Michelle Neuman is a policy practitioner with more than 20 years of experience working with governments and partners to improve young children’s outcomes in low-resource contexts, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. She has expertise generating evidence, crafting policy solutions, and developing multi-stakeholder partnerships in support of early childhood development in low- and middle-income countries.
As a senior fellow at Results for Development (R4D), Dr. Neuman has conducted applied research on early learning and parenting programs, facilitated collaborative learning, and worked directly with government officials on policy planning. A former Program Director, she shaped and led R4D’s portfolio in early childhood development from 2014 to 2017, including the Early Childhood Workforce Initiative.
Currently, Dr. Neuman is a Federation of American Scientists impact fellow. From 2023 to 2025, she was embedded in the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), where she worked with USAID officials and partners to expand play-based early childhood education programs. She created professional development opportunities and provided targeted support to teams in Ethiopia, Tajikistan, and Uganda.
Earlier in her career, Dr. Neuman led the global early childhood development work at the World Bank after successfully managing a regional program of analytical work and peer learning in 10 African countries. She helped to raise the visibility of early childhood issues on the World Bank’s agenda and worked closely with government officials to design, implement, and evaluate early childhood policies and programs.
Dr. Neuman taught and advised graduate students in international educational development at the University of Pennsylvania for more than 10 years. She is an editor for Early Years: An International Research Journal. A complete list of her publications is available here.
Dr. Neuman holds a PhD in Politics and Education from Columbia University and an AB in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University.
Additional Resources
Blogs
Resources
- Harnessing Technology: A Review of Digital Tools Supporting Parents and the Early Childhood Workforce
- Supporting the Workforce: Parenting Programs Adapt to COVID-19
- Strengthening and Supporting the Early Childhood Workforce: Landscape Analysis Working Conditions
- Early Childhood Matters: Key Principles for Financing a Qualified Early Childhood Workforce
- Supporting the Early Childhood Workforce: Spotlight on 6 Countries
- Supporting the Early Childhood Workforce at Scale: Preschool Education in Ukraine
- The Early Childhood Workforce – A Powerful Force for Scaling-up Quality Services for Young Children and their Families
- Financing Early Childhood Development – An Analysis of International and Domestic Sources
- Global Gains and Growing Pains: Pre-Primary Education Around the World
- A Review of the Literature: Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Personnel in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
- Stimulating Global Partnerships and National Action for Young Children
- What Can the Early Childhood Field Learn from Leading Advocacy Initiatives?
