Education Systems Response to COVID-19: Reflections on the Contributions of Research to USAID's Education and Resilience Agenda

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, education systems have grappled with the complexity of protecting the wellbeing of learners and educators, along with ensuring learners’ continued engagement with learning. This has led to an increasing number of calls to strengthen education-sector resilience to future shocks and stressors, particularly for the most marginalized, in order to maintain momentum toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4. Resilience has been and continues to be a key focal point for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), both across the agency and within its education portfolio. In this paper, we reflect on case study research in five contexts—Colombia, Georgia, Lebanon, Nigeria, and Zambia—during the COVID-19 pandemic and apply it to USAID’s resilience framework for education. We identify practices and structures used in each context that were either operationalized or could be leveraged further to absorb, adapt, and ultimately transform these education systems when facing a pandemic and other types of stressors and shocks

FGFR1 is independently required in both developing mid- and hindbrain for sustained response to isthmic signals

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are signaling molecules of the isthmic organizer, which regulates development of the midbrain and cerebellum. Tissue-specific inactivation of one of the FGF receptor (FGFR) genes, Fgfr1, in the midbrain and rhombomere 1 of the hindbrain of mouse embryos results in deletion of the inferior colliculi in the posterior midbrain and vermis of the cerebellum. Analyses of both midbrain–hindbrain and midbrain-specific Fgfr1 mutants suggest that after establishment of the isthmic organizer, FGFR1 is needed for continued response to the isthmic signals, and that it has direct functions on both sides of the organizer. In addition, FGFR1 appears to modify cell adhesion properties critical for maintaining a coherent organizing center. This may be achieved by regulating expression of specific cell-adhesion molecules at the midbrain–hindbrain border

Improving Primary Education in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: End-Line Results of a Cluster-Randomized Wait-List Controlled Trial of Learning in a Healing Classroom

RLOsWe used a cluster-randomized, wait-list controlled trial to examine impacts of a school-based social-emotional learning intervention on Congolese students and teachers. Seventy-six school clusters in two groups (A and B) were randomized to treatment or control. The groups differed in geographic location, accessibility, exposure to violence, and external donor investment. We estimated causal impacts in Group A, tested whether those impacts were replicated in Group B, and conducted sensitivity analyses on the pooled sample. Pooled analyses had higher statistical power and were therefore more likely to represent the true average impacts of the program. Improvements in students’ perceptions of school predictability and in addition and subtraction, geometry, and reading performance were specific to Group B. Only the effect on addition and subtraction remained significant in the pooled analysis. Improvements in teachers’ sense of accomplishment were found in Group A and remained significant in the pooled analysis. We detected no impacts on other outcomes. School-based interventions embedding social-emotional learning principles into the academic curricula are a promising but not yet proven approach to improving children’s outcomes in low-income countries affected by war

Impacts After One Year of “Healing Classroom” on Children's Reading and Math Skills in DRC: Results From a Cluster Randomized Trial

RLOshis article examines the effects of one year of exposure to “Learning to Read in a Healing Classroom” (LRHC) on the reading and math skills of second- to fourth-grade children in the low-income and conflict-affected Democratic Republic of the Congo. LRHC consists of two primary components: teacher resource materials that infuse social-emotional learning principles into a reading curriculum and collaborative school-based teacher learning circles to exchange information about and solve problems in using the teacher resource materials. To test the impact of LRHC on children's reading and math skills, 40 school clusters containing 64 schools and 4,465 students were randomized to begin LRHC in 2011–2012 or to serve as wait-list controls. Hierarchical linear models (students nested in schools, nested in school clusters) were fitted. Results indicate marginally significant positive impacts on children's reading scores (dwt = .14) and geometry scores (dwt = .14) but not on their addition/subtraction scores. These results should be treated with caution given the reported significance level of p < .10. The intervention had the largest impacts on math scores for language minority children and in low-performing schools. Research, practice, and policy implications for education in low-income conflict-affected countries are discussed. Please note: we do not have permission to upload this as a record but you can follow the link to the full document externally.ESRC-DFI

Neddylation inhibition impairs spine development, destabilizes synapses and deteriorates cognition

Neddylation is a ubiquitylation-like pathway that controls cell cycle and proliferation by covalently conjugating Nedd8 to specific targets. However, its role in neurons, nonreplicating postmitotic cells, remains unexplored. Here we report that Nedd8 conjugation increased during postnatal brain development and is active in mature synapses, where many proteins are neddylated. We show that neddylation controls spine development during neuronal maturation and spine stability in mature neurons. We found that neddylated PSD-95 was present in spines and that neddylation on Lys202 of PSD-95 is required for the proactive role of the scaffolding protein in spine maturation and synaptic transmission. Finally, we developed Nae1 CamKIIα-CreERT2 mice, in which neddylation is conditionally ablated in adult excitatory forebrain neurons. These mice showed synaptic loss, impaired neurotransmission and severe cognitive deficits. In summary, our results establish neddylation as an active post-translational modification in the synapse regulating the maturation, stability and function of dendritic spines.Fil: Vogl, Annette M.. Instituto Max Planck de Psiquiatria de Munich; AlemaniaFil: Brockmann, Marisa M.. Instituto Max Planck de Psiquiatria de Munich; AlemaniaFil: Giusti, Sebastian Alejandro. Instituto Max Planck de Psiquiatria de Munich; Alemania. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: MacCarrone, Giuseppina. Instituto Max Planck de Psiquiatria de Munich; AlemaniaFil: Vercelli, Claudia Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigación en Biomedicina de Buenos Aires - Instituto Partner de la Sociedad Max Planck; ArgentinaFil: Bauder, Corinna A.. Instituto Max Planck de Psiquiatria de Munich; AlemaniaFil: Richter, Julia S.. Instituto Max Planck de Psiquiatria de Munich; Alemania. Instituto Max Planck de Psiquiatria de Munich; AlemaniaFil: Roselli, Francesco. Universita Degli Studi Di Bari; ItaliaFil: Hafner, Anne-Sophie. Universite de Bordeaux; FranciaFil: Dedic, Nina. Instituto Max Planck de Psiquiatria de Munich; AlemaniaFil: Wotjak, Carsten T.. Instituto Max Planck de Psiquiatria de Munich; AlemaniaFil: Vogt Weisenhorn, Daniela M.. Institute Of Developmental Genetics; AlemaniaFil: Choquet, Daniel. Universite de Bordeaux; FranciaFil: Turck, Christoph W.. Instituto Max Planck de Psiquiatria de Munich; AlemaniaFil: Stein, Valentin. Universitaet Bonn; AlemaniaFil: Deussing, Jan M.. Instituto Max Planck de Psiquiatria de Munich; AlemaniaFil: Refojo, Damian. Instituto Max Planck de Psiquiatria de Munich; Alemani