In February 2008, CIE was chosen to become a member of the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) Working Group on Education and Fragility, with Assistant Professor Jacqueline Mosselson as CIE's representative.  The INEE is a global open network of members working together within a humanitarian and development framework to ensure all persons the right to quality education and a safe learning environment in emergencies and post-crisis recovery.  The new Working Group was made up of practitioners, policymakers, and researchers engaged in advocacy, research, and policy development in the education sector in fragile states.  The aims of the Working Group are to work collaboratively to strengthen consensus on how to mitigate state fragility through education and ensure equitable access for all; to support the development of effective quality education programs in fragile states; and to promote the development of alternative mechanisms to support education in fragile states in the transition from humanitarian to development assistance. In this capacity, CIE is involved in both the research and policy sides of this emerging field.

The inaugural meeting for the Working Group on Education in Fragility met in Istanbul, Turkey from 14-16 April 2008.  All representative organizations attended, including donors (e.g. USAID, DfID, The World Bank, etc.), multilateral and bilateral agencies (e.g. Save the Children, UNICEF, Reach Out To Asia, etc.), and two academic institutions (CIE/UMass and the University of Ulster).  During Spring 2008 a group at CIE, led by Ash Hartwell produced a revised draft of the Progressive Framework that was discussed at the meeting. 

The inaugural meeting reviewed the WG’s objectives and set up a work plan. After delineating overarching activities, such as developing content for the October 2008 Policy Roundtable and WG contributions to the 2009 Global Consultation, the groups split into two: CIE became a member of the Research Sub-Group, and Jacqi Mosselson became its co-chair, along with Rebecca Winthrop of the IRC.  The Research Sub-Group was tasked with strengthening the evidence base of approaches to education in fragile states, ensuring that new and existing analytical tools for addressing education and state fragility are aligned with established and emerging good practices, and to explore linkages between practitioners and researchers working on education in fragile states.  

CIE took the lead on producing two of the outcomes for this sub-group.  First, CIE crafted the synthesis paper on education and fragility, highlighting current conceptual frameworks, and clarifying and differentiating between contexts of fragility and the impact of the different contexts on education.  Secondly, CIE was involved with mapping the existing research in the field by compiling an annotated bibliography and identifying research gaps as well as lessons learned.