 
Antonio, to shop and to carry out other activities. ESL continues through later stages of 
their training at the rate of five to eight hours per week.
The teacher training program gives considerable emphasis to bilingual, bi-cultural 
education. Such programs are quite common in the San Antonio area, and the ACCD 
program provides the CASS students with practical experience in schools with such 
programs. ACCD believes that the environments from which many of its students come 
are also bilingual and bi-cultural, making this focus particularly appropriate.
The Two-Year Public Health/Vector Control Program
ACCD describes this program as preparing students to provide basic health care, 
preventive medicine and sanitation control services that reduce the transmission of 
communicable diseases. Emphasis is on prevention, detection and treatment of major 
health threats, such as tuberculosis, malaria and dengue fever. These program objectives 
would appear to be highly complementary with USAID strategic objectives in the region.
About 80 percent of the program content is the same as ACCD’s public health Associate 
Degree program. This AA program was modified to reflect the environment in Central 
America. The program emphasizes practical skills, and many of the instructors are 
practitioners rather than academics—a factor that the academic director considers a major 
strength of the program. The program also offers considerable “hands-on” worksite 
experiences—including more than 500 hours over the course of the two-year program 
working with public health organizations in the San Antonio area. Worksite experience 
begins in the first semester and increases to one day per week in the third and fifth 
semesters. The sixth semester includes a seven-week internship at a public and 
community health facility. 
The CASS students’ lack of English language ability does impede the progress of 
learning in this program (and other programs), particularly during the first few semesters. 
A professor in the public health program stated that, because of this problem, he often 
had to repeat course material several times. The students universally viewed their lack of 
English as their biggest problem.
One senior person working in the public health program noted that students sometimes 
arrived at ACCD with false expectations about the program, e.g., that they were going to 
become nurses. He suggested that pre-departure orientations might be strengthened by 
providing students with more complete information about the content and objectives of 
the programs that they were going to attend.
Volunteer Activities
CASS students at ACCD are expected to participate very actively in volunteer 
community programs, perhaps somewhat more so than do students at other participating 
CASS institutions. For one-year students such as the teachers, each student is expected to 
do 100 hours of service. Two-year students are expected to complete 150 hours of 
service. The CASS office maintains detailed records of the organization assisted, 
location, types of work done, and time contributed by each student.
The CASS office maintains contacts with many organizations in order to identify a wide 
variety of service opportunities. These activities often are simply providing manual labor 
to support community activities, and they may have little or nothing to do with the career 
the participants are pursuing. Nevertheless, the students learn about a great deal about 
leadership, volunteerism and community action; they meet and make friends with 
outstanding citizens, and the students enjoy participating, citing it as one of their favorite 
activities. 
The evaluation team explored with the ACCD CASS staff whether it might be possible to 
find volunteer activities more closely aligned with the students’ courses and whether 
students might work during months with the same organization in order to learn 
organizational and leadership skills. Efforts in this direction have been made, but a 
variety of practical problems prevent much progress. Health students, for example, 
cannot administer simple health screening measures because of fear of litigation.
A meeting with the director of one of the community volunteer organizations confirmed 
that the participation of CASS students is highly valued. They work hard and make an 
important contribution. Their Spanish language capability is often an asset in dealing 
with the less affluent areas of San Antonio. The students, in turn, learn that not all 
Americans are wealthy and that there are a multitude of programs (which is not to say 
sufficient) for addressing such issues. Participation in this and similar programs, 
according to the director, helps the CASS students to learn community-organizing skills. 
Housing
Participants in the two-year program spend the first nine months with host families. Data 
gathered from questionnaires completed from the two-year students and from the 
evaluators meeting with them indicate that their experience with host families was 
typically very positive. These families provide an enormous service in helping newly 
arriving CASS students to learn about the U.S. and how to function effectively in this 
new environment. Frequent comments refer to “being like a second family,” “protecting 
us,” “advising us,” and “taking us around the city.”
In some cases, host families also play an important role in helping CASS students to learn 
English. However, this seems to occur less frequently in the ACCD program than in other 
CASS programs because most ACCD host families are Hispanic in origin and speak 
mostly Spanish in the home. In a meeting with the evaluation team, the participants 
commented that the fact that their host families spoke Spanish made their (the 
participants’) first few weeks in San Antonio easier. However, most of the participants 
indicated that they think it would be better to have English-speaking host families so that 
they would learn English more quickly. The ACCD CASS staff unfortunately has had 
difficulty securing English-speaking families to serve as host families.
Several CASS students mentioned a specific host family problem that would appear to 
warrant some intervention by the CASS coordinator. In that case, four male students are 
living in a house recently acquired by a host family, but the family does not live there. 
Aside from shelter, the students seem to be receiving none of the traditional benefits 
provided by a host family. The students have little contact with family members. The 
students do not seem to mind having to prepare their own meals, but report that the host 
family is not fulfilling its responsibility to use the CASS funds provided to it to purchase 
food for the students.
Male participants in the teacher training program and in the second year of the two-year 
program live in apartment units. Apartments are shared, typically with four participants 
from different countries to an apartment. These accommodations are modest, similar to 
those typically used by college students. 
Women participants in the two-year program spend the second year in a dormitory 
facility administered by Catholic nuns. The female students interviewed (who were still 
living with host families) indicated that they would prefer to live in apartments where 
they would enjoy greater freedom.
Because the ACCD is located in a major urban area and its four colleges are located from 
one end of San Antonio to the other, transportation can be an issue. The CASS 
Coordinators provide the students with bus passes, and the students become quite 
proficient and comfortable taking buses to and from class. However, the round-trip 
commute to ACCD’s Northwest Vista College, where the public health students take 
classes three days a week, takes several hours. 
Participants’ Perspective on the Program
The evaluator met with both short- and long-term groups of CASS students. Both groups 
were very positive, pleased with the program and honored and grateful to have been 
selected to participate. Since the teachers had arrived only two weeks prior to the 
evaluation team’s visit, they had limited observations. Except where indicated, the 
opinions conveyed in the following paragraphs were those of participants in the two-year 
program.
Pre-departure orientations. Participants in both groups indicated that their in-country 
orientations had been very helpful. These had largely prevented any serious culture shock 
when they arrived. 
English language problems. For virtually all participants, the biggest problem in 
adjusting to the U.S. is English. Almost all participants—93 percent of the one-year 
students and 88 percent of the two-year students—indicated that they struggle with 
English and that their lack of skill is a problem for them. A professor, whom the team 
interviewed, indicated that the participants’ lack of English meant that he often had to 
repeat things two or three times and that this obviously slowed the class considerably.
The discussions with the students explored briefly the question of whether CASS students 
might be given some English language training prior to departing for the U.S. Since the 
students come from many locations within their countries, often not from the principal 
cities, the availability and quality of English programs was recognized as a constraint. An 
alternative could be an intensive residential program in a central location, but this would 
involve time and expense. Another alternative could be to distribute cassettes and written 
materials. Participants generally felt that they would have taken advantage of any such 
opportunity had it been offered. 
Personal objectives. Both of ACCD’s groups of participants completed a survey about 
their U.S. training experience. Their survey responses ranked their most important 
reasons for coming into this U.S. study program. From five possible reasons, both groups 
selected having an interesting learning experience and developing their leadership 
capabilities as the two most important motivating factors. The participants indicated less 
interest in the other options: to help them with their careers; to network and make 
professional contacts in their field; and to develop friendships and social relationships 
with U.S. citizens.
Program difficulty. The participants were asked to characterize the degree of difficulty of 
their studies, with the ratings ranging from very difficult to very easy. Among the two￾year public health students, 47 percent felt that their studies were “just about right.” The 
other 53 percent were distributed roughly evenly between somewhat too difficult (24%) 
to somewhat too easy (29%). This suggests that the degree of difficulty is quite 
appropriate. The teacher training group had not been at ACCD long enough to respond to 
this question.
Most CASS participants want as much English as they can acquire. ACCD provides a 
considerable amount of ESL training to both one-year and two-year students, although 
the course work for one-year students is in Spanish. Two-year students are under great 
pressure to learn English quickly, as courses are given in English. ACCD provides ESL 
training to the two-year students throughout their stay in the U.S. The ACCD 
coordinators are ESL specialists and pay considerable attention to this aspect of the 
program. As indicated above, difficulty with English is probably the participants’ greatest 
concern. 
Impact of the program on students’ attitudes and leadership abilities. The participants 
were asked to rate how the opportunity to study in the U.S. affected them in several areas. 
The following table provides the responses of the two-year participants. The data show 
that the students view the program as making a positive contribution to their personal 
characteristics and social skills. 
Positively 
affected
(01)
No effect
(02)
Negatively 
affected
(03)
a. Self-reliance1 N.A. N.A.
b. Ability to communicate with others 71% 29%
c. Ability to get along with others 68% 32%
d. Ability to tolerate change 68% 32%
e. Willingness to take risks 61% 39%
 
1
 Because of a printing error, most students did not respond to this item.
f. Ability to speak in public 65% 35%
g. Willingness to try new things 72% 38%
As the following table shows, participants felt that their study in the U.S. would help 
them to have successful careers and to contribute to their communities. 
I think that the CASS program will:
Not 
useful
(01)
A little 
useful
(02)
Somewhat 
useful
(03)
a. Improve my professional abilities 100%
b. Teach me new skills/techniques for work 100%
c. Prepare me for a career 100%
d. Give me opportunities to meet U.S. citizens in my field 17% 83%
e.
Give me opportunities to meet other colleagues from 
my country in my field 28% 72%
f. Improve my leadership abilities 100%
g. Encourage volunteering and community work 100%
Learning about the U.S. Eighty-two (82) percent of the participants indicated that they 
had already learned something about the U.S. economic system. Eighty-eight (88) 
percent said that they had learned about the U.S. political system and its democratic 
institutions.
Meeting others. Participants were asked to identify categories of people with whom they 
spent time after classes. In the order in which they responded, the CASS two-year 
participants spent most of their time with:
a) other CASS students
b) host families
c) U.S. students 
d) other international students—not CASS participants
e) other students from their respective countries 
A closer look at the responses to this question reveals a surprising diverse range of 
responses about host families. About half the students said that they spent the largest 
share of their free time with their host families. However, four students said that they 
spent almost no time whatsoever (rated last) with their host families, and two others said 
they spent very little time (rated #4) with their host families. These results, the team 
believes, may reflect host family problems described above.
All of the two-year students reported participating in campus and community activities. 
All respondents also thought that they would be more active as a volunteer in their 
community when they returned home from the U.S.
Because the participants are in the early stages of their year-long program, they had not 
yet participated in internships.
