Michelle Neuman is a senior fellow for Results for Development (R4D), with a focus on early childhood development and global education. Formerly an R4D program director, She led R4D’s work in three critical areas: strengthening and empowering the early childhood workforce, financing early childhood services, and supporting program managers to improve the quality of early childhood services.
Throughout her career, Michelle has focused on the design, implementation, and evaluation of early childhood policies and programs around the world. In her previous role as senior education specialist, she led the World Bank’s global early childhood development work program by carrying out analytical work (including SABER-ECD), providing technical assistance to governments and task teams, and conducting trainings for staff and development partners.
From 2008-2011, she managed the Africa Early Childhood Development Initiative, a regional program of analytical, advisory, and capacity-building activities in 10 countries. Before joining the World Bank in 2008, Michelle was responsible for a portfolio of early childhood policy, research, and program activities at the Open Society Foundation in London. She previously served as special advisor to the Education for All Global Monitoring Report Team at UNESCO for the 2007 report, Strong Foundations: Early Childhood Care and Education. Earlier in her career, she directed the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s first review of early childhood education and care policy in 12 countries and co-authored (with John Bennett) the comparative report, Starting Strong (2001).
Michelle holds a bachelor’s degree from the Woodrow Wilson School in Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and a Ph.D. in Politics and Education from Columbia University. Since 2012, she has been a lecturer in international educational development at the University of Pennsylvania.
