As a Fellow at Teach For Pakistan, Maryam Khalid Shah saw firsthand how some policies meant to improve the country’s education system were failing to meet the task. After doing her research, Shah identified one potential cause: Pakistan was not using data to guide the process. On one occasion, a move to enroll more children in public schools resulted in overcrowded classrooms. Shah found Pakistan was not using data to determine how the policy had impacted student learning or dropout rates. Shah says, “I realized even well-intentioned policies are not going to be effective unless we use data.” At McCourt she hopes to hone her quantitative skills and study public policy more broadly. Shah plans to eventually return home to work in a consulting capacity and then pursue a role in government.