Persons Interviewed at Alamo Community College District
January 23-25, 2002
ß Eduardo Conrado, District Director, International Programs
ß Ruth del Cueto, International Programs Coordinator (CASS Coordinator for Two￾Year Programs)
ß Armando Cortez, Community Development Coordinator, JOVEN (volunteer site)
ß Marie R. Henriquez, International Programs Coordinator (CASS Coordinator for 
shorter programs)
ß Fred Lott, Practicum Supervisor for Radiographic Technician Program, 
University Hospital Clinic
ß Julia Jarell, Health Program Technical Specialist
ß Fernando Martinez; Director, Support Services, Christus Santa Rosa
ß Peter Myers, Instructor and host family
ß Dr. Ken Norbury, Instructor in the CASS Public Health Program, Northwest Vista 
College
ß Maria Rivera, Program Assistant (for one-year and shorter programs)
ß Ida Trevino, Volunteer Activities Facilitator 
ß Ferderico Zaragoza, Ph.D., Vice President of Administration, St. Philip’s College
CASS EVALUATION
SITE VISIT TO BROOME COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Binghamton, New York
December 3, 2001
Broome Community College (BCC) forms part of the New York State community college 
system. It has been a host school for Georgetown University’s Cooperative Association of States 
for Scholars (CASS) Program participants for twelve years. As part of the CASS Program 
evaluation for USAID, an Aguirre International evaluator visited the BCC campus to meet with 
CASS participants, CASS administrative staff, University administrative staff, support staff, and 
instructors. This Site Visit Report reflects the information obtained and observations made 
during the course of a one-day visit.
Meetings were held with the following individuals at BCC:
ß Dr. Alberto Miller, Director of Contracted International Programs
ß Ms. Maria Gonzalez, CASS Program Assistant
ß Five faculty members who directed and supervised the Quality Assurance Program
ß Two faculty members who directed the X-Ray Technology Program
ß Dr. Donald Dellows, President of Broome Community College
ß Thirty-five CASS participants in two group meetings
BCC currently hosts two CASS groups, 18 students of the 2000 Cycle who are in the second year 
of the X-Ray Technology course, and 17 students of the 2001 Cycle who are studying Quality 
Assurance. Students in both groups represented the full array of CASS countries: the Dominican 
Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, and Nicaragua.
The X-Ray Technology group was completing their third semester of study at the time of the site 
visit. This group is deeply involved in both academic work and in practical training, and all were 
working weekends—and had just begun spending two weeknights—at local hospitals, assisting 
radiology technicians and learning their trade. The Quality Assurance participants were 
finishing their first semester in the program, and were taking academic courses and, with the 
exception of the Jamaicans, English as a Second Language. During this first year, Spanish- and 
French-speaking students were able to study mathematics in their native language, but were 
rapidly moving to full-time use of English.
The CASS Office
The CASS Office was located in the Mechanical Building in a suite of faculty offices, close to 
classrooms and centrally located for other buildings on campus. The CASS Director, Dr. 
Alberto Miller, has a small faculty office, and adjoining that is a somewhat larger office with a 
conference table and working space for the Program Assistant. During my meeting with the 
Director, a number of students stopped in for various errands, and they appeared comfortable and 
at ease there. Both Dr. Miller and Ms. Gonzalez clearly have warm relationships with the great 
majority of CASS participants from both cycles. Many of the participants have lockers near the 
office, and it apparently is a place frequented by most CASS participants. Beyond the role of the 
Office as a provider of a number of services to the students, it also appears to be a place that 
fosters a sense of community and belonging.
The Quality Assurance Program: Academics and Its Role in the Community
Quality Assurance has become a signature program in the CASS system, and this is largely due 
to the leadership of the CASS Director at BCC, Alberto Miller. His administrative and 
leadership role is supported, however, by a strong faculty contingent that has created a 
curriculum that provides strong analytical and practical skills. QA has a strong mathematics 
component, and CASS students are required to advance rapidly and succeed in these courses. 
Faculty members noted that some students (they mentioned the Jamaicans and Haitians) tend to 
come better prepared than the students from the Spanish-speaking countries, whose backgrounds 
require greater work. Faculty members mentioned that it is the inability to master the 
mathematics that presents obstacles to some CASS participants. If they are unable to pass the 
program’s required math courses, they may seek additional help and re-take the key 
examinations. In the end, if they do not pass these courses, they may not be able to earn the 
Associates degree, in which case they would be awarded a certificate. Most, however, do 
succeed in finishing the courses successfully.
The program provides both theoretical and practical training, including Sigma Six, ISO 9000 and 
ISO 13000, and other standards programs. A capstone course the fourth semester draws on the 
courses throughout the program. Students take a quality assurance project and develop it with 
the tools they have mastered, with groups of four or five students working together. They 
develop the approach towards an open-ended problem, apply tools, and present the results to 
faculty and fellow students.
Dr. Miller took on the program when it was first created and established ties early on with the 
local Binghamton section (or chapter) of the American Society for Quality. The ASQ is made up 
of quality specialists at area industries, largely with an engineering and technical background. 
Most QA experts entered their specialty through four-year and graduate training; the BCC two￾year AAS program is one of the few in the country that provides QA training in this form and is 
something that the ASQ members want to promote. 
Over the years, therefore, the ASQ Chapter has taken a great interest in establishing strong ties 
with the BCC QA program. The student members became an official student chapter of ASQ. 
They meet on campus as a local unit, are invited to attend the section’s monthly dinner meetings, 
and are in charge of the program for the October meeting. The Binghamton ASQ has also 
established an annual awards ceremony in which an alumnus or alumna of the QA program, 
since returned home for several years, is given a short scholarship to come again to BCC. The 
section, with some additional funding from CASS, covers the travel and living expenses of the 
annual winner. The honoree is the featured speaker at the awards ceremony at the October 
meeting and is given the opportunity to describe the state of QA in his or her country. The 
person is also given the chance to carry out a specific project, perhaps related to work in the job 
held at home. Most importantly, the honoree is a powerful role model for the current students, 
who meet someone who preceded them in the program and who has since returned to his or her 
home country and become a quality assurance technician.
The active role of the BCC contingent in the local section of ASQ led the membership of the 
section to recruit Dr. Miller for a more active leadership role. For the past several years, he has 
served as Vice-chair and now as Chair of the chapter. He has also recently taken on an expanded 
role for youth membership of ASQ at the national level, and is examining ways in which student 
or youth chapters may be founded internationally among CASS alumni. At the time of the site 
visit, Dr. Miller was examining the possibility of sponsoring a new chapter in Honduras.
The Radiology Program
While the QA program has been a mainstay for CASS at BCC, X-ray technology is new and is 
likely to be a one-time program there. CASS has reduced the number of programs at its member 
schools as resources have declined, and BCC was not scheduled for a QA group in the 2002 
Cycle. However, it provided the capacity for a radiology program, and CASS selected BCC for 
the assignment. Subsequently, however, CASS intends to continue its radiology training at 
another institution.
BCC developed a specially tailored program for the radiology students with a high proportion of 
practical experience. Two faculty members traveled to Guatemala and to the Dominican 
Republic to learn firsthand what constraints their students were likely to face once they returned 
home. Based on that, the program has focused on the kinds of equipment that students will 
encounter on the job in Central America and the Caribbean, and on the techniques that they will 
use. The program provides coursework in pathology, first aid, equipment operation, 
terminology, physics, and positioning. Most importantly, the course designers chose to place 
great emphasis on the standards of protection against radiological exposure that should be 
implemented, since their observations on their trip showed them that technicians in the region are 
paying little attention to protection. BCC has a new radiological facility with a range of 
machinery that is appropriate for the CASS students. The program also has well-established ties 
with local hospitals and clinics, and it is able to get the students (both CASS and regular 
program) a great deal of practical experience at these institutions.
Role of CASS Students on Campus
Perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of the site visit was the degree to which CASS has 
enriched the international dimension of campus life. From the president on down, there is a 
strong commitment to bring international students to BCC. As both faculty and administrative 
staff pointed out, Binghamton, although a city of immigrants, has not had strong basis for 
international ties. Its student population is overwhelmingly from the area. CASS and other 
international initiatives have brought contacts with the outside world. The President, who states 
that he had focused little on the international dimension of education in his previous positions 
before coming to BCC, has become a leader in advocating for an education that is able to impart 
the kind of perspective that will help students operate in the context of a globalized economy. 
Indeed, in a recent contribution to an edited collection “TITLE,” Dr. Dellows wrote of the impact 
of such programs of CASS on community colleges in general. 
CASS students act as “lay diplomats” in a variety of ways. Most are members of the 
International Student Organization, where they sponsor activities with other international 
students. Special events are organized in which the students share information about their home 
countries. CASS students go out into the community as well. For instance, the day of the visit, a 
number of CASS students were scheduled to join in a videoconference with local high school 
students to describe their homes and discuss their countries’ customs and realities. 
As previously mentioned, the QA students also provide an international dimension to the local 
section of the American Society for Quality. This tie led, in November 2000, to the first 
international “Quality Assurance Conference” in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 
sponsored by Georgetown University’s Center for Intercultural Education and Development (the 
implementer of CASS), the Binghamton section of ASQ, and BCC. The conference brought 
together QA alumni in the Dominican Republic with representatives of all three sponsoring 
institutions to discuss trends and advances in quality assurance. The goal is to make this an 
annual event in different alumni countries, although it was not repeated in 2001, cancelled, as 
were so many other events, after the September terrorist attacks.
The international focus represented by CASS has led also BCC to organize faculty trips to 
Central America, the Caribbean, and to Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union (where 
other exchange activities have been carried out). The president has accompanied other faculty 
on trips to Guatemala and, as mentioned, to the Dominican Republic in which CASS alumni 
from BCC were visited. 
Finally, key aspects of the impact of CASS students on campus mentioned by nearly everyone 
interviewed were: their enthusiasm, their dedication, and the degree to which they worked hard 
and devotedly in their classes. Faculty and administrators alike felt that CASS participants were 
a compelling example to other students of the importance of applying oneself in their academic 
programs. A refrain repeated throughout the day was, “If only our U.S. students were as 
dedicated (or “half as dedicated”) as the CASS students.” 
Internships
Quality Assurance: For those in the QA program, internships have long been an important 
aspect of the training. The local chapter of the ASQ has worked closely with the Program 
Director to provide CASS students with opportunities to enter into the work world. Internships 
have been organized at Universal Instruments, General Electric, Crowley Foods, ENSCO, and 
other companies in the area. Not all students are able to take part in an internship; those who are 
weakest academically may be required to concentrate more on the basic coursework. Even these 
students will likely have the opportunity to “job shadow” someone for a period of several weeks, 
if they do not achieve an internship. The CASS Director reported that in the last QA group, 
graduating in the spring of 2001, ten of the group of 17 had formal internships.
Radiology: By the time the radiology students reach their third semester, they are spending up to 
30 percent of their time in direct work-related experience. In a field that requires extensive 
practical as well as theoretical training, the program provides work experience at area hospitals 
that provides ongoing hands-on activities. It should be noted that these students must meet a 
range of requirements placed on them as they serve in the hospitals which place a burden both on 
their time and their budget, such as obtaining several sets of the uniforms used and making sure 
that their uniforms are cleaned and ready when they need them. Several commented that this 
presented challenges to them.
