6: Curricular and Evaluation Contributions of a Bilingual Intercultural Project in the Amazon

The South American Amazon, the most extensive tropical forest on the planet, is characterized by a multilingual population existing since precolonial times. In Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru, recent constitutional reforms have elevated the formal status of Amazonian languages. However, in practice, these languages do not enjoy social recognition, largely as a result of discrimination toward indigenous communities (Cortina, 2015). In addition, the absence of native language instruction and culturally relevant pedagogies in the Amazon poses serious challenges to school learning. This chapter discusses the implementation and impact of the Bilingual Intercultural Project for the Amazon (EIBAMAZ, Educación Intercultural Bilingüe para la Amazonía), a decade-long educational initiative implemented between 2005 and 2015 in seventeen remote and historically excluded indigenous communities in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru. We describe the goals, implementation features, and variety of project results. In addition, we use logic modeling to critically analyze outcomes and impacts from the final evaluation of EIBAMAZ conducted between 2014 and 2015 by the Development Management Portfolio Group (DMPG). The final evaluation followed a hybrid approach, combining quantitative and qualitative techniques. Data sources included a questionnaire, focus group interviews, and observations in 20 classrooms in the three countries, involving university, teacher‑training, school, and project leaders. We conclude with an analysis of project outcomes within the historical context of Amazonian communities in South America. Conclusions from our outcome analysis have implications for future research and education initiatives involving language revitalization or school improvement in indigenous contexts in Latin America.