Blue and green gradient placeholder image

Our People .

Director Susan Werner

Susan Werner is an early grade reading specialist within Chemonics’ West and Central Africa and Haiti Division. She has 20 years of experience in education, including as an education officer at USAID, a lecturer in early childhood education, and a researcher in early grade reading, and has worked to support education system improvements across the globe.

by Susan Werner


Fighting Illiteracy with High-Quality Kindergarten

The critical importance of early experiences to a person’s life is well established. Early childhood (birth to age 8) is an amazing time of growth and learning when young children are developing the skills to roll over, crawl, walk, talk, synthesize information, think critically, and much, much more. During this time brains are developing more…

The Problem with Teacher Observation

Low literacy rates are a persistent problem in the Global South. Even with the increased enrollment in primary schools, illiteracy rates have not shifted. To actually move the needle on literacy, we need to focus not just on getting students into the classroom but on helping teachers be more effective. One of the best ways…