Service Learning
Beyond those activities directly related to their academic and technical training, CASS 
participants take part in a range of community service activities. Mentioned in the site visit were 
fundraisers such as walks, community clean-ups, work with volunteer charity groups, and 
volunteering to run errands on election night. In the group discussions, several participants also 
mentioned that they had also informally helped out elderly neighbors of their homestay families, 
raking leaves and performing other such services. The participants spoke very positively of 
these experiences and had apparently recognized that volunteering is both part of their program 
and a strong value for many U.S. citizens. Several said that they would like to volunteer even 
more, but the very active schedule of class and practical experiences left them with little time.
Host Families
For the X-ray Technology students, who had left their homestay families already a year earlier to 
move into shared apartments, the question of host families was not a burning issue. Several said 
that they maintained ties with their families. Their comments on the homestay experience were 
generally positive. For the QA students, the homestay was much closer, for they were either still 
living with families or had just ended that period of the program. The range of opinion 
expressed was generally positive, though some spoke of the constraints of living with a new 
family and the lack of independence they felt.
Group Discussions
The site visit was scheduled for a Monday, the only day when students of both cycles are on 
campus. This permitted the evaluator to meet with nearly all the students in two group meetings, 
held by cycle. Many of the comments made in that context have already been reported, as 
discussions ranged over such topics as academics, life on campus, community service, and their 
interest in internships. The students were cordial and lively in their discussions. No significant
negative issues arose in the discussions beyond those that frequently are mentioned in such 
discussions: the difficulty of adjusting to the U.S. diet and the rigors of the weather. Several 
mentioned that they felt that the living allowances were too small and noted that they had heard 
that the maintenance rates had not changed for some years. No one mentioned severe hardships 
that they experience as a result. A few also talked about the difficulties of living with a U.S. 
family and their happiness to be living on their own. 
Survey Results
After the evaluator departed, students filled out a survey in either English or Spanish asking 
about their views of the program, and the completed questionnaires were forwarded some days 
later. Thirty-three of the 35 CASS students at BCC completed the survey.
CASS students at BCC indicated that their most important reason for coming into this U.S. study 
program was to improve their leadership abilities: 43 percent put that in first place, and 30 
percent in second. The next most important reasons were that they felt it would help them with 
their career (30 percent put it first) and to have an interesting learning experience (26%). Of the 
five choices offered, the least important reason for accepting the scholarship was given as 
friendships and social relationships with U.S. citizens. 
In terms of their adjustment, 69 percent of non-English speakers said that they had, and most 
continue to have, difficulties with English, though many mentioned that they were working hard 
to overcome their difficulties. About 45 percent overall said they were having some struggles 
with their classes, and many of these specifically mentioned mathematics as the source of their 
difficulties, and a number stated that they had not had an adequate background. However, most 
expressed confidence that they could overcome the challenges.
Participants were asked to rate how the opportunity to study in the U.S. affected them in several 
areas. The following table indicates their responses.
Positively 
affected No effect 
Negatively 
affected
a. Self-reliance 79% 21%
b. Ability to communicate with others 81% 19%
c. Ability to get along with others 73% 21% 6%
d. Ability to tolerate change 82% 18%
e. Willingness to take risks 85% 15%
f. Ability to speak in public 79%% 18%
g. Willingness to try new things 85% 12% 3%
Although about half of the participants had been in the CASS Program for only three months, in 
that time they and their second-year colleagues had great hopes that their U.S. study would affect 
them positively, as noted in the following table.
Not 
useful 
A little 
useful Useful
a. Improve my professional abilities 100%
b. Teach me new skills/techniques for work 3% 3% 94%
c. Prepare me for a career 6% 23% 71%
d. Give me opportunities to meet U.S. citizens in my field 26% 74%
e.
Give me opportunities to meet other colleagues from my country in 
my field 6% 23% 71%
f. Improve my leadership abilities 100%
g. Encourage volunteering and community work 3% 97%
Participants were asked to identify categories of people with whom they spent time after classes. 
As in other cases, the order in which the CASS participants reported spending most of their time:
a) their host family; 
b) other students in the CASS Program;
c) other students from their home country; 
d) international students—not CASS participants; and
e) other U.S. students. 
About 60 percent reported that they had learned something about U.S. political life, and about 70 
percent said they had learned about the U.S. economy. Most were able to give examples related 
to local situations and to political values. All 33 reported that they had been involved 
Observations
Without discounting the activities and achievements of the radiology curriculum, the heart of the 
CASS program at BCC has been the two-year program in quality assurance. CASS has played 
an interesting role at BCC not only in building and sustaining a unique program at the 
community college level in quality assurance. It has also been important in developing 
leadership in the American Society for Quality both regionally and nationally. It is a successful 
effort and serves as an exemplary case in how CASS can impact both local campuses and the 
home communities of the CASS participants.
CASS continues to play a valuable role on the BCC campus in strengthening the international 
dimension of its student body. The presence on campus of CASS students has led faculty and 
community members to expand their own understanding of Latin America and the Caribbean, 
and has led to many additional ties to the region. In return, BCC provides the CASS students 
with rigorous and well-conceived programs of study that appear to prepare them for technical 
jobs on their return home. The Director and the Program Assistant are both well suited to 
working with the participants and have proven their effectiveness both in supporting them and in 
taking advantage of the participants’ presence to enrich the campus community.
CASS EVALUATION
SITE VISIT TO HARRIS-STOWE STATE COLLEGE
St. Louis, Missouri
November 27, 2001
Harris-Stowe State College in St. Louis, Missouri, is currently a host school for two 
groups of Georgetown University’s Cooperative Association of States for Scholars 
(CASS) Program participants. As part of the CASS Program evaluation for USAID, an 
Aguirre International evaluator visited the Harris-Stowe campus to meet with CASS 
participants, CASS administrative staff, University administrative staff, support staff, and 
instructors. This Site Visit Report reflects the information obtained and observations 
made during the course of a one-day visit.
Meetings were held with the following individuals at Harris-Stowe State College.
ß Jaime Torres-Rivera, CASS Coordinator
ß Angel M. Heredia, CASS Program Assistant
ß Dr. Henry Givens, President, Harris-Stowe State College
ß Dr. Gretchen Lockett, Interim Vice-President for Student Affairs and Institutional 
Support
ß Dr. Yolande Diaz Olmos, Instructor, Human Relations and Interpersonal 
Communications, International Programs
ß Miguel Endara, Instructor, Computer Programming, International Programs
ß Clint Willett, ESL Instructor, International Programs
Two one-year CASS groups were observed in training at Harris-Stowe State College.
ß Cycle 01: Twenty (20) Central American primary teachers, who arrived in St. 
Louis in January 2001 and were preparing to depart for home countries in mid￾December.
ß Cycle 02: Seventeen (17) Caribbean and Central American primary teachers, 
who arrived in St. Louis in August 2001, who were undergoing survival English 
training and computer training.
Cycle 01: Central American Primary Education Teachers
The Central American group is comprised of primary school educators from five
countries: El Salvador (7), Honduras (4), Nicaragua (3), Guatemala (3), and Panama (3). 
The Caribbean and Central American group is comprised of seventeen (17) primary 
school educators from the Dominican Republic. All twenty (20) participants were 
employed at the time of their selection for the CASS Program. All were teachers and 
employees of the public sector in their respective countries.
The course of study is Primary Education with modular courses in learning styles, 
multiple intelligences, reading readiness and beginning reading, mathematics and science, 
teaching methodology, child psychology, community resources, curriculum development, 
human relations, community health, computer applications, and English as a Second 
Language. Participants receive 24 credit-hours for their participation.
Although their courses are taught in Spanish, upon their arrival at Harris-Stowe, the 
Central American participants spend two weeks of full-time intensive ESL training, 
which provides fundamental English language skills. Following their intensive ESL, the 
participants are provided 15 additional hours per week of language training. Students 
perform on six levels and advance in appropriate classes relative to their proficiency. 
Clint Willett, their ESL instructor, was very pleased with the progress of the participants 
and was encouraged when he learned that they had used songs that he taught them in their 
visits with students in St. Louis classrooms.
An informal arrangement between Harris-Stowe and the University of Puerto Rico’s 
Science and Engineering Resource Center provides Spanish-speaking math and science 
instructors who travel from Puerto Rico to Harris-Stowe to present workshops and 
courses with the latest techniques in the fields of math and science. All pertinent 
materials are provided both in Spanish and in English. Participants receive 24 credit 
hours for their participation.
Participants attend seminars on decision-making, child abuse, alcohol and drug abuse, 
and leadership. These are supplemented with visits to established institutions where they 
observe these issues and how they are addressed.
Internships
During the yearlong training, all participants serve internships with various St. Louis 
public schools, Jennings Schools, or East St. Louis Schools Districts.
The CASS Office
Harris-Stowe State College has outgrown its current buildings. Land has been obtained 
and funds have been raised for a building program that will include, among other 
structures, a new education building. The CASS office at Harris-Stowe is located off￾campus, but within view of the campus. It is the center of life for the students. Their 
content instruction and language instruction takes place in the classrooms at the site. It is 
also the site of their counseling and administrative activities.
Housing
Participant housing is located in apartment units, with four participants to an apartment. 
Each apartment houses from two to four individuals of the same sex but from different 
countries. The apartments are located in downtown St. Louis across from City Hall, the 
main post office and major tourist sites. They are within a few minutes walk to public 
bus and rail transportation.
Service Learning
Participants perform a number of hours of Service Learning experiences with St. Louis 
area civic and community institutions. The experiences involve professional practical 
and leadership/community service activities, incorporating the CASS four-part model of 
preparation, action, reflection, and transference.
Friendship Family
Families from the Harris-Stowe faculty and staff and other families from the St. Louis 
area actively support participants through the Friendship Family Program. These families 
and friends invite participants into their homes for meals and for holidays. They often 
provide them with needed winter clothing and take them on sightseeing trips. Each 
participant has either a friend or a friendship family during his or her stay at Harris￾Stowe.
Enrichment
The CASS staff makes every effort to involve the groups in professional enrichment as 
well as community and civic-oriented activities. Participants are active in their respective 
churches, provide Spanish language classes to adults, assist in community service clinics, 
and participated in state and local government seminars. Participants attend the St. Louis 
Symphony, local concerts, repertory theatre, and local ethnic societies. They also serve as 
hosts to new CASS members by assisting new arrivals with their orientation.
Participants receive yearlong scholarships from the local YMCA, which is near their 
apartments. They use the facilities and take part in community events sponsored by the 
YMCA.
During their Spring break, the participants were taken to Chicago to visit a special 
Hispanic school where teaching is achieved through are and done in both Spanish and 
English. While in the area, they attended a number of educational institutions and 
museums.
