Chile faces a deep classroom engagement crisis. National standardized assessments (SIMCE) consistently reveal that students from public and subsidized schools perform 2-3 years behind grade level. A core driver is passive, teacher-centered pedagogy: most students sit through classes as spectators, rarely asked to think, explain, or participate. Research confirms that in traditional Chilean classrooms, fewer than 30% of students actively engage during a given lesson. For students with learning differences, economic vulnerability, or low confidence, this exclusion is devastating.
Fundación Entre Pares was founded in 2014 by two educators who witnessed this daily: children who were capable, curious, and eager — but rendered invisible by a system that only called on the fastest, loudest, or most confident. The innovation we bring addresses this root cause directly: not the curriculum, not the technology, but the interaction structure inside the classroom. When every child is guaranteed a role in every activity, the entire dynamic changes.
Entre Pares implements Kagan Cooperative Structures — the world's most evidence-based cooperative learning methodology, developed over 45 years and used in 13 countries. Since 2018, we are Chile's exclusive representatives.
Structures are step-by-step interaction sequences — not activities, but reusable "interaction engines" that work with any subject, grade (PreK to Grade 12), or learning objective. Classrooms are organized into teams of 4-5 students. Each structure ensures four simultaneous principles: positive interdependence, individual accountability, equal participation, and simultaneous interaction.
A teacher implementing "Rally Robin" in a math lesson, for example, assigns alternating turns for every student to contribute an answer — no one waits passively. The same structure works in history or language class. With over 250 structures available, teachers can shift from one to another without changing the underlying logic.
Our implementation model includes: initial 8-hour workshops, continuous in-school coaching visits, co-planning sessions, and trained internal coaches within each school. Courses are certified by CPEIP (Chile's Ministry of Education training center). Schools report measurable gains in student participation, reduced disruptive behavior, and stronger classroom community within 3 months of implementation.
Over 11 years, Entre Pares has grown from a two-person initiative to an 11-person team reaching 110+ schools across Chile — from Arica in the north to Punta Arenas in the south — spanning public, subsidized, and private institutions.
Recent milestones (2023–2025):
— Won the Fondo Fortalece from Fundación Angelini (selected from 159 applicants) to serve 16 schools in the Atacama Region (SLEP Huasco) over 3 years.
— Partnered with Vector Capital to serve Escuela Allipen, reaching 300+ students from PreK to Grade 8.
— Finalist in Fondo Efecto Colectivo Norte (Fundación Reimagina + BHB Foundation).
— Active licitaciones públicas (public procurement contracts) in vulnerable municipalities.
Goals for 2026–2028:
— Expand to 3 additional SLEP (regional public school networks), reaching 50 more schools
— Launch a digital learning platform to multiply the reach of teacher training beyond in-person delivery
— Document impact through a formal longitudinal study in partnership with a Chilean university
Everyone can visit our web www.entrepares.cl or email us to contacto@entrepares.cl. Schools and municipalities can request a diagnostic visit at no cost. We offer Level I and II Cooperative Learning workshops, Project-Based Learning with cooperative structures, SEL programs, and Positive Discipline courses — all CPEIP-certified for teacher professional development hours.
