Emily Markovich Morris

Emily Markovich Morris is a fellow in the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution, where she leads the Family, School, and Community Engagement Initiative. A global education policy expert, her research focuses on fostering partnerships among families, schools, and communities to support marginalized youth in achieving their learning, work, and life aspirations.

At Brookings, Morris currently coordinates the Family Engagement in Education Network, a dynamic global community with over 60 experts and community organizations from six continents and multiple U.S. states. She headed the landmark study “Six global lessons on how family, school, and community engagement can transform education” (2024) together with partners in 16 countries. This community-driven research explores core beliefs about the purpose of education and the role of relational trust between students, families, and educators in strengthening education systems. She has also co-authored a series of country policy briefs and commentaries to advance decisionmaking and practice at local, regional, and national levels.

A seasoned educator, Morris teaches methods and evaluation courses at American University and serves on numerous education advisory groups in the U.S. and internationally. With over two decades of experience, she has worked to advance educational access, equity, and inclusion as a senior leader and adviser for multiple civil society organizations and government institutions in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the U.S. She has led evaluations of education programs implemented by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.K.’s Department for International Development, Education Development Center, Mastercard Foundation, and government institutions. Her areas of expertise include education technology and distance learning, gender and disability inclusion, and youth livelihoods and well-being. During nearly a decade based in Tanzania, she played a pivotal role in establishing the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training’s first distance learning unit in Zanzibar to support the implementation of their universal early childhood policy. In mainland Tanzania, she supported the government’s implementation of accelerated basic education for out-of-school children and youth.

Morris has published in a variety of journals and outlets, engaging both scholarly and practitioner audiences. She is presently completing a longitudinal, mixed-methods study following a cohort of Zanzibari youth over 17 years—from preschool through early adulthood—to examine the forces that push and pull students out of school. This youth-centered research informs policymakers and education leaders how school pushout impacts young people’s livelihoods and futures.

Morris holds a doctoral degree from the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and Human Development, a Master of Science from American University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Sarah Lawrence College. She is a recipient of Boren, Fulbright, and Udall Fellowships.