It is the goal of the CASS staff to keep the participants busy and involved so that there is 
little time for homesickness or anxiety. Weekly meetings are held with all participants to 
discuss personal matters, their academic progress, housing or transportation problems, or 
any other topics of concern. 
CASS Relations with Harris-Stowe
Mr. Torres has obviously cultivated good relationships with the Harris-Stowe 
administration. The President of the institution, Dr. Henry Givens, soundly endorsed the 
CASS Program, finding it a great complement to the school and the community. He 
expressed his hope that CASS participants would continue to be placed at Harris-Stowe. 
The new Interim Vice-President for Student Affairs and Institutional Support has a 
different agenda than the president. She is looking to find savings in the school budget 
and sees the CASS Program as a potential target, especially the expense of flying Puerto 
Rican instructors to the US for the instruction of the CASS students. Mr. Torres has 
demonstrated to her that the cost of hiring U.S. professors and providing salaries and
benefits would be much more than the cost of bringing the Puerto Rican professors to the 
U.S. Puerto Rico assumes the salaries of these instructors. It appears that the CASS 
program, with strong backing from the President, is a welcome asset to the college.
Group Discussion with Participants
I met with the 20 participants in an informal group discussion at the CASS office near 
Harris-Stowe. I found the participants, who were both teachers and school directors, to 
be quite articulate and focused in their discussion. They were proud of the CASS 
Program and their participation in it. They felt that they had accomplished what they set 
out to do and, for the most part, their expectations were fulfilled. They were anxious to 
get back to their countries and try to implement their newly-acquired knowledge and 
skills.
While several of the participants felt that they might be constrained by resources in their 
schools, most felt that they had the support of their principals (directors) and other 
teachers. They felt that this, coupled with what they learned about bringing parents and 
private sector interests into the school community, would enable them to implement 
much of what they learned.
The participants stated that the instruction they received modeled the instructional 
methods that they were expected to employ in the classroom back home. They had a 
good understanding of interactive learning and were taking tools and materials home with 
them to assist in its implementation.
The participants had kind words for the CASS staff and for the citizens of St. Louis who 
made them feel welcome and appreciated.
Participant Survey Results
Nineteen (19) of the twenty participants completed a post-training survey about their U.S. 
training experience. Their survey responses ranked their most important reasons for 
coming into this U.S. study program. From most important to least important were:
a) to have an interesting learning experience;
b) to develop their leadership capabilities;
c) to help them with their careers;
d) to network and make professional contacts in their field; and
e) to develop friendships and social relationships with U.S. citizens.
The participants were asked to characterize the degree of difficulty of their studies. Fifty￾eight (58) percent felt that their studies were “easy.” Thirty-seven (37) percent 
characterized their studies as “just about right.” Out of the 19 respondents, only one 
student characterized his studies as difficult. 
The CASS participants wanted as much English as they could acquire, and many aspired 
to become fluent in it. However, the program was designed to offer only survival 
English; there was no opportunity for immersion. Mr. Torres, however, managed to find 
the resources to continue English instruction throughout most of their stay—some 80 
percent beyond the required amount of instruction. The participants reported that they 
had some difficulty communicating in English at some time during their stay in St. Louis.
The participants were asked to rate how the opportunity to study in the U.S. affected 
them in several areas. The following table indicates their responses.
Positively 
affected
(01)
No effect
(02)
Negatively 
affected
(03)
a. Self-reliance 74% 26%
b. Ability to communicate with others 79% 21%
c. Ability to get along with others 79% 21%
d. Ability to tolerate change 90% 10%
e. Willingness to take risks 79% 21%
f. Ability to speak in public 90% 10%
g. Willingness to try new things 85% 15%
As they were nearing the final weeks of their year-long CASS Program, the participants 
felt that their U.S. study would affect them positively, as noted in the following table.
Not 
useful
(01)
A little 
useful
(02)
Somewhat 
useful
(03)
a. Improve my professional abilities 6% 94%
b. Teach me new skills/techniques for work 100%
c. Prepare me for a career 6% 94%
d. Give me opportunities to meet U.S. citizens in my field 100%
e.
Give me opportunities to meet other colleagues from 
my country in my field 100%
f. Improve my leadership abilities 6% 94%
g. Encourage volunteering and community work 6% 94%
Note: One participant did not respond to this survey item.
During the course of their studies to date, over fifty (50) percent of the participants 
learned something about the economic system of the U.S. Seven participants reported 
that they had not learned anything about it, and two did not respond to the question.
When asked if they had learned about the U.S. political system or its democratic 
institutions, fifty-eight (58) percent said that they had learned about it, and forty-two (42) 
percent did not learn about it.
Participants were asked to identify categories of people with whom they spent time after 
classes. In the order in which they responded, the CASS participants spent most of their
time with:
a) other CASS students; 
b) other international students from their countries; 
c) friendly families; 
d) other international students—not CASS participants; and
e) other U.S. students. 
Eighteen (18) CASS participants reported participating in campus and community 
activities; one participant did not respond to this item on the survey. All of the nineteen 
(19) respondents to the survey thought that they would be more active as a volunteer in 
their community when they returned home from the U.S.
In regard to internships, all of the participants took part in a 4 to 6-week internship in a 
local public school, observing and participating in the teaching process. Some were 
placed in schools that had U.S. teachers teaching Spanish language. In those instances, 
the participants actually taught the Spanish classes.
Cycle 02: Dominican Republic Primary Education Teachers
Much of what was discussed about the preceding Cycle also applies to the Cycle 2 
participants. The seventeen participants (8 male and 9 female) arrived at the Harris￾Stowe campus in August 2001 and were still undergoing intensive language training and 
computer training. All seventeen participants were employed at the time of their 
selection for the CASS Program. All were teachers and employees of the public sector in 
the Dominican Republic.
I met with them as a group in the Harris-Stowe administration building where they were 
receiving computer instructor taught by Miguel Endara, a graduate student from the 
nearby St. Louis University. He found that this group of participants had better computer 
skills than previous groups, although there were great gaps between the novice and the 
more advanced participants. He tried to take the students from the level at which he 
found them and bring them to the highest skill that he could in the time that he had with 
them. While I was speaking with the group, Miguel was asked by one of the Central 
American students to help her out with a problem that she was having with the computer 
in a nearby computer laboratory.
The Dominican Republic teachers appeared to be older and more experienced (3 to 16 
years of teaching experience) than the Central American students. They spoke freely 
about the educational systems in their country, and were proud of the fact that they were 
recognized as having one of the best educational systems in the region and the only 
system that offered universal kindergarten.
Their survey responses indicated that their most important reason for coming into this US 
study program was to have an interesting learning experience. The second most 
important reason was that it might help them with their careers. Other considerations 
were the development of leadership abilities and friendships and social relationships with 
U.S. citizens. Of the five choices offered, the least important reason was given as 
networking and making professional contacts in their field of study.
The participants were asked to characterize the degree of difficulty of their studies. 
Forty-seven (47) percent felt that their studies were “easy.” Thirty-five (35) percent 
characterized their studies as “just about right.” Three individuals felt that it was “very 
easy.” Out of the 17 respondents, only one student reported experiencing difficulties in 
his studies.
As noted before, the Dominican Republic participants were still in intensive English 
language training. Therefore, it was not surprising that fourteen (14) of the seventeen 
(17) participants had some difficulties in communicating in English.
Participants were asked to rate how the opportunity to study in the U.S. affected them in 
several areas. The following table indicates their responses.
Positively 
affected
(01)
No effect
(02)
Negatively 
affected
(03)
a. Self-reliance 75% 25%
b. Ability to communicate with others 93% 7%
c. Ability to get along with others 87.5% 12.5%
d. Ability to tolerate change 87.5% 12.5%
e. Willingness to take risks 81% 19%
f. Ability to speak in public 69% 31%
g. Willingness to try new things 81% 19%
Although the participants have participated in the CASS Program for approximately three 
months, in that time they had great hopes that their U.S. study would affect them 
positively, as noted in the following table.
Not 
useful
(01)
A little 
useful
(02)
Somewhat 
useful
(03)
a. Improve my professional abilities 100%
b. Teach me new skills/techniques for work 100%
c. Prepare me for a career 6% 94%
d. Give me opportunities to meet U.S. citizens in my field 6% 94%
e.
Give me opportunities to meet other colleagues from 
my country in my field 6% 94%
f. Improve my leadership abilities 6% 94%
g. Encourage volunteering and community work 100%
During the course of their studies to date, thirteen (13) participants learned something 
about the economic system of the U.S. Three reported that they had not learned anything, 
and one did not respond to the question.
When asked if they had learned about the U.S. political system or its democratic 
institutions, sixty-two (62) percent said that they had learned about it. Thirty-eight (38) 
percent had not yet learned; and one person did not respond to the question.
Participants were asked to identify categories of people with whom they spent time after 
classes. In the order in which they responded, the CASS participants spent most of their 
time with:
a) other CASS students; 
b) other students from the Dominican Republic;
c) other international students—not CASS participants; 
d) a friendly family; and 
e) other U.S. students. 
All seventeen (17) CASS participants reported participating in campus and community 
activities. All of the participants felt thought that they would be more active as a 
volunteer in their community when they returned home from the U.S.
Because the participants are in the early stages of their year-long program, they had not 
yet participated in internships.
Observations
Because the CASS office is located off-campus, participants are physically isolated from 
the rest of the student body. With instruction taking place at the CASS offices, there are 
limited opportunities for the CASS participants to relate to U.S. students. The CASS 
staff makes great efforts to overcome this distance by encouraging the participants to 
become involved in campus activities, but the physical separation remains until such time 
as the new buildings are constructed.
The CASS staff appears to be heavily engaged with the students and their welfare. Mr. 
Heredia acts as counselor, advisor, and father-figure. Mr. Torres administers the 
program, interacts with the college, and taps community resources (time, money, trips, 
tickets to cultural affairs, etc.) to provide the participants with many opportunities and 
experiences beyond the basics of the program.
The optimism and enthusiasm of the participants, both those about to depart as well as the 
new arrivals, augurs well for their return home and successful implementation of their 
new skills and knowledge.
CASS EVALUATION
SITE VISIT TO MODESTO JUNIOR COLLEGE
Modesto, California
January 28-29, 2002
Overview
Modesto Junior College (MJC), a long-term participating community college in the 
CASS program, currently hosts 33 CASS students in a two-year Agriculture Technology 
group (16) and a one-year Teacher-Training group (17). CASS students at MJC take an 
intensive program involving more than 30 hours of instruction per week. Student 
performance is excellent. CASS students are very highly regarded by and have close 
relationships with the college administration, faculty and the community. 
Introduction
MJC has been working with Georgetown University’s Center for Intercultural Education 
and Development (CIED) on CASS and its predecessor programs since 1987. MJC has 
provided training in fashion merchandising, graphics technology, agribusiness, forestry, 
food sciences, agriculture technology, agriculture science, and teacher training. 
