Biography

Abbie Raikes, PhD., MPH, is an associate professor at the College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Raikes’ recent work has focused on improving early childhood programs and policies in low- and middle-income countries. Her research background also includes a strong focus on young children’s social/emotional development and leadership of the Measuring Early Learning and Quality Outcomes project. Previously, Abbie contributed to early childhood policy development in several countries as a program specialist for the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO) in Paris, where she also participated in UNESCO’s process to develop indicators for the Sustainable Development Goals. Abbie was a senior program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and has advised several organizations on early childhood development and education. Abbie has served on several boards, including the Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative, Creighton Preparatory School, and the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition.

1-167 - Measuring Early Learning Quality & Outcomes: A Journey from Global Priorities to Local Action, and Back Again

Session Type: Invited Address

Integrative Statement

The Measuring Early Learning Quality & Outcomes Project (MELQO) was initiated by UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank, and Brookings Institution in 2014 to support early childhood measurement in low- and middle-income countries. Drawing on expertise from many experts, the MELQO Consortium developed a set of tools to measure quality of pre-primary education and child development at the start of formal schooling. Reporting on the MELQO journey and results from several countries, this session will cover several themes, including the role of global organizations in setting priorities for global early childhood development; empirical results on psychometric properties of the scales and associations between quality and child development; and new initiatives to address the need for cross-country learning, capacity-building and culturally-relevant measurement in child development.

Sub Unit

• Invited Program

Chair

• Ann Partee, University of Virginia

Speaker

• Abbie Raikes, University of Nebraska - Medical Center