Joyce Rafla
Early childhood researcher and policy expert
Learning Impact, Social Impact
Joyce Rafla has experience in impact evaluation research, with a focus on early childhood in Arabic-speaking countries. She conducted and supervised large-scale randomized control trials. She also has experience designing psychometric assessments and assisting in checking their validity and reliability.
Further, Rafla is a Senior Research Scientist leading TIES' role as a resource partner in USAID's QITABI 2 project in Lebanon. Previously, she worked on the Ahlan Simsim project that aims at delivering early childhood education programs to Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. She is passionate about early childhood education in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region. Her commitment to improving learning experiences for children in Egypt led her to a broader journey to serve children in various low- and middle-income countries.
Prior to joining TIES, Joyce worked in different fields within education where she gained experience in education policy and practice within the MENA region. Joyce was a consultant for USAID-funded projects in Egypt, has experience working in teacher training and was the youngest member of the President Sisi’s Council for Education & Scientific Research.
Rafla holds a Master of Education (Ed.M.) in Language & Literacy from Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) with a focus on early childhood education and assessment; a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Human Development from Teachers College (TC), Columbia University; and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the American University in Cairo (AUC).