MJC is currently hosting two CASS groups:
ß A two-year group of 16 Central Americans to study agriculture technology. 
Students completing the program receive an Associate of Arts (AA) Degree. This 
group that arrived in August 2001, about five months before this evaluation.
ß A one-year group of 17 Central American teachers working to improve their 
teaching skills. Recipients receive a certificate of completion in pedagogy skills. 
This group of students arrived in January 2002, only two weeks before this 
evaluation.
This report summarizes the evaluation team’s observations on the basis of a two-day visit 
to the campus. During this visit, the evaluator met with the CASS administrative staff, the 
CASS participants, University administrators, instructors, two host families, the 
supervisor of an NGO in which CASS students provide volunteer service and the 
supervisor of a site where CASS students have carried out internships. (A list of 
individuals interviewed is provided at the end of this report.) 
The CASS Program at MJC
The CASS program at MJC is managed by the Workforce Training Center. The 
Coordinator appears to have established harmonious and effective working relationships 
with college administrators and staff, host families, NGOs and employers – all of whom 
are enthusiastic contributors to the program. Students are productive, happy and 
achieving superior results. 
English language difficulty. As at other CASS program sites, students experience 
considerable difficulty with English. 
For students in the two-year program, MJC seeks to create an environment in which 
students are encouraged and helped to learn English as quickly as possible. When 
students arrive, MJC provides an initial intensive ESL program. For the first one and half 
months, MJC provides all regular course work in Spanish. After that time, ESL 
instruction continues, and all course work is in English. Host families are English￾speaking, and the Coordinator insists that students speak only in English when they are 
on campus. The program also assists the students to become involved in extra-curricular 
activities where they will usually be required to speak English.
For students in the one-year teacher-training program, MJC provides an initial two weeks 
of intensive (six hours daily) ESL Survival Skills program. During the following three 
and half months, the program provides eight hours of ESL instruction per week. During 
the remainder of the year (except when the students are doing classroom observation or 
internships), the program provides six hours per week of instruction.
Student performance. MJC’s CASS students have an outstanding reputation with the 
faculty, administration and the parts of the larger community with which they come in 
contact. Faculty members often spoke in glowing terms about their enthusiasm and 
commitment, noting that they role models for the U.S. students. 
CASS students take remarkably large course loads. During the first semester, two-year 
students take 22 hours of ESL and 11 course hours. These courses go to 15 and 18 hours, 
respectively, during the second semester. CASS students frequently ask and receive 
permission to take more than the normal maximum 17 course units per semester. Because 
of their heavy course load, some MJC CASS students are awarded more than one AA 
degree and, sometimes, one or more certificates of achievement at the end of their two￾year stay.
Students’ success is due in part to the individual attention and support the CASS 
administrators and the faculty provide. MJC also provides the students with a studies 
skills course. MJC staff, however, give the major credit to the students, who are hard￾working and committed. The staff also gives credit to CIED and to the country offices for 
an effective selection process.
College and Community Support
MJC and the Yosemite College District strongly support MJC’s participation in the
CASS program. Senior administrators point out that CASS is an important component of 
MJC’s international program under which about 120 non-American students are currently 
studying. The international program reflects MJC’s commitment to a harmonious multi￾cultural, multi-ethnic environment, exemplified by its mottos, “embracing diversity” and 
“beyond tolerance.” 
There is a widespread perception that CASS students are a very positive influence on 
campus. One instructor and administrator noted that, “They help to create a wonderful 
learning environment and enrich the classroom environment for everyone.”
A review of the budgets for the current MJC CASS programs shows that the college 
provides approximately $196,000 (29% of the costs) for the two-year program and 
$75,000 (22% of the costs) for the one-year program. The college’s senior administrators 
indicated that they do not regard provision of this budgetary commitment to the program 
as a problem. Indeed, in response to a query from the evaluation team, the MJC president 
indicated that he thought that the college might be able to support some travel of key 
instructors to Central America so that they could understand the region’s problems.
CASS and college administrators did note that the program was somewhat more difficult 
to manage and to maintain when interruptions in regular programming occurred. 
Specifically, they noted that CIED had skipped sending a two-year group to start in year 
2000. They indicated that interruptions in the program force managers to release 
resources (e.g., key people) that may then be committed when the CASS program needs 
them again. The interruption in programming also created some financial strain.
MJC and CASS enjoy very strong community support for this program. Members of the 
community provide homes, sponsor social activities, provide clothing and furniture, 
welcome the students into community activities and offer internships. 
MJC’s Two-Year Agriculture Program
The first semester, CASS students take “stand alone” courses, i.e., courses in which only 
CASS students participate. This allows instructors to adjust for language problems and to 
give CASS students an opportunity to adjust to an American educational environment. 
After that, CASS students participate in mainstream courses where they are forced to 
speak English. 
Most of the courses in the curriculum are prescribed. However, students can add to this 
program, and many do. The short summer semester is particularly a time when CASS 
students can take elective courses. 
The program takes a “hands-on” approach, requiring the students to work extensively 
with the animals and in the fields.1
 CASS students also participate actively in the Young 
Farmers program. They have, for example, learned animal judging skills and have 
competed successfully in contests with American students from MJC and other schools. 
Participation in these activities provides opportunities to learn more about agriculture, to 
work closely with instructors and other students in a non-classroom environment, to
improve their English, and to become involved in community activities. One instructor 
noted that, “CASS students are deeply involved in field days, barbecues, career days, 
leadership seminars – it’s a total experience.” 
 
1
 The day prior to the evaluation team’s visit, the CASS students had spent several hours in the field 
learning and practicing proper techniques for pruning fruit trees.
Internship program. The program includes a six-week internship during the summer of 
the second year. CASS students have a reputation for being good workers and are 
welcomed by a variety of local employers. Transportation to and from the worksites has 
been a problem, but creative solutions have been found. 
The evaluation team visited a reference laboratory2
 where students from several CASS 
cycles have served as interns. The director noted that CASS students interview for their 
internships as if they were applying for a regular job. They are well prepared. According 
to the director, the CASS students are significantly better than the young people that the 
firm actually hires for similar positions. Were it possible, he would hire just about all of 
the CASS interns that he has had. He has been impressed with their maturity, ability to 
learn quickly and good attitude (e.g., their willingness to take on any job and to work 
long hours). The firm does not just see its provision of a worksite for MJC’s CASS 
interns only as a community service; the company benefits because the CASS interns are 
productive and set a good example for others. “Productivity increases when they are with 
us,” he noted.
Students’ Volunteer Activities
Volunteer activities are an important component of the MJC CASS program. One-year 
students are expected to do 50 hours of service and two-year students do 100 hours. 
Student Housing
Students in the two-year program are housed with host families for the first nine months. 
Some of these host families become like second families to CASS students, and long￾term relationships are formed. MJC favors families where English is spoken in the home 
and is generally successful in this regard. 
Almost all of MJC’s CASS students currently living with a host family view this 
arrangement as highly beneficial. Most have never lived outside of a family environment, 
and this living arrangement feels comfortable to them. Most students also commented 
that the host families are teaching them about the U.S. and helping them to become 
proficient in English. 
Although the host family program at MJC seems to be working very well, the evaluation 
team did note the existence of at least one current host family relationship that appeared 
far from ideal. That family reportedly skimps on food and makes little effort to make the 
students feel welcome or to ease the difficult transition that CASS students encounter. 
Several interviewees questioned whether the host family in that case volunteers only for 
the payment it receives from MJC.
 
2
 This private sector laboratory tests thousands of food and beverage samples daily for possible 
contamination.
CASS/MJC places the one-year students and two-year students following the period with 
host parents in apartments. Apartments have three to five CASS students. To the extent 
possible, the program tries to mix students from different countries. The students 
purchase their own groceries, prepare their meals, clean the apartments, do their laundry, 
etc. 
The two-year students take full responsibility for their housing during this period. They 
save for security deposits, rent their own apartments, pay the utilities, and find their own 
furniture. This is undoubtedly a major learning experience for the students, most of 
whom have never before had to seek accommodations. The evaluation team considered 
the apartments in which the students live to be modest but adequate, typical of what 
American students might commonly occupy.
Participants’ Perspective on the Program
The evaluation team met with each group of students (16 in the two-year program and 17 
in the one-year program), and each student responded to the team’s questionnaire. At the 
suggestion of the CASS Coordinator, the meeting with the two-year students was 
conducted in English. (The Coordinator requires that these students speak only English 
while on campus.) The evaluator noticed that, although the students often used 
questionable grammar and sentence structure, they expressed themselves remarkably well 
given the short time that they had been in the U.S.
Participants were asked to evaluate how the opportunity to study in the U.S. affected 
them in several areas. Responses from the one-year group were often of marginal value 
as they had been in the U.S. for such a short period. Except where indicated, the 
following data reflect the interview and questionnaires of the two-year group.
Students were asked a number of questions to obtain their views on how they have 
benefited to date from the CASS experience. The following table shows that from a low 
of 63 percent to a high of 100 percent (depending on the trait) respondents felt that they 
had benefited by improving their abilities with respect to this specific set of life skills.
Positively 
affected
(01)
No effect
(02)
Negatively 
affected
(03)
a. Self-reliance 81% 19%
b. Ability to communicate with others 88% 12%
c. Ability to get along with others 82% 18%
d. Ability to tolerate change 94% 6%
e. Willingness to take risks 63% 37%
f. Ability to speak in public 88% 12%
g. Willingness to try new things 100%
Asked to look toward the longer-term effects of the program, the participants felt that 
their U.S. study would affect them positively, as noted in the following table.
Not 
useful
(01)
A little 
useful
(02)
Somewhat 
useful
(03)
a. Improve my professional abilities 6% 94%
b. Teach me new skills/techniques for work 6% 94%
c. Prepare me for a career 12% 88%
d. Give me opportunities to meet U.S. citizens in my field 56% 44%
e.
Give me opportunities to meet other colleagues from 
my country in my field 19% 81%
f. Improve my leadership abilities 19% 81%
g. Encourage volunteering and community work 12% 88%
Note: One participant did not respond to this survey item
 
A comparison of these ratings with other colleges in the team’s survey suggests that the 
low rating to the question d. about “meeting U.S. citizens in my field” is likely to rise 
after participants have been in the program longer.
During the course of their studies to date, over 63 percent of the participants reported that 
they had learned something about the economic system of the U.S. The students claim to 
have learned particularly about the role of the agriculture sector in the U.S. economy. 
Only 25% of the respondents claimed to have learned something about the U.S. political 
system. 
Participants were asked to identify categories of people with whom they spent time after 
classes. The students’ responses to this question were quite consistent: three-quarters of 
the respondents indicated that they spent the largest share of that time with their host 
families. The second response in almost all cases was “with other CASS students.” As 
with CASS students at other colleges, MJC’s CASS students tend to interact more with 
each other than with American students on campus.
