Return to Learning: An Initiative for Forcibly Displaced Children
On May 22nd, the Education in Crisis and Conflict Network's Equity Task Team and Save the Children discussed the Return to Learning program, a short-term, catch-up program designed to help out-of-school children restore a sense of normalcy and routine, improve well-being, and support readiness to excel in longer term, non-formal education programs or, when possible, enrollment in the formal school system. A key component of this program was the newly developed Holistic Assessment of Learning and Development Outcomes (HALDO), which provides a baseline understanding of students' existing skills and supports teachers to identify which activities should be prioritized to create more equitable student outcomes. Presenters shared lessons learned and explore how to contribute to equitable learning and well-being for forcibly displaced children.
Speaker(s)
Sarita Fritzler
Sarita Fritzler is Manager for Humanitarian Responses for Save the Children, USA. In this role, Fritzler provides leadership to Save the Children’s humanitarian responses to ensure children are safe from harm, exploitation, abuse, and neglect in the United States and globally, after a natural disaster or crisis. Fritzler manages the Emergency Health Unit and provides technical assistance in child protection and education in emergencies. She served in the Peace Corps in Zambia in 2009 and has been working with Save the Children since 2012. Fritzler holds a BA in political science with minors in women’s studies and intercultural studies from Saint Mary’s College.
Dr. Ally Krupar
Dr. Ally Krupar serves as the Senior Specialist in Education in Emergencies at Save the Children US. She holds a PhD in Lifelong learning and Adult education and Comparative and International Education from Pennsylvania State University. She also teaches monitoring and evaluation at American University in the International Development Concentration of the IR Online Masters program at the School of International Service and in the School of Professional and Extended Studies. Her work focuses on education for those affected by violent conflict and migration/displacement, specifically engaging in monitoring and evaluation of educational programming and planning.
Julia Finder Johna
Julia Finder Johna is an Education in Emergencies Advisor at Save the Children US. She provides technical support to Save’s EiE portfolio, which includes projects throughout the Middle East, East and West Africa, and Asia, with a specific focus on alternative education, social emotional learning, conflict sensitivity, and school safety both in formal and non-formal sectors. Johna is co-convener of INEE’s PSS-SEL Collaborative, co-lead of the Teacher Wellbeing SEL task team for the Education Equity Research Initiative, an active member of ECCN’s SEL Task Team, and a member of the 3EA research consortium working with NYU to develop a SEL Measurement Toolkit. She began her career in education as a classroom teacher in the inner city and also has previous experience as a teacher trainer. She holds an MA in social justice and education from University College London’s Institute of Education.
Melissa Chiappetta
Melissa Chiappetta, the Senior Research and Learning Adviser for USAID, specializes in performance-management and evaluations of education and agriculture, food security, and nutrition projects in developing countries. Chiappetta previously led Abt’s Center for International Evaluation, coordinating research, monitoring, and evaluation capabilities across a range of technical sectors. She also served as Impact Evaluation Program Director at Social Impact, and has served as a technical team member or manager for more than 30 performance and impact evaluations. Chiappetta is an experienced performance management and evaluation trainer, having trained hundreds of staff from USAID, the U.S. Department of State, and multiple private and nonprofit organizations. Chiappetta earned a master’s degree with a concentration in international development from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Colorado at Boulder.