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Homestay Impact Evaluation

Report Information

Date Issued
Report Number
IG-19-05-E
Report Type
Inspection / Evaluation
Component
Agency-wide
Description
This evaluation had two objectives: (1) to describe the range of homestay models that Peace Corps posts were implementing and better understand their advantages and challenges; and (2) to assess the impact of homestay requirements on Volunteer safety, language acquisition, integration, and health. We found that the majority (63 percent) of Peace Corps posts implemented homestay requirements during service, though the number of months required varied. Evidence from this analysis does not support the assumption that better Volunteer outcomes will be achieved in all contexts. Given the costs of administering and potential risk associated with homestay programs, posts that transition to or increase homestay requirements should rigorously monitor safety and language outcomes.
Agency Wide
Yes (agency-wide)

Recommendations

Disclaimer: Open/Closed recommendations are updated semiannually.

We recommend that the deputy director of the Office of Strategic Information, Research, and Planning collaborate with the Office of Safety and Security to develop a plan to assess the impact of homestay requirements on Volunteer safety using Interrupted Time Series analysis or a similarly robust approach.

We recommend that the deputy director of the Office of Strategic Information, Research, and Planning collaborate with the Office of Overseas Programming and Training Support to develop a plan to assess the impact of homestay requirements on Volunteer language proficiency using Interrupted Time Series analysis or a similarly robust approach.

We recommend that the associate director of the Office of Global Operations issue guidance to posts that describes how and why to emphasize both privacy and support when training host families.

We recommend that the associate director of the Office of Global Operations provides guidance to posts about initiating, increasing, and implementing homestay requirements in order to mitigate the challenges associated with these policies.