All of the CASS participants reported participating in campus and community activities. 
The activity most often mentioned was Young Farmers. Other activities mentioned 
included the international club, church and volunteer activities, an international festival, 
folk dances and presentations, and sports. All of the respondents to the survey thought 
that they would be more active as a volunteer in their community when they returned 
home from the U.S.
Persons Interviewed at Modesto Junior College
January 29-30, 2002
ß Mark Anglin, Agriculture. Instructor
ß Mark E. Bender, Ph.D., Dean, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
ß Gordon Brock, Silliker Laboratories of California (internship site)
ß George Boodrookas, Dean of Community and Economic Development
ß Lilia Davis, Assistant to the CASS Coordinator
ß Elizabeth Martinez, Instructor in Teacher-Training program
ß Richard Nimphius, Agriculture Instructor (former Dean of Agriculture and 
Environmental Sciences)
ß Bill Scroggins, Vice President, Instruction
ß Bennett Tom, Ed.D., Vice Chancellor, Educational Services, Yosemite 
Community College District
ß Aida Trejo, Assistant to the CASS Coordinator
ß Paul B. Vantress, Director, Workforce Training Center
ß Dr. James Williams, President, MJC 
ß Elizabeth Orozco-Wittke, Manager, International Contract Programs
CASS EVALUATION
SITE VISIT TO REEDLEY COLLEGE
Reedley, California
January 30-31, 2002
Overview
Reedley College is currently hosting fourteen CASS students in a two-year Agriculture 
Technology program. The college’s program is intensive; students work hard, and their 
performance has been very good. The program enjoys excellent college and community 
support. 
Introduction
With a student body of about 5,000 students, Reedley College (referred to simply as 
Reedley) is located in a small town in the agriculturally rich San Joaquin Valley. The 
college is currently hosting a two-year CASS group consisting of 14 Central Americans 
studying Agriculture Technology. The students arrived in August 2000 and are now well 
into their second year of studies.
An Aguirre International member of the CASS evaluation team visited the ACCD from 
noon on Wednesday, January 30 and Thursday, January 31. The CASS coordinator had 
prepared an extensive program of interviews, including meetings with CASS participants, 
the CASS administrative staff, University administrators, instructors, a community NGO 
with which CASS students participate, two host families, and the businesses where CASS 
students carry out internships. (A list of the individuals with whom the evaluator met is 
provided as an annex to this report.) This report reflects the information obtained and 
observations made during the course of that visit.
The CASS Office
The CASS office at Reedley is part of the Agriculture and Natural Resources 
Department. The CASS coordinator has a Ph.D. in agriculture and has previously taught 
agricultural in a university setting. These factors contribute to the strong collegial 
relationship that exists between the CASS coordinator and the Department’s faculty and 
to the Agriculture and Natural Resources Department’s strong sense of ownership of the 
Reedley CASS program. Equally important, the CASS students understand that they are 
full participating members of the Department family. 
Together with the community, the CASS office organizes extensive activities to help the 
students to learn and to adjust to the U.S. environment. For example, the program ensures 
that students learn about shopping, how to make phone calls, doing banking, etc. There 
are frequent social functions, outings to movies and to community events and field trips 
to locations around the state.
2
Compared to coordinators at other campuses, the high level of technical expertise of 
Reedley’s coordinator allows her to be more actively involved in the educational content 
of the program. The team’s limited observation suggests that her relationship with the 
CASS students is somewhat different than that at other campuses – more that of an 
educator and less of a parental surrogate. 
College and Community Support
Both the college and the community at Reedley strongly support the CASS program. 
Senior college administrators indicated their delight in having the CASS students on 
campus. Reedley College’s president emphasized the energy and positive outlook that 
CASS students bring to the college and to the community. He believes that the benefits to 
the college far outweigh the college’s financial investment. 
The college expressed no concern about continuing its financial and human resources 
commitment to the program. Indeed, in discussing ways that the program might better 
serve the needs of CASS students, top college administrators indicated that it might well 
be possible to provide financial support so that professors could visit CASS countries.
As Reedley did not receive a new group of CASS students in 2001, it now has only the 
one group currently on campus. Skipping a cycle makes Reedley’s participation in the 
program somewhat more difficult. According to the President and Business Manager, 
there are economies of scale in having two groups. Also, it becomes somewhat more 
difficult to maintain the human resources the program requires, e.g., to teach a first-year 
course in horticulture, when CASS only needs the course every other year. Another 
advantage of having a new class of CASS students each year is that the experienced 
students are available to help the newcomers during their first months on campus.
Community support for the CASS program is extensive. This support comes from 
individuals and families, local organizations (e.g., the Lion’s Club), and businesses. 
Thanks to these efforts, CASS students are kept busy with a wide variety of educational, 
social and cultural activities. Not only, for example, do the coordinator and the 
community organize trips to allow the students to ice skate and play in the snow, 
community and faculty members arrange to provide warm clothes without which the trips 
would be impossible. 
Some ardent CASS supporters at Reedley—including faculty and host families—have 
organized three visits to CASS countries. These trips, which have a primary focus on 
seeing students who have already returned home, are organized and paid for by the 
travelers. Of course, these visits also serve to educate the visitors from Reedley about the 
environment from which the CASS students come. 
The Training Program
As at other CASS partner institutions, Reedley provides the students with an intensive 
ESL program upon their arrival. During the first semester, courses are set up specifically 
3
for the CASS students. After the first semester, CASS students are “mainstreamed.” Even 
while struggling with English, the students embark on a very intensive course program. It 
is not unusual for students to be in classroom situations (including in the fields or barns) 
35 hours/week.
Students take a wide variety of agricultural courses. These include, for example, 
machinery management, general livestock, agriculture sales and communication, fairs 
and exhibitions, integrated pest management, agriculture accounting, plant science, soils, 
orchard management, farm management and agriculture technology. Students also take a 
number of other courses to develop better writing skills, to develop computer skills and to 
learn about U.S. institutions and ideals.
As one might expect in an agriculture program, the Reedley program is typified by a very 
“hands on” approach. In addition to the course work and practical activities they require, 
CASS students participate very actively in Future Farmers of America (FFA). Each 
student participates in an internship program, although Reedley has reduced the length of 
internships from six to three weeks. This action was reportedly taken because the 
program managers found that students often lost interest during longer stays. The team 
heard good reports about previous cycles of CASS students’ performance in internships. 
The current cycle had not yet reached the internship point in its program. 
Students are happy with the Reedley program. They indicated that they felt that their 
teachers were excellent and that Reedley was a very good place to study agriculture. 
Students particularly noted that they liked the very practical nature of the program. (See 
additional student comments below.)
CASS students do extremely well in the program. In meetings with many of the 
program’s instructors, the evaluation team consistently heard about the positive attitudes, 
hard work and excellent performance of the CASS students. Last year, 13 of 20 
agriculture department graduates who received “gold keys” at graduation were CASS 
students.
Housing
CASS students spend their first nine months with a host family. As Reedley is a small 
town, the pool of families from which the program can draw is smaller than at many 
other colleges. Although many farm families would welcome CASS students and this 
would be very appropriate for agriculture students, transporting the students to and from 
school would be a difficult problem. As public transportation is generally not available, 
the college seeks families who are not distant from the college campus. Students often 
commute to school on foot or by bicycle. With a limited number of qualified families 
volunteering, Reedley places two students with about half of the families volunteering. 
Some of the families speak only English, and others are bilingual. Most host families play 
an important role in helping students to improve their English language skills.
4
The families also play an extremely useful role in teaching the students about customs 
and norms in the U.S. The host families include the students in family activities and often 
take them to see things outside of the Reedley area. Many become like second families to 
the students, and a number of host families have traveled overseas to visit their former 
students. Many of the host families have joined together to form an international club to 
make the students feel welcome. The club sponsors weekly dinners or other activities.
Reedley has several extraordinary host families, at least two of which have served in this 
capacity ten or more times.
Students’ reaction to host families is typically extremely positive. There were comments 
from several sources, however, that at least one family that has volunteered several times 
largely ignores the students and seems to be motivated by the monthly stipend that the
college provides. 
The host families that were interviewed were pleased to participate in the program and 
clearly became very close to their students. Their only suggestions were to the effect that 
efforts might be made to find more host families and that those selected be ones where 
only English would be spoken. 
Reedley’s CASS students spend their second year in a student dormitory. The students 
expressed a wide variety of opinions about life in the dorms: some students were quite 
content, while others were quite dissatisfied. The criticisms included:
ß Poor cafeteria food and limited opportunity to make their own food;
ß Too noisy to study;
ß Lack of cleaning equipment (e.g., vacuums) and other students lack of 
cleanliness;
ß Failure to observe the rules (e.g., about quiet hours)
ß A lack of privacy.
Some of the students, aware of procedures at other CASS colleges, indicated that they 
would like Reedley’s CASS students to have the option of renting apartments.
Volunteer Activities
.
Perhaps because of the small size of the community, CASS students at Reedley have 
limited opportunities to do volunteer work. Virtually all of the volunteer work being done 
is at the “Nearly New” store of the Mennonite community. The program encourages 
volunteerism and the students do participate. However, Reedley does not require that 
students perform at least a specified minimum number of hours, as is the case at some 
other participating CASS colleges. Reedley’s CASS students participate frequently in 
FFA programs, some of which involves considerable time after school and on weekends.
Participants Perspective on the Program
Each of the 14 participants completed the evaluation team’s survey instrument. 
5
Students ranked their objectives in coming to the U.S. from most important to least 
important as follows:
a) to develop leadership capabilities;
b) to have an interesting learning experience;
c) to develop friendships and social relationships with U.S. citizens 
d) to network and make professional contacts; and 
e) to advance their careers.
The participants were asked to characterize the degree of difficulty of their studies from 
very difficult to very easy. Only one characterized the program as “very difficult.” The 
most common response (eight of the 14 respondents) said it was “difficult,” and the 
remainder qualified it as “just about right.” 
As at other colleges participating in the CASS program, the most common problem 
experienced is with English. Eight of 14 students reported that they were having 
problems communicating in English. 
The participants were asked to rate how the opportunity to study in the U.S. affected their 
skills in several areas that are important to successful careers and to future leadership. 
The following table shows their very positive responses.
Positively 
affected
(01)
No effect
(02)
Negatively 
affected
(03)
a. Self-reliance 86% 14%
b. Ability to communicate with others 100% 0%
c. Ability to get along with others 79% 21%
d. Ability to tolerate change 79% 21%
e. Willingness to take risks 79% 21%
f. Ability to speak in public 86% 14%
g. Willingness to try new things 93% 7%
In assessing how they felt that the program would affect their future careers, the students 
assessed the following possible program benefits:
Not 
useful
(01)
A little 
useful
(02)
Somewhat 
useful
(03)
a. Improve my professional abilities 100%
b. Teach me new skills/techniques for work 7% 93%
c. Prepare me for a career 7% 21% 79%
d. Give me opportunities to meet U.S. citizens in my field 7% 36% 57%
6
e.
