About MEPLI
Mission & Objectives
The Middle East Professional Learning Initiative (MEPLI) supports teacher educators and system-level leaders in developing practices, programs, and structures to help improve student opportunities for learning and achieving productive sustainable lives.
- Develop professional learning experiences for a cohort of teacher educators and their networks to enhance their knowledge of pedagogies that advance the teaching of 21st century skills.
- Support the capacity building of system-level leaders in the teacher development field.
- Support the development of original and translated Arabic language resources to support teacher learning.
- Build a community of educators who share a common passion for addressing educational challenges in the Arab world to foster collaboration among teachers to advance outcomes in the region.
In addition to a year-long, job-embedded Fellowship program offered to educators in Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine, MEPLI supports education efforts in the Middle East by:
- Facilitating webinars on current topics in education in English and Arabic.
- Publishing articles written by MEPLI Fellows on key issues affecting educators, students and their parents.
- Increasing access to the work of faculty at the Harvard Graduate School of Education through translating Usable Knowledge articles into Arabic.
- Coordinating regional workshops for educators.
- Designing courses or custom programs in cooperation with local educational entities in the Middle East.
“I used to think that I had enough experience as I have been teaching for 20 years, now I think that learning with experts and from experts is needed to step up.”
Nadine Joudi
MEPLI Fellow 2020
Our Team
Shaylyn Carey
Associate Director, MEPLI & International Programming
Read Shaylyn’s Bio
Shaylyn has been working with the MEPLI program since 2019 and is currently responsible for strategic oversight, program design, faculty engagement, and external relations with our many collaborators in the region. Prior to joining HGSE, Shaylyn worked in the international education field for 5 years both in the US and Jordan where she supported American university students to engage in enriching study abroad experiences. She holds a BA in International Affairs & Middle East Studies from the George Washington University and a MA in Middle Eastern Cultures & Languages from the University of Texas at Austin.
Sharon Grosso
MEPLI Program Administrator
Read Sharon’s Bio
Sharon Grosso (she/her) is the Program Administrator for the Middle East Professional Learning Initiative (MEPLI). Before joining PPE, Sharon served as managing editor of Journal Safar, a bilingual (Arabic-English) publication from Beirut, Lebanon focused on design and visual culture in the MENA region. She holds her MFA in Literary Translation (Arabic-English) from Boston University and her BA in Middle Eastern Studies from SOAS University of London. In her free time, Sharon enjoys figure skating, reading, film photography, and travel.
Michele Vick
MEPLI Content Developer
Read Michele’s Bio
Michele began working with MEPLI as an intern while studying for her Master’s of Education at HGSE, transitioning to the role of Content Development Specialist after graduation. She has over 15 years of experience working in the field of education as an English as a Foreign Language instructor and a teacher trainer. Michele has worked for universities and language centers in Sudan, Jordan and Libya. In addition to her M. Ed. from HGSE, she holds a Cambridge Diploma in English Language Teaching (DELTA).
Collaborating Organizations
MEPLI operates through collaboration with organizations in the region to design resources together and deliver customized professional learning opportunities. A partial list of collaborating organizations is below:
- Queen Rania Teacher Academy (QRTA)
- Teach for Lebanon
- Teach for Morocco
- Al Makassed Philanthropic Association
- Bahrain Teachers College