[Launch event] Education and Conflict Review Special Issue: Rigorous Reviews on Promising Educational Policies, Programmes and Practices in Conflict and Protracted Crisis Settings

An estimated 234 million school-aged children and adolescents across 60 conflict- and crisis-affected countries are in urgent need of support to access quality education and improve their learning outcomes (ECW, 2025). Yet, the evidence on which interventions deliver meaningful benefits remains fragmented across disciplines, with most studies concentrated on needs assessments rather than on implementation, impact and cost-effectiveness. Policymakers, national education authorities and development partners are consequently left struggling to determine which programmes to prioritise, how to coordinate humanitarian and development responses and where to direct limited resources for maximum benefit.

This latest Special Issue of Education and Conflict Review responds to that gap. It brings together 13 rigorous evidence reviews spanning a broad range of topics in diverse conflict and protracted crisis settings. The papers ask not only what works but also why, for whom, under what conditions and through which mechanisms. In doing so, the collection serves as an organised repository of evidence on promising interventions while recognising that these operate within broader political economies and historical contexts that shape their design, implementation and prospects for success.

This Special Issue is a central contribution by the Education Research in Conflict and Protracted Crises (ERICC) programme, which works in collaboration with local and national education actors to generate research that responds to the priorities of education systems affected by conflict and crisis. The editorial team argues for constructive dialogues across research traditions - complementing causal evidence on programme effectiveness with interpretive, participatory and critical approaches that foreground context, meaning and power relations. Together, the papers in this Special Issue offer insights for donors, policymakers and practitioners while also charting a path for future research that more fully accounts for the structural drivers of educational crises.

This launch event featured contributions from:

Silvia Diazgranados Ferrans, Marie-France Guimond and Jeannie Annan introduce a model of research methods approach for evidence generation in ERICC. They emphasise purposeful sequencing of research, ranging from problem identification to scaling to ensure solutions that respond to local priorities and are co-designed and governed with local actors. The framework offers practical guidance for donors, policymakers and researchers to build impactful, durable education solutions.

Manya Oriel Kagan and Camila Fabbri review school safety interventions, finding that while many programmes improve wellbeing, limited use of validated tools and clearly articulated theories of change means their impact on actually reducing violence remains difficult to demonstrate. 

Jonathan Kwok, Ashleigh Sable and Anne Smiley synthesise evidence on Learning through Play interventions across three modalities, finding promising impacts on classroom climate and learner wellbeing, but less consistent gains in literacy and numeracy.

Fergal Turner, representing fellow co-authors Lisbeth Marcela Sáenz Muñoz and Carlos Gutierrez, reviews Save the Children’s Catch-up Clubs model across five countries, showing it is most effective when flexibly adapted to local realities and highlighting how practical implementation decisions often fall beyond the reach of conventional impact evaluations.

Amal Hayat, representing EdTech Hub colleagues, reviews remote teaching and learning, primarily from Covid-19, and articulates the need for strong educator digital skills, creative and adaptive pedagogies and active caregiver involvement to keep learners engaged.

CHAIR

Tejendra Pherali is Professor of Education, Conflict and Peace at IOE, University College London where he leads research and teaching on Education, Conflict and Peacebuilding. He developed a pioneering Masters programme in Conflict, Emergencies and Peace at UCL. Currently, he co-directs the Education Research in Conflict and Crisis (ERICC).