Give me opportunities to meet other colleagues from 
my country in my field 36% 64%
f. Improve my leadership abilities 100%
g. Encourage volunteering and community work 14% 86%
During the course of their studies to date, 12 of the 14 students indicated that they had 
learned something about the U.S. economic system. Examples of the things that they had 
learned about included the role of cooperatives, how the U.S. treats depreciation, and the 
importance of competition in eliciting the best quality and lowest price. 
Eighty-two percent of the students indicated that they had also learned things about the 
U.S. political system. They had learned, for example, about the process of setting farm 
policies, about elections and about the acceptance of diversity in the U.S.
Participants were asked to identify categories of people with whom they spent time after 
classes. CASS participants spent most of their time with:
a) other CASS students; 
b) other U.S. students 
c) other students from their countries; 
d) other international students—not CASS participants; and
e) host families
In comparison with the responses that the evaluation team received at other college 
campuses, Reedley students seem to spend more time with U.S. students. This probably 
reflects the fact that the CASS program at Reedley is fully integrated into the regular 
college program.
As noted above, the students were generally very positive about their host families. 
Among the positive factors, the students cited the help they received with English and in 
understanding and operating in the U.S. culture. Several noted that the families had 
offered an excellent environment to live and study. About a third said that it was like 
having a second family that cared for them.
All CASS participants reported participating in campus and community activities. The 
most common activities reported were volunteering in the Nearly New store, participating 
in FFA field days and attending agricultural shows. 
When asked if they had recommendations to improve the program in the future, the 
students offered the following suggestions:
ß Find host families who are committed to helping students;
ß Tailor course content more to the conditions in CASS countries;
ß Give students more information about the college they will be attending;
ß Improve the coordinator’s communication with host families;
ß Improve communication between the country coordinator and the college 
coordinator;
7
ß Clarify the roles of and relationship between the coordinator and CIED;
ß Clarify the role of the coordinator with respect to the students;
ß Develop a specific course on leadership;
ß Utilize only ESL teachers who are native speakers of English; and
ß Permit students to go home for Christmas holidays during the second year.
Persons Interviewed at Reedley College
January 30-31, 2002
ß Bill Beal, Host Family and International Friends
ß Gene Blackwelder, Business Manager, Reedley College
ß Dave Clark, Instructor in Mechanized Agriculture, Agriculture and Natural Resources 
Department
ß Thomas A. Crow, President, Reedley College
ß Janice Englebright, Host Family and International Friends 
ß Michelle Ganci, Internships/Follow-on
ß Dave Lopes, Instructor of Agriculture Projects, Agriculture and Natural Resources 
Department
ß Ralph Loya, Instructor of Animal Sciences, Agriculture and Natural Resources 
Department
ß Katy Miller, Internships/Follow-on
ß Terri L. Porter, Ph.D., International Education Coordinator (CASS Coordinator)
ß Joe Russo, Associate Dean of Instruction, Occupational Education/PE-Health
ß Tim Smith, Instructor in Plant Science, Agriculture and Natural Resources 
Department
ß Bud West, Chair, Agriculture and Natural Resources Department
CASS EVALUATION
SITE VISIT TO ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Florissant Valley Campus
St. Louis, Missouri
November 28, 2001
Introduction
The Florissant Valley Campus of St. Louis Community College in St. Louis, Missouri, is 
currently a host school for a group of Georgetown University’s Cooperative Association 
of States for Scholars (CASS) Program participants. As part of the CASS Program 
evaluation for USAID, an Aguirre International evaluator visited the Florissant Valley 
campus to meet with CASS participants, CASS administrative staff, University 
administrative staff, support staff, and instructors. This Site Visit Report reflects the 
information obtained and observations made during the course of a one-day visit.
Meetings were held with the following individuals at the Florissant Valley campus of St. 
Louis Community College.
ß Dr. Denise Minnis, International Program Manager
ß David West, CASS Coordinator
ß Ann G. Ernst, CASS Program/Activities Manager
ß Dr. Gustavo Valadez Ortiz, President of Florissant Valley Community College
ß Dr. Patricia Donohue, Vice Chancellor for Education
ß Dr. Sarah Perkins, Dean of School of Engineering
ß Dr. Ashok Agrawal, Chairman, Engineering and Technology
ß Dr. Thomas J. Bingham, Program Coordinator, Engineering and Technology
ß Dr. Dale Gerstenecker, Associate Professor of Engineering Graphics
ß Jeanne Fountain, Advertising, Manufacturing Center Project Coordinator
ß Eight CASS participants
The CASS Cycle currently attending the Florissant Valley campus of St. Louis 
Community College consists of seventeen (17) participants from the Caribbean and 
Central America enrolled in a two-year program in Basic Electronics and 
Telecommunications. The participants represent the countries of Dominican Republic, El 
Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, and Jamaica.
The participants, all high school graduates, arrived at Florissant Valley in August 2001, 
and are undergoing English language training and mathematics. Courses in electronics 
and related technical fields will begin in January 2002. The course of study is basic 
electronics and telecommunication. Students will learn to break down and repair 
computers and other electronic instruments. They will learn to machine-tool boards, do 
wiring, test equipment, and set up telecommunications systems.
Courses are taught in English and the participants receive a semester of English language 
training, along with language support services as they progress through the program. In 
addition to the English language classes, the participants receive computer training and 
mathematics. Haitian students as well as Central American students receive English 
language training.
Internships
During their two-year program, the participants serve internships with local companies in 
their field of training. The instructors anticipate having to search harder for internships 
for the current group of students since several companies in the area that have provided 
internships in the past have experienced drastic cutbacks and some have completely shut 
down.
The CASS Office
The CASS office is located in the Engineering Building on the campus of Florissant 
Valley, in close proximity to the classrooms and laboratories that the students attend. 
The participants seem comfortable with the CASS office staff. While I was visiting, 
several students walked into the office to get questions answered or just to say “hello.” 
David West, the CASS Coordinator, was only recently hired but demonstrated good 
knowledge of the program and seemed to have the right attributes to coordinate this 
program. The President of Florissant Valley, Dr. Gustavo Valadez Ortiz, expressed his 
confidence in Mr. West, as did the Dean of the School of Engineering, and the head 
instructor for the program, Dr. Thomas J. Bingham.
Service Learning
During the course of their two-year program, participants will perform a number of hours 
of Service Learning experiences with St. Louis area civic and community institutions. 
The experiences will involve professional practical and leadership/community service 
activities.
Host Families
As is the case of two-year CASS Programs, all of the participants live with host families 
for the first year of the program. They move out into apartments for the second year. In 
a couple of instances, two participants are with one family. These families from the local 
community actively support the participants, not only by providing room and board, but 
also by providing transportation to them, taking them sightseeing, and involving them in 
their school and civic organizations. They also help to provide them with winter clothing 
and other personal needs. The CASS office does extensive dialogue with the host 
families to minimize or forestall any problems or negative behaviors.
Host families are encouraged to notify the CASS office if they notice any potential 
problem. One such situation occurred when a CASS participant purchased a rather 
expensive CD and tape player. The host family called the CASS office concerned about 
the participant spending so much of his allowance that he might not be able to meet his 
expenses for the month. The CASS staff called the participant in for counseling and they 
worked out a budget together.
Enrichment
The CASS staff makes every effort to involve the groups in professional enrichment as 
well as community and civic-oriented activities. Participants are active in their respective 
churches, provide Spanish language classes to adults, assist in community service clinics, 
and participate in state and local government seminars. Participants perform ethnic 
dances from their countries and sing at gatherings of civic and social groups.
The participants are encouraged to take part in the athletic and social events at the 
college, and they claim to be taking advantage of these opportunities.
CASS Relations with St. Louis Community College
The president of Florissant Valley, Dr. Gustavo Valadez Ortiz, is a genuine supporter of 
the CASS Program and its aims. He has met many of the participants individually and he 
keeps an open door for all of the students. Dr. Denise Minnis, who is the supervisor of 
the CASS Coordinator, David West, has managed the program most recently. She is 
located at the St. Louis Community College main campus. Dr. Minnis stated that she will 
continue to take an interest in the CASS Program and will continue to assist Mr. West in 
his assumption of duties with the program. 
Group Discussion with Participants
The Aguirre International evaluator met with the eight participants in an informal group 
discussion at the CASS office at the Florissant Valley campus. He found the participants 
to be quite articulate and focused in their discussion. They were proud of the CASS 
Program and their participation in it. They felt that they had accomplished what they set 
out to do and, up to this point in the program, their expectations were fulfilled. Most felt 
confident that they would be able to find jobs upon their return home and would be able 
to implement much of what they had learned. Only one of the eight participants was 
employed at the time of selection for the CASS Program. He was employed as a house 
cleaner in his country. All of the others were recent high school graduates.
The participants stated the instruction they received was quite different from their 
classroom experiences in their home countries and that they had a different (more 
informal) relationship with their U.S. instructor than they had with their teachers back 
home. The participants praised the Florissant Valley CASS staff and the citizens of St. 
Louis who made them feel welcome and appreciated.
Cycle 02: Basic Electronics and Telecommunications
The seventeen participants arrived at the Florissant Valley-Stowe campus in August 2001 
and were undergoing intensive language training, mathematics, and computer training at 
the time of the site visit.
The Aguirre evaluator met with eight of the participants (2 Jamaicans, 2 Haitians, and 4 
Central Americans) as a group in the Florissant Valley administration building. He spoke 
with them informally and administered the CASS U.S. Participant Survey.
The participants, although very young (16 to 24 years of age), were relatively mature and 
quite serious about their scholarship and about getting the most out of it. They had 
committed themselves to returning to their countries and helping in development efforts
at home. The conversation was conducted in English and the participants seemed quite 
comfortable with that. They spoke freely about the educational systems in their country 
and about their experiences in the U.S. Many were very sympathetic with the U.S. about 
the September 11th terrorist attack, and one Haitian youth said that it surprised him how it 
made the U.S. citizens unite and take pride in their country.
Survey Results
Their survey responses indicated that their most important reason for coming into this 
U.S. study program was that they felt it would help them with their career. The second 
most important reason was to have an interesting learning experience. Other 
considerations were the development of leadership abilities and making professional 
contacts in their field of study. Of the five choices offered, the least important reason for 
accepting the scholarship was given as friendships and social relationships with U.S. 
citizens. 
The participants were asked to characterize the degree of difficulty of their studies up to 
this point in time. Six participants (75%) felt that their studies were “just about right,” 
and two participants (25%) characterized their studies as “easy.” None of the participants 
felt that it was “very easy.” Out of the eight respondents, only one student reported 
experiencing difficulties in his studies. Upon further questioning, it appeared that this 
difficulty centered on the students’ frustration with learning English fast enough.
