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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 teacher sits on the floor by a chalk board. Students on either side of her raise their hands.

Launching the FLN Hub: A library of resources to support education actors improve learning outcomes

With the support of The World Bank Group and Global Partnership for Education (GPE), the FLN Initiative is launching the FLN hub, a dedicated resource website anchored by evidence generated and synthesized by J-PAL, as well as practical resources developed by Pratham, Delivery Associates, and other...
A young man stands at a whiteboard in front of a class of students, all wearing masks

Applying evidence to help students catch up

School closures due to Covid-19 have thrown education in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) into crisis. How can we begin to address a disruption of this magnitude? To start, we can turn to the ample body of education evidence to guide us. Read to learn how evidence can guide education recovery...
An African teacher teaches six students in a classroom.

The long and winding road of evidence adoption

J-PAL’s mandate is to improve lives by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. So what does bridging the gap between evidence, policy and practice actually look like? J-PAL's Associate Director of Policy, Ashleigh Morrell, reflects on the three approaches J-PAL Africa has adopted...
High school girls in Accra, Ghana posing for the camera in their graduation uniforms.

Investing in girls' education? Top 3 lessons from the evidence

How can governments, donors and implementing partners decide on where to invest to improve girls’ enrollment? Global evidence on effective interventions can be a great place to start. J-PAL Africa highlight three key lessons everyone should keep in mind on keeping girls in school.
students sit at desks inside a classroom working on an assignment

Affiliate Spotlight: Michela Carlana

Michela Carlana is an assistant professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. From researching the subtle role of bias and motivation in student outcomes to rapidly launching and evaluating scalable programs to combat learning loss, Michela’s work reflects a commitment to reducing...
teacher and students learning outdoors during the covid-19 pandemic

Learning to live with the pandemic, but not its terrible impact

In a blog post for the Center for Effective Philanthropy, J-PAL Global's Iqbal Dhaliwal and Ingrid Lustig reflect on new and deepened sectoral challenges that must be prioritized by the philanthropic community in this new phase of the pandemic.
Map showing the Western Balkans

How can insights from rigorous evidence inform policymaking in the Western Balkans?

This post highlights how rigorous impact evaluations can contribute to this broader reflection, including by examining interventions from neighboring countries outside the region facing similar challenges, such as migrant and refugee inclusion in Bulgaria and Turkey.
Adam Osman presents in front of a J-PAL MENA banner

Affiliate Spotlight: Adam Osman

Adam Osman is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Co-Scientific Director at J-PAL Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Adam’s work using randomized evaluations to test theories about improving the lives of the poor serves to fill the gap in...