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News, ideas, and analysis from J-PAL staff and affiliated professors. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive monthly email updates.

A female tutor works with a female student at a table

Beyond the evidence: Reflections from a past high school tutor

Research Associate Lisa Turley Smith recounts her experience as a high school tutor and shares how she saw first-hand the positive impacts of tutoring.
Four individuals in graduation robes stand on stage

Reflecting on research during times of uncertainty: A recap from Puerto Rico’s EDUGESPRO graduation

J-PAL North America staff and researchers recently attended a graduation ceremony for school principals who participated in EDUGESPRO, a professional development program born out of a research partnership with the Puerto Rico Department of Education.
Two female students work on an engineering project, overseen by a teacher

Investing in students early: The effects of a STEM pipeline program for underrepresented high school students

By
The research team behind a rigorous, long-term evaluation of a STEM program for high schoolers discusses their new working paper & key findings, including a significant increase in graduation rates for program participants.
A teacher helps two high school students with technology in a classroom.

Implementation challenges of an impact assessment: The ATEMA project in Puerto Rico

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Olgamary Rivera and Alina Amador discuss the implementation of the Technology Application in Mathematics Teaching (Aplicación de la Tecnología en la Enseñanza de las Matemáticas, or ATEMA) program in Puerto Rico.
Women in Kenya walk along town street while in conversation.

Unpacking the evidence on social programs in sub-Saharan Africa

J-PAL Africa recently concluded a five-part blog series providing evidence-informed perspectives on key debates in the fight against poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting lessons for policymakers.
Audience and speakers at J-PAL MENA event: Global Evidence for Egypt Spotlight Seminar on early childhood development

Guiding investments in long-term human capital development in Egypt: A recap from the Global Evidence for Egypt Spotlight Seminar on early childhood development

J-PAL Middle East and North Africa (J-PAL MENA) at The American University in Cairo (AUC) co-hosted a seminar (recording here) with UNICEF Egypt on May 19, 2022 to share global evidence on early childhood development to guide investments in long-term human capital development in Egypt.
Unidentified Ghanaian pupils in school uniform in a local village. Photo: nicolasdecorte | Shutterstock.com

Want to get girls to school in sub-Saharan Africa? Tackle poverty

Female education remains a key challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, which is home to the largest population of out-of-school girls. Poverty remains a key barrier to school enrolment, especially following the economic disruptions triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic. Can governments really hope to tackle...
Screenshot of the DFM Chile learning platform.

Facing an educational Covid earthquake: An example of scaling up and innovating in Chile

Regardless of what happens with the new variants of Covid-19, our children’s educational process was substantially interrupted. Despite the tenacious efforts of educational communities and families, there is evidence that the negative consequences on educational achievement, socialization, emotional...