Supporting Teachers and Students in Refugee Settings

The number of people displaced by war, persecution, or violence has reached its highest point since World War II. According to the most recent United Nations High Refugee Agency estimate, there are almost 80 million refugees and internally displaced people in the world today.

This displacement can often disrupt the education of school age children and confound the educations systems in countries that receive them. Teachers are an important resource for children in refugee and emergency settings; understanding how to retain and motivate them is a critical, yet little-studied, issue.

Applied research in refugee communities such as Algeria and Ethiopia highlight some of the education challenges faced by refugees today. AIR has worked diligently with United Nations' partners to explore substantive frameworks for education research, intervention design, and regional policies that would mobilize resources in more effective ways to leverage refugee teachers and create greater access to education for children displaced by war.