ABSTRACT
The Kisumu School Improvement Program - Aga Khan (SIPAK or SIP) began in January 1990 and was designed to improve the quality of teaching and learning in primaiy schools in the Kisumu Municipality by promoting the adoption of child centered teaching. The project began in response to declining scores on the national primary school leaving examination, which leads to the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE). Many of the recommendations of the Phase 1 evaluation were incorporated into the second phase of the SIP. New leadership was brought in to guide the SIP during the second phase of the project, and, under this leadership, the SIP expanded, extending into the upper grades, out to parents, community, MEO staff, head teachers, local universities and teacher training colleges. Workshops for teachers included child-centered teaching and questioning strategies, teaching of reading and Kiswahili, small-group work, curriculum interpretation, art and crafts, and use of learning centers.
