The PAL Network Research Fellowship Program is designed to foster innovative research that aligns with our mission to improve children’s foundational learning through inclusive, citizen-led assessments and actions. This program aims to build research capacity within our network, generate actionable insights, and influence educational policies and practices across the global south.
The fellowship supports a diverse range of research projects, offering resources and mentorship to fellows at various stages of their academic and professional careers. By leveraging partnerships, both within and beyond the PAL Network, this program seeks to contribute significantly to the global discourse on equitable access to quality education and the development of scalable, sustainable interventions to enhance children’s foundational learning in the Global South. The specific objectives include:
Foster innovative research projects that can contribute to a deeper understanding of children’s foundational learning, encouraging the development of assessment approaches that are simple, scalable, and inclusive of children with disabilities, children living in emergency contexts, and social-emotional literacy skills. All of the projects will build on PAL’s existing datasets and ongoing projects.
Focus on building expertise in conducting and analyzing large-scale assessments, developing inclusive assessment tools, and interpreting data for diverse contexts.
Strengthen partnerships with researchers, academic institutions, government bodies, and civil society organizations, focusing on research to support and promote inclusive education and foundational learning assessments.
Promote the use of CLA data for innovative analyses that highlight disparities and progress in foundational learning. Encourage research that uses this data to generate actionable insights for improving learning outcomes for all children, including those with disabilities and those in emergencies.
Ensure that research findings are widely disseminated and accessible. This includes publishing in peer-reviewed journals, presenting at conferences, policy briefs, reports, blogs, and infographics to reach a broader audience.
Utilize research findings to influence educational policies and practices that promote inclusive education. This includes producing evidence-based policy briefs, engaging directly with policymakers, and participating in advocacy forums to ensure that the needs of all children, including marginalized groups, are addressed.
Foster research to support the sustainability and scalability of interventions to promote holistic growth of all children in emergency and stable settings.
Key Areas
The research fellowship program aims to foster a dynamic and inclusive research environment, offering flexibility to accommodate diverse research needs and professional development stages. This page outlines the key components of the fellowship structure.
This page covers the main categories of the application and selection processes, as well as the eligibility criteria for the research fellowship program.
The monitoring and evaluation (M&E) component of the research fellowship program is designed to ensure that the fellows’ work aligns with PAL Network’s goals and to assess the impact of their research.
The research fellowship program will leverage partnerships and collaborations to enhance the research experience, provide additional resources, and expand the impact of the fellows’ work. Key aspects of partnerships and collaboration include:
Effective dissemination of research findings is crucial for ensuring that the knowledge generated through the fellowship program reaches a wide audience and has a meaningful impact.