Turning points: the effect of the strategy Colegios Pioneros on academic performance

In order to strengthen the quality of education in Colombia, the Ministry of National Education has been implementing the program Todos a Aprender (PTA) since 2012. In 2015 this program had several reforms, among which the inclusion of a strategy called Colegios Pioneros. This strategy reinforced the main components of the PTA and had the support of leading organizations in educational issues. This paper estimates the difference between the effects of the PTA and the strategy Colegios Pioneros on students’ performance in math and language on the standardized tests Saber 3° and Saber 5°. Using a paired differences-in-differences method, a relative reduction in performance is found at the institutions where the strategy Colegios Pioneros was implemented. This result may be due to a saturation effect in the intervened educational establishments, given that the improvements incorporated with the strategy may not represent an additional stimulus.