Joyce Rafla
Master of Education (Ed.M.) in Language & Literacy from Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) with a focus on early childhood education and assessment/ 2015-2017
  • Joyce recently got promoted to a Senior Research Scientist position at New York University’s Global TIES for Children, the research center she has worked in since 2017. She is the first and only person who holds that title without a Ph.D. degree at the center. 
  • Her research focuses on early childhood and primary education in the Arab world, including parenting, social-emotional learning, assessments, and impact evaluations. Her research focuses on how to measure children’s development and the success of any programs offered by NGOs/humanitarian organizations. 
  • She was part of the Ahlan Simsim project that offers early childhood programs to Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan through a children’s show (Ahlan Simsim) and parenting programs. She led her team in conducting an impact evaluation for a parenting program delivered to Syrian refugees in Jordan. Right now, she is leading another project focused on public primary schools in Lebanon.
  • Before joining TIES, Joyce worked in different fields within education where she gained experience in education policy and practice within the MENA region. Joyce was a consultant for USAID-funded projects in Egypt, has experience working in teacher training, and was the youngest member of President Sisi’s Council for Education & Scientific Research.