Building Equitable Research Ecosystems to Understand Learning Variability

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

The global conversation on child development and education is marked by stark asymmetries. The theories, measurement tools, and intervention models that guide policy and practice worldwide have been largely developed in high-income, “WEIRD” countries of the Global North. These frameworks are typically designed for and validated within narrow cultural, linguistic, and economic contexts. When applied directly to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), they risk being, at best, misaligned and, at worst, fundamentally inappropriate. They may pathologize normal variation, misinterpret adaptive behaviors, ignore local strengths, and produce evidence that fails to answer pressing local questions.

This is more than an academic problem; it is a practical barrier. Programs often fail in implementation or sustainability because they rely on data and models that do not reflect local realities. To make real progress toward SDG 4--ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education--we must confront a fundamental question: How can we support learning if our science does not reflect the full diversity of learners? Meeting this challenge requires a reimagining of the research process itself. It demands equitable research ecosystems, where questions are co-defined, tools are co-created, and leadership is locally rooted.

A major obstacle stands in the way: while the need for locally grounded research is vast, the capacity to conduct it is often constrained in LMICs. Early- and mid-career scholars in countries like Ghana and Colombia face systemic barriers such as limited access to advanced methodological training, isolation from global research networks, and funding structures that privilege principal investigators from rich countries. This capacity gap hinders the generation of contextually valid evidence and prevents locally meaningful policy and practice. Without local scholars who can design longitudinal studies, validate culturally grounded measures, and apply advanced analytics, equitable research ecosystems remain aspirational.

The LEARN (Leverage, Empower, Advance Research Network) initiative responds to this urgent gap. While networks like LEVANTE (Frank et al., 2025) help plant the seeds of a new kind of research question, LEARN cultivates the soil: nurturing local scholars and creating the conditions for rigorous, contextually grounded research to take root and grow. Our approach is grounded in the core conviction that empowering local scholars is the most effective way to grow the science the world needs.

LEARN is a capacity-building initiative co-designed with partners from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, the University of the Andes in Colombia, and NYU Global TIES. Our goal is to equip the next generation of research leaders with advanced skills in psychometrics, measurement, and longitudinal design. Through mentorship, intensive workshops, and guided proposal development, we aim to ensure that the scholars who best understand local contexts also have the technical expertise to translate that understanding into rigorous, influential research. This work is more urgent than ever. The COVID-19 pandemic has deepened educational inequities, and the global learning crisis demands solutions that are innovative and locally grounded. These solutions cannot be imported; they must be developed through local research leadership.

In this symposium, we will present the LEARN model as a practical blueprint for building equitable research ecosystems. Our three presentations explore this model from complementary perspectives: the architecture of North-South partnerships, the process of local adaptation and implementation, and the cultivation of sustainable research leadership. Together, they offer a cohesive vision for how to move from identifying a critical global need to implementing a collaborative solution.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Chair

• Lindsay Brown, NYU Global TIES

Individual Presentations

• Foundations for Equitable Measurement: Lessons from a Multi-Country Capacity-Strengthening Program - Hirokazu Yoshikawa; Lindsay Brown, NYU Global TIES; Priyamvada Tiwari, NYU Global TIES for Children

• Pathways to Impact: Cultivating Ghanaian Research Excellence in Learning Variability - Christopher Yaw Kwaah, UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST, GHANA

• Bridging Language, Culture, and Constructs: Implementing LEARN and Advancing Child Development Research in the Latin American Context - Carolina Maldonado-Carreño, Universidad de Los Andes; Eduardo Escallon; Juliana Sanchez, Universidad de los Andes; Priyamvada Tiwari, NYU Global TIES for Children