The CIES 2026 conference, themed “Re-examining Education and Peace in a Divided World,” took place from March 28 to April 2 in San Francisco. Global TIES for Children was proud to contribute to this vital conversation, sharing insights from our latest initiatives that tackle education delivery in crisis and the necessity of equitable research systems.

The first of our two featured presentations took place during the panel, “Innovation Under Constraint: Technology, Access, and New Delivery Models.”

Kate Schwartz shared early insights from a pilot program in Haiti testing two hybrid early learning models. Designed specifically for unstable, conflict-affected contexts, this work explores how to provide quality early childhood education when school access is inconsistent or impossible.

Our second major contribution to CIES focused on the Leverage, Empower, Advance Research Network (LEARN). In collaboration with the Jacobs Foundation and in alignment with their Learning Variability agenda, TIES has partnered with Universidad de los Andes and the University of Cape Coast to bring LEARN to life.

Lindsay Brown, Co-P.I., presented the vision and core tenants behind LEARN, a collaboration between Global TIES for Children, the Jacobs Foundation, Universidad de Los Andes, and University of Cape Coast to build research capacity in early childhood and education and move local scholars to the center of global agenda-setting conversations.

Following the introduction, Priyamvada Tiwari shared how LEARN is being implemented in Colombia, and how demands for local ownership of data, context-specific evidence, and culturally-relevant tools are shaping the research ecosystem.

Christopher Yaw Kwaah,PhD presented the work in Ghana, highlighting how the model adapts while staying grounded in a shared framework.