Five (5) of the eight participants said that they had difficulties in communicating in 
English. They cited listening difficulties and pronunciation as problematic areas. One 
Jamaican student, speaking in perfect English, said that many people in the U.S. had 
difficulty understanding her because of her Jamaican accent.
Participants were asked to rate how the opportunity to study in the U.S. affected them in 
several areas. The following table indicates their responses.
Positively 
affected
(01)
No effect
(02)
Negatively 
affected
(03)
a. Self-reliance 63% 37%
b. Ability to communicate with others 100%
c. Ability to get along with others 75% 25%
d. Ability to tolerate change 88% 12%
e. Willingness to take risks 37% 63%
f. Ability to speak in public 37% 63%
g. Willingness to try new things 75% 25%
As the participants progress through their program, they will have opportunities to speak 
in public and become more comfortable in taking risks. It is anticipated that more 
positive responses in these areas will take place over time.
Although the participants had been in the CASS Program for approximately three 
months, in that time they had great hopes that their U.S. study would affect them 
positively, as noted in the following table.
Not 
useful
(01)
A little 
useful
(02)
Somewhat 
useful
(03)
a. Improve my professional abilities 100%
b. Teach me new skills/techniques for work 12% 88%
c. Prepare me for a career 12% 88%
d. Give me opportunities to meet U.S. citizens in my field 12% 75% 13%
e.
Give me opportunities to meet other colleagues from 
my country in my field 37.5% 12.5% 50%
f. Improve my leadership abilities 12% 88%
g. Encourage volunteering and community work 12.5 12.5% 75%
During the course of their studies to date, four of the eight survey respondents (50%)
learned something about the economic system of the U.S. The other four participants
reported that they had not learned about the economic system up to this point in their 
program.
When asked if they had learned about the U.S. political system or its democratic 
institutions, over sixty-two (62.5) percent said that they had learned about it. Thirty￾seven (37.5) percent had not learned about the U.S. political system and democratic 
institutions up to this time. 
Participants were asked to identify categories of people with whom they spent time after 
classes. In the order in which they responded, the CASS participants spent most of their 
time with 
a) their host family; 
b) other students in the CASS Program;
c) other students from their home country; 
d) international students—not CASS participants; and
e) other U.S. students. 
All eight CASS participants reported participating in campus and community activities.
One participant was late for our meeting with the group because he was attending track 
and field practice. Another student was elected Vice-president of the Florissant Valley 
Engineering Club (Society for Mechanical Engineering) and another as Secretary; all of 
the CASS participants are members of the club.
All of the participants thought that they would be more active as volunteers in their 
community when they returned home from the U.S.
Because the participants are in the early stages of their two-year program, they have not 
yet participated in internships.
Observations
The CASS Program at Florissant Valley seems in good hands. There is strong 
administrative, faculty, and community support for the program. The physical plant of 
the school, and especially the Engineering School, appears to be spacious and well￾equipped. The CASS Program seems to be well-situated within the academic program. 
The faculty is experienced in working with international students. The faculty takes great 
pride in its facilities and its ability to provide relevant hands-on training for the 
participants, which will stand them in good stead when they return home. They are 
taught to fabricate parts and equipment which may not be readily available in their 
countries.
Except for some frustration with the speed of learning English, the students seemed 
happy with their studies as well as their adjustment.
One area which the CASS program school might look into is how to involve the CASS 
participants with other U.S. college students to a greater degree. This may, indeed, 
happen in time because it is still early in the program, but the CASS Coordinator should 
examine some strategies for making this happen.
It might be helpful for the new CASS Coordinator, David West, to get to know the CASS 
Coordinator at Harris-Stowe, Jaime Torres. As a new coordinator, Mr. West might 
benefit from the experiences of Mr. Torres, especially the way he takes advantage of and 
leverages opportunities from the local community and businesses to benefit the 
participants.
APPENDIX G
Programming Trends and Costs
APPENDIX G
CASS Programming Trends and Costs
USAID has provided three successive cooperative agreements to CIED to support the 
CASS and its predecessor program. Table G.1 shows CIED expenditures (of USAID 
funds) to support the program during the eight-year evaluation period, FY 1994-2001. 
These expenditures totaled $102 million. Expenditures peaked in FY 1995 at $14.4 
million. The lowest annual level of expenditures, $10.7 million in FY 2001, reflects a 
decrease in USAID funding under the most recent cooperative agreement. 
Table G.1.
Total CASS Costs from CASS II and CASS III, FY 1994-2001
($ thousands)
FY 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Total
$13,738 $14,374 $12,958 $12,457 $11,486 $13,543 $12,720 $10,700 $101,976
Of the $102 million expended during this period, $15 million supported students who 
began their studies prior to 1994, and $87 million supported students who began their 
studies in the 1994-2001 period. Of that latter amount, $83.5 million (96 percent) 
financed the program’s U.S.-based training and the administrative structure to support 
that training. The remaining $3.5 million (4%) were used for in-country programs, such 
TSE or courses for returned participants.
CASS expenditures for U.S.-based training are divided into two large categories: training 
costs and administrative costs. “Training costs” include all costs (including 
administration) incurred at the participating colleges and include the students’ 
international travel. “Administrative costs” include all of the costs incurred at CIED and 
by the in-country CASS offices. Of the $83.5 million of CASS II and CASS III 
expenditures on U.S.-based training during the eight-year period of this evaluation, $59.7 
million (71.5%) were for costs at the colleges and $23.8 million (28.5%) were expended 
for the activities at CIED and the country offices. However, some of the reported 
expenditures under “administrative costs” were used to support students whose training 
costs were financed under CASS I. For this reason, these figures probably underestimate 
the share of costs for on-campus activities and over-estimate the cost of Georgetown￾based and in-country1
 support functions (and student travel). CIED indicates that the ratio 
of on-campus training costs to those other support costs has been fairly stable at 3:1. The 
evaluation team used this CIED ratio in the following analysis of per student costs.
 
1
 “In-country” in this paper means in the countries from which CASS students come.
Table G.2 shows the number of students who started training during the FY 1994-2001 
period and the corresponding number of student-months of training and costs. These 
costs were financed under the second and third USAID cooperative agreements. 
Table G.2.
CASS Student Trends and Costs, FY1994-2001
CASS Students Costs (millions)
 No. of Students Student-Months Training Costs Total Costs (1)
Total 1 Yr. 2 Yrs. Total 1 Yr. 2 Yrs. Total 1 Yr. 2 Yrs. Total 1 Yr. 2 Yrs.
Grant II 1,254 206 1,048 26,089 1,483 24,606 $37.4 $2.0 $35.4 $56.0 $3.0 $53.0
Grant III 1,088 387 701 20,778 4,175 16,603 $22.3 $4.6 $17.7 $27.5 $5.7 $21.8
Totals 2,342 593 1,749 46,867 5,658 41,209 $59.7 $6.6 $53.1 $83.5 $8.7 $74.8
Table G.2 shows that 2,342 participants were selected for U.S. training during this period. 
Of these, 593 students (25%) were sent to the U.S. for one year or less of training, and 
1,749 (75%) were sent for two-year programs. The shorter programs, of course, assumed 
a smaller share of the total student-months of training (12%) and training costs (11%).
Table G. 3 shows that, although the two-year program remains the largest component of 
the CASS program, shorter programs have increased in importance during the evaluation 
period. 
Table G.3.
Numbers of New CASS Students, 
by Length of Program and by Year
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Totals
One Year or Less
 CASS II 30 30 48 18 80 206
 CASS III 36 103 141 107 387
 Totals 0 30 30 48 54 183 141 107 593
 % of all students 0% 11% 11% 18% 17% 54% 51% 43% 25%
Two-year Programs
 CASS II 322 253 249 224 1,048
 CASS III 270 156 135 140 701
 Totals 322 253 249 224 270 156 135 140 1,749
 % of all students 100% 89% 89% 82% 83% 46% 49% 57% 75%
Totals, All Students 322 283 279 272 324 339 276 247 2,342
Table G.3 shows that, in the most recent three years, shorter programs have represented 
more than 43-54 percent of students sent to the U.S. under the program. Under CASS II 
shorter-term programs accounted for 16 percent of the students selected and 5 percent of 
the costs; under CASS III shorter-term participants represent 36 percent of the 
participants and 21 percent of the costs. 
Utilizing the figures in Table G.2, we can divide total on-campus training costs ($59.7 
million) by the total number of student-months of training provided (46,867) to calculate 
that the average on-campus training cost/student-month is $1,274. Adding CIED’s 
administrative costs would raise that figure to approximately $1,700 per student-month. 
The CIED (or USAID) cost of a 24-month training program thus averaged about $40,750, 
or approximately $20,375 per year, including all tuition and fees, maintenance 
allowances, and associated expenses for maintaining a student in the program.
These figures do not include the financial and in-kind contributions provided by the 
participating colleges or communities. On the basis of a review of the budgets of 
programs at two of the colleges, the evaluation team estimated these contributions to be 
about $575 per student-month or about $13,800 for a two-year student, i.e., almost 50 
percent of the amount of on-campus training costs financed by USAID.2
 This suggests a 
total cost from all sources of $54,550 for a two-year program.3
Observation
The evaluators were unable to identify an academic program that is comparable to the 
CASS Program. High school graduates, rural and underprivileged persons, and persons 
with disabilities are not the targets of most U.S. training programs. Nor do other 
programs provide an in-country staff to identify and recruit the target population, employ 
full-time campus coordinators, offer ESL training, arrange for host family support, 
facilitate volunteer service activities, coordinate internships, provide leadership training, 
encourage participation in school and community activities, and provide follow-on 
support upon return to the home country. 
The following data show some examples of annual costs of academic programs in the 
following: a U.S. public university, a U.S. private university, and the Bureau of 
Education and Cultural Affairs (BECA) Freedom Support Act Undergraduate Program. 
(Note that the university costs are for a nine-month academic year, while the CASS 
Program costs are for a twelve-month program.) 
· University of Maryland: $15,052 annual in-state tuition; $23,124 annual non￾resident tuition (does not include recruitment, language training, pre-departure, 
follow-up, internships, volunteer service, travel, enrichment, etc.)
 
2
 This estimate is consistent with CASS/CIED data that indicates college contribution’s to be equal to 
slightly over 45% of the USAID/Georgetown share.
3
 This analysis implicitly assumes that the “opportunity cost” for the students’ time spent in training is zero. 
Since many of the students would have been employed in some productive activity, the “economic cost” of 
the CASS training is in fact somewhat higher. 
· Johns Hopkins University (graduate study one year): $38,310 (does not include 
recruitment, language training, pre-departure, follow-up, internships, volunteer 
service, etc.)
· BECA Freedom Support Act Undergraduate (one year): $21,000 with cost share; 
$28,000 without cost share (includes travel and orientations, but does not include 
recruitment, administrative costs and overhead)