Formative Evaluation on the Implementation of School Re-Entry Policy Guidelines in the Catholic Sponsored Secondary Schools In Kajiado County, Kenya

The purpose of this formative evaluation was to gather and analyze evaluative data that may be used to make some observations, comments, improvement and overall continued effective implementation of the 2020 School Reentry Policy Guidelines for Early Learning and Basic Education, as applied to the selected target population, namely, the teen mothers. The study sought to address the following evaluation question: To what extent are the school reentry policy guidelines being implemented? This evaluation study was informed by the resiliency theory. The study applied a convergence Mixed Methods Research (MMR) design in which both the quantitative and qualitative data were collected together and later the findings were corroborated. Daniel Stufflebeam’s, Context, Input, Process, and Product (CIPP) evaluation model was also adapted to inform evaluation approach and study reporting. Being a formative evaluation, the study largely inclined on the process evaluation. The targeted stakeholders included the student teen mothers, their parents/guardians, teachers, Principals, Boards of Management, Education officers and the local administrators (chiefs). Questionnaires, interview guides and data analysis guides were used to collect the evaluation data from the respondents. Findings from the study revealed that: the re-entry guidelines are relevant and necessary in addressing learner dropouts; and that policy dissemination and sensitization of the stakeholders is the main challenge slowing down the effective implementation of the re-entry guidelines. Following the implementation of the guidelines, there is an improved school enrolment, retention, completion and transition of teen mothers, thereby meeting the goal of the re-entry guidelines. Moreover, the evaluation established that more academic interventions need to be put in place by the schools to uplift the academic standards and performance of the student teen mothers and all students who reenter school after dropping out. While the re-entry guidelines still face a myriad of challenges in their implementation. the evaluation study made recommendations for various approaches that the MOE, local administrators, school administrators and the teachers can adopt to accelerate the implementation of the re-entry policy guidelines. Key Words: Dropout, Evaluation, Formative Evaluation, Guidelines, Reentry, Resilience, teen Mother