The USAID/Indonesia Decentralized Basic Education program is a partnership between the Government of Indonesia and the Government of the United States of America under a Strategic Objective Agreement (SOAG) between the Coordinating Ministry for People’s Welfare (Menko Kesra) and USAID. The program is intended to improve the quality of basic education in Indonesia through three integrated components: DBE1, DBE2, and DBE3. DBE1 focuses on more effective decentralized education management and governance program, DBE2 on improve quality of teaching and learning program, and DBE3 on increased relevance of junior secondary and non-formal education to life skills. The three projects implemented in East Java, Central Java, West Java/Banten (combined), South Sulawesi, and North Sumatera aim at improving the quality of education within more than 2,400 schools and over 0.25 million of students in 100 districts (kabupaten/kota) from 2005 through 2010.

The program which has involved the University of Pittsburgh in is DBE2 with its basic principles target to be for under-served communities and schools, the teachers, the children, and the creative learning process. The tasks includes cluster-based in-service training, active and participatory learning and environment, education performance assessment, and the use of information and communication technology.