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. 

Over the coming months, we’ll be sharing short profiles of the 20 scholars participating in LEARN, a global community of researchers and practitioners working at the intersection of early childhood development, systems change, and social justice. Every two weeks, we’ll spotlight one scholar’s path, questions, and work on the ground.

We’re pleased to kick off the series with Paola Balanta Cobo Mag. Psic - PhD, a Senior Interdisciplinary Researcher in Human Development, Education, and Rights and the field leader for the JUNTOS por la Prioridad Program in Colombia, a collaborative initiative focused on strengthening care systems and positioning early childhood development as a national and local priority.

Paola’s path into research was intentional and deeply rooted in lived experience. From an early age, she worked alongside families, children, and young people in communities shaped by inequality and armed conflict. Those experiences continue to inform the questions that drive her work today: how agency, resilience, and creativity are nurtured in vulnerable contexts.

Her research is intergenerational in nature and strongly emphasizes the promotion of exchange between youth, early childhood, and the pedagogical practices that exist at the intersection of institutional contexts. It sits at the intersection of psychology, education, and social justice - transforming everyday care and creativity into eco-pedagogies and community initiatives grounded in local resources, intergenerational relationships, and emotional co-regulation.

In our conversation, Paola reflects on how these early experiences shaped her research agenda and how they continue to guide her commitment to early childhood development and systems-level change.

In July 2025, LEARN scholars from Ghana came together in Accra for their first annual methods workshop—five days of hands-on training focused on measure development and psychometric analysis.  By investing in these skills, LEARN scholars are building the capacity to advance research on learning variability.

in June 2025, TIES co-hosted the LEARN Summer Methods Workshop with our partners, Universidad de Los Andes, bringing together early-career scholars and professors from across Colombia for five days of immersive training in psychometrics and measurement development.

A meaningful gathering in Germany, where LEARN and LEVANTE scholars came together to exchange ideas, build connections, and advance research on learning variability—how children grow and learn across time, groups, and contexts.

With support from the Jacobs Foundation, LEARN program—led by NYU, Universidad de los Andes, and the University of Cape Coast—empowers early-career scholars to shape research that reflects their local realities and drives more equitable, context-informed approaches to supporting children’s learning.

Moments like these remind us that global progress begins with meaningful relationships!