Boy’s educational ‘underachievement’ has represented a policy issue for decades in the East Caribbean. Data shows young men have higher drop-out rates and lower graduation rates in secondary school. Gender norms affect individual outcomes of girls/women and boys/men in different ways, with the current stereotype of masculinity being incongruent with academic achievement and school engagement.  

The project aims to implement, evaluate, and expand a comprehensive 'whole-school' approach aimed at enhancing gender-responsive and inclusive teaching and learning practices within Caribbean educational systems in Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Dominica.  

By employing mixed methodologies and approaches, including the application of the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES) jointly with Ministries of Education and Census Office in the three countries, the project seeks to: 

• Generate evidence on perceived gender norms within schools, promoting gender equity and inclusive learning. This data will serve to inform educational dialogues, planning processes, and decision-making within the education sector. 
• Create gender-sensitive and inclusive learning materials and methodologies that cater to diverse learning styles and preferences among students. 
• Establish communities of practice comprising principals, administrators, and teachers. These forums will serve as platforms for sharing knowledge, experiences, and capacity-strengthening on the model, its adaptations, and underlying conceptual principles. 
• Support Ministries of Education in the design, adaptation, costing, and assessment of scalable pathways for implementing gender equity and inclusive education innovations within their systems.