Education

We have worked on projects focused on the drivers of learning outcomes, foundational literacy and numeracy, teacher training and teaching quality, EdTech, early childhood and education systems modeling.

Our work in education

We have worked on projects across all levels of the education system: pre-primary, basic, secondary, university, and vocational. In addition to large-scale surveys and qualitative interviews, we have experience with methods such as student literacy and numeracy assessments (e.g., EGRA, EGMA), classroom observations, and observational child development assessments (e.g., MDAT). Laterite is also a learning and research partner leading studies, evaluations, and implementation research in education-related programs funded by the Mastercard Foundation and the World Bank, among others.

Capacity statement: Laterite Education (PDF)

Examples of work

Data collection and research

We worked with Fab Inc on a FCDO-funded research to understand whether conditions like temperature and rainfall can impact the classroom experience and affect learning in Tanzanian schools. Full report

Mixed-methods research

Laterite designed and implemented a study to understand the dynamics of dropout and repetition in Rwandan schools. The study targeted 3,600+ households, 8,000 children, 450 local community leaders and 185 head teachers. Policy brief

Student and classroom assessments

Laterite partnered with RTI to assess the reliability of the primary tools of the LEGO Play Measurement Research Study in Kenya. More about the PLAY toolkit

Learning partnership

Leaders in Teaching

Laterite is the learning partner (with the REAL Centre) of Leaders in Teaching, a Mastercard Foundation program set up to improve teaching quality in secondary education in Rwanda. We are responsible for generating evidence about teaching quality in Rwandan secondary education with a focus on STEM subjects. This project includes a large-scale mixed-methods longitudinal study of teachers, students and education officials in 350 schools in 14 districts of Rwanda, as well as engagement with implementing partners and policy stakeholders. Laterite also leads on technical and capacity building activities with implementing partners.

Research outputs: Leaders in Teaching publications

Student at school in freetown, sierra leone

Implementation science

uBoraBora: fund for implementation research in foundational literacy and numeracy

The project, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, seeks to strengthen the use of implementation research in improving foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) at scale by creating a research fund in sub-Saharan Africa. Laterite is working together with Brink to manage the fund, called uBoraBora. Brink is managing the fund and its disbursement and ensuring learning across project sites and grantees, while Laterite is responsible for providing implementation research technical assistance to grantees. Laterite also lead a scoping study to map opportunities and gaps to strengthen the use of implementation research in FLN initiatives across sub-Saharan Africa, to support the fund’s targeting mechanism. Policy brief on implementation research in education

Sector leads

Rosie Emerson

Principal Investigator

Dr. Rosie Emerson is a Principal Investigator with Laterite Kenya, bringing over a decade of expertise in leading high-impact research and program evaluation initiatives across Sub-Saharan Africa and North America. Her work has been instrumental in shaping evidence-based strategies for organizations such as the World Bank, UNICEF, Global Communities, Plan International, Oxfam, USAID, Land O’ Lakes, and many others. Specializing in qualitative research methods, Rosie excels at uncovering deep contextual insights that drive meaningful change. She leverages these methodologies to evaluate program effectiveness, provide actionable recommendations, and refine policies and interventions aimed at improving lives. Rosie's academic credentials include a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and French from Wellesley College, a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Massachusetts.

Lydie Shima

Senior Program Associate

Lydie is a Senior Program Associate for Laterite in Rwanda. She specializes in the management of a portfolio of medium and large scale data collection projects. Lydie has managed large teams of over 120 enumerators and led field operations and logistics for projects involving 12,000 interviews. She is experienced in managing studies involving the tracing of study participants over multiple years (2.5 years). Lydie specializes in the management of education projects involving early grade reading assessments, learning assessments and classroom observations. She is experienced in managing sensitive projects involving data collection with children and studies on gender based violence. Lydie also led the establishment of new logistics and management systems that strengthened operation processes and improved efficiency of field operations.

Dimitri Stoelinga

Managing Partner

Dimitri is one of Laterite's Founding Partners and specializes in sampling, econometric methods, program evaluation methods, analytic automation, and monitoring and evaluation. Dimitri is Greek and Dutch and has lived and worked in more than 10 countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Mali, Zambia, Angola, India, Indonesia and Rwanda. Dimitri holds an MPA in International Development from Harvard University, an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, and an MSc in Management from ESCP Europe Business School. Prior to establishing Laterite, Dimitri worked for the World Bank in Washington and Nairobi, for the UNDP in Angola, and the Delegation of the European Commission in Tanzania. He also briefly supported the Harvard Center for International Development and the KPMG/Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund. Dimitri is fluent in English, Dutch, Greek, French and Spanish.