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

This is an image of a photo collage, with two photos side by side. In the left photo, a girl stands in purple shirt and white head scarf, smiling and looking away from the camera. In the right photo, a boy stands outside in snow wearing jeans and a red sweatshirt, looking at the camera and smiling.

Yhdessä (Together): Creating documentary photography on inclusion and friendship in Finnish schools

We embarked on a documentary photography project to capture the people and activities behind a Finnish primary school intervention aimed at fostering social inclusion in schools. Our aim was to showcase the crucial role of visual storytelling in human-centered research and policymaking.
Young woman and two kids walking

Strengthening livelihoods in Central America through evidence

With the generous support of the Cotopaxi Foundation, J-PAL Latin America and the Caribbean (J-PAL LAC) just launched a project that aims to improve livelihoods in Central America. The project, “Strengthening Livelihoods in Central America Through Evidence Use,” will share evidence, strengthen local...
three children play on the ground while two seated adults watch

Not as easy as A, B, C, 1, 2, 3: Emphasizing transparency in measuring holistic skills

Characteristics like creativity or motivation can be crucial components of a successful education, yet there is relatively little knowledge or consensus on how to effectively measure them. The Learning for All Initiative (LAI) recently published a literature review and guide on how researchers...
Two students look at a computer screen

Researching racial equity: Administrative data bias

In part six of J-PAL North America’s researching racial equity blog series, we identify sources of bias in administrative data and describe these within the educational context.
Children sitting in front of computers

J-PAL North America joins the Learning Engineering Virtual Institute to improve math outcomes for middle school students

In October 2023, J-PAL North America joined the Learning Engineering Virtual Institute to support organizations evaluating learning products that harness AI and machine learning to improve middle school math achievement.
J-PAL Africa presenting at a workshop with the Western Cape Government

Shukuma in South African schools: Fostering strong partnerships to address violence in the Western Cape

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In 2019, representatives from the Western Cape Government’s Department of the Premier's Office attended J-PAL Africa’s Evaluating Social Programs (ESP) course in Cape Town to learn more about how evidence from randomized evaluations can inform program design and implementation. During ESP...
Zeqi Yasin interviewing a respondent for an evaluation in Indonesia.

20 for 20: Fostering ethical research practices through collaboration

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  • Mohammad Zeqi Yasin
This is the fourth post of J-PAL’s 20 for 20: Partner Voices blog series, where we showcase stories of results and impact with our partners to celebrate our twentieth anniversary. Read on to learn about Mohammad Zeqi Yasin’s, head of research at the Research Institute of Socioeconomic Development...
A group of students sit at desks with computers.

Integrating tech in post-pandemic classrooms: Insights from teachers

As part of our work in the education sector, J-PAL Southeast Asia (J-PAL SEA) initiated a study with J-PAL affiliated professors and coauthors to evaluate the impact of a teaching method that integrates technology and interactive student-centered teaching to improve students’ math outcomes. As part...