During a recent visit to her single-room schoolhouse in the sierras of Chihuahua, IDB photographer Willie Heinz found the 19-year-old teacher shuttling among three groups of students, answering questions, resolving disputes, and monitoring assignments.

"The students were disciplined, industrious, and obviously fond of their teacher," recalls Heinz. Standing just over four feet tall, González can look most of them directly in the eye, a fact that seems to contribute to her popularity.

Residents of the tiny community of El Yerbaniz consider themselves lucky to have González. Tucked away in a remote corner of the sierras, El Yerbaniz has a hard time attracting any teachers, much less someone like González, who has a post-secondary degree in economics and administration.

González exemplifies the success of an innovative program run by Mexico's National Council for Education Development (known as CONAFE and partly financed by the IDB. In order to draw motivated teachers to poor and isolated communities, CONAFE recruits bright high schoolers with demonstrated leadership skills and offers them an attractive deal: teach one or two years at a community school and get a three- to five-year basic scholarship to a university of your choice.

Teachers receive two months of intensive training, textbooks and teaching materials, and a salary of around $100 per month. Host communities must provide the teachers with room, board and other needs. In addition to schoolroom duties, most teachers work with community leaders to organize adult education and cultural activities on the weekends.

The program employs 700 teachers in Chihuahua state and 20,000 nationwide. "It's a great initiative," says Rodolfo Trujillo, who heads CONAFE's Chihuahua operations. "The teachers get work experience and scholarships, and the kids get enthusiastic, committed teachers."

--The editors