Emiliana Vegas

Emiliana Vegas is a U.S.-based policy analyst, academic, and author. She is a Professor of practice at the Graduate School of Education, Harvard University.

Vegas is most known for her contributions to improving education systems in Latin America and the Caribbean, and other developing regions. She has edited and co-authored several books including Profesión: Profesor en América Latina ¿Por qué se perdió el prestigio docente y cómo recuperarlo?, Raising Student Learning in Latin America: The Challenge for the 21st Century and The Promise of Early Childhood Development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Vegas serves on the board of directors at The Jacobs Foundation, Switzerland, and the Governing Board of UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning.

Education
Vegas obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Communications from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in 1991. She then enrolled for a Master of Public Policy at Duke University, which she completed in 1993. Later, in 1996, she obtained a Master of Education from the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University and a Doctor of Education degree from the same institution in 2001.

Career
Vegas began her academic career at Harvard University as a Teaching Fellow and Teaching Assistant in graduate-level courses from 1996 to 1998. She later became an instructor and lecturer, from 2000 to 2002. As of 2022, she is the Professor of Practice at the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University.

In September 2001, Vegas joined the World Bank as a Young Professional. She held various positions in the Human Development Department, with her last being Lead Economist and Sector Leader for Central America from August 2011 to August 2012. She then took on the role of Division Chief of Education at the Inter-American Development Bank in September 2012 and held that appointment until July 2019. Following this appointment, she moved on to become a Senior Fellow and co-director at the Center for Universal Education at The Brookings Institution from August 2019 to March 2022.

Research
Vegas has authored numerous publications spanning the areas of education policy, early childhood development policies, and the economics of education, including articles in journals, book chapters, and books.

Teacher incentives and labor markets
Vegas' research on teacher incentives and labor markets has contributed to the development of policies and practices. Her thesis dissertation investigated the structural dynamics of private and public schools in Latin America and analyzed the effects of institutional structures on student achievement, teacher quality, and school management strategies. Using a comparative analysis of public and private schools, she investigated the relationship between these factors and student outcomes, with a particular focus on the potential impact of privatization and decentralization. Her book Incentives to Improve Teaching: Lessons from Latin America examined the impact of educational reforms that modify teacher incentives on teaching quality and student learning in Latin America. Her research study has also proposed various incentives, support structures, and policies to boost teacher motivation and reduce absenteeism in developing nations, including financial rewards, professional development opportunities, and public acknowledgment through awards ceremonies. In her most recent book titled, Profession: Teacher in Latin America Why was teaching prestige lost and how to get it back?, she assessed public policies in Latin America that aim to attract and prepare effective teachers, and analyzed the historical evolution of the teaching profession. This work argued that restoring prestige and attracting top candidates are essential for transforming and improving the effectiveness of the teaching profession in the region.

Educational finance
In her early research, Vegas conducted an analysis of Brazil's "FUNDEF" policy and advanced the proposition that investing in education is a critical means of promoting social mobility and mitigating inequality within societies such as Brazil, where pronounced disparities exist between various demographic groups and geographical regions. Her analysis of the school finance policies in Latin America and the Caribbean provided a description of funding mechanisms. Having focused on the relationship between education spending and learning outcomes, her study revealed that similar income level countries may not perform equally despite varying education spending and highlighted the critical role of effective fiscal control mechanisms in optimizing the allocation and utilization of financial resources from diverse sources, including national and subnational governments, private sectors, and international actors, to ensure equitable access to quality education services.

Educational technology
Vegas' research on the educational technology solutions highlighted the factors that are imperative for their successful implementation, including meticulous planning not only for technical facets but also for social aspects, such as taking into account cultural disparities between the regions in which they are deployed. In related research, she has also emphasized the importance of effective communication to ensure that all stakeholders comprehend the purpose, function, and optimal utilization of technology and highlighted the fact that in the absence of proper communication and comprehension, the failure of technology-enabled programs is more likely attributed to its improper usage rather than the technology itself. Additionally, concentrating her research efforts on the digital micro-credentials landscape, her research provided recommendations to improve access to quality learning and career opportunities for disadvantaged learners and workers in the rapidly evolving digital age.

Global education and COVID-19
Vegas' research on the global education system post-COVID-19 outlined the impact of the pandemic on student achievement and mental health, and provided strategies for promoting equity and access in education. In response to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, her work has presented several recommendations to transform school systems, including positioning public schools at the center of education systems. In her analysis of the aftermaths of school closures during COVID-19, it was revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic will likely widen the learning gap between high and low-income countries and regions, with students in low-income countries, sub-Saharan Africa, and marginalized groups such as girls, refugees, and migrant children being disproportionately affected. In related research, her work provided insights into the potential long-term economic consequences associated with widespread school closures, revealing that such closures can reduce future gross domestic product (GDP) by as much as 15%, thereby having significant and enduring impacts on workers' earning potential.

Awards and honors

 * 2000–2001 – Spencer Dissertation Fellowship for Research Related to Education, National Academy of Education

Books

 * Incentives to Improve Teaching: Lessons from Latin America (2005) ISBN 9780821362150
 * Raising Student Learning in Latin America: The Challenge for the 21st Century (2008) ISBN 9780821370827
 * The Promise of Early Childhood Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (2009) ISBN 9780821377598
 * Profesión: Profesor en América Latina ¿Por qué se perdió el prestigio docente y cómo recuperarlo? (2018) ISBN 9781597823159

Selected articles

 * Vegas, E. (2007). Teacher labor markets in developing countries. The future of children, 219–232.
 * McEwan, P. J., Urquiola, M., Vegas, E., Fernandes, R., & Gallego, F. A. (2008). School choice, stratification, and information on school performance: Lessons from Chile [with comments]. Economia, 8(2), 1–42.
 * Rogers, F. H., & Vegas, E. (2009). No more cutting class? Reducing teacher absence and providing incentives for performance. Reducing Teacher Absence and Providing Incentives for Performance (February 1, 2009). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, (4847).
 * Vegas, E., & Coffin, C. (2015). When education expenditure matters: An empirical analysis of recent international data. Comparative Education Review, 59(2), 289–304.
 * Vegas, E. (2020). School closures, government responses, and learning inequality around the world during COVID-19. The Brookings Institution.