AprendeLab Builds a Culture of Evidence Across Puerto Rico
Five Puerto Rico agencies and nonprofits completed J-PAL North America's Learning Lab to build capacity in data use and rigorous evaluation
On June 10, twelve participants from five Puerto Rico government agencies and nonprofits gathered in San Juan for the closing event of the AprendeLab, a seven-month learning lab designed to build capacity in data use and rigorous evaluation in order to strengthen programs to reduce poverty. Mentes Puertorriqueñas en Acción, ColaborativoPR, ConPRmetidos, Instituto del Desarrollo de la Juventud (IDJ), and the Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico applied the program’s lessons to social initiatives—focused on youth, economic mobility, education, and health—led by each organization.
Daniela Gómez-Treviño, Senior Policy and Research Manager at J-PAL North America, who leads the organization’s work in Puerto Rico, congratulated participants on completing the AprendeLab and highlighted their dedication and the quality of their work. “By building evaluation infrastructure for social programs in Puerto Rico, agencies can truly understand the effects of the programs they implement and tailor them to better serve and improve the lives of Puerto Ricans.”
J-PAL North America has partnered with organizations across Puerto Rico since 2017 to promote a culture of evidence-based decision-making. Following an in-person training in 2025 with government and nongovernmental organizations, it became clear that there was a strong appetite to continue developing evaluation capacity to strengthen social programs in Puerto Rico. J-PAL North America leveraged this momentum by launching the AprendeLab, providing structure for continued learning and supporting a smaller cohort through a deeper, sustained engagement—combining trainings, one-on-one technical assistance, and peer learning sessions.
“AprendeLab encouraged us to increase the rigor with which we measure and evaluate programs,” said Enid Rosario Ramos of the Instituto del Desarrollo de la Juventud (IDJ). “We saw this as an opportunity to strengthen our internal capabilities.”
Participants also noted the value of reflection and sustained engagement. "This space provided an excellent opportunity to learn from evaluations and reflect on our programs,” said Zairelys Reyes Rivera of Mentes Puertorriqueñas en Acción. “AprendeLab gave us the structure and guidance to do work that was very much needed but had not been prioritized in our organization. We recognize that participants must be willing to stay engaged and complete independent work to fully benefit from the experience.”
By the end of the AprendeLab, each participating organization had developed a theory of change and a measurement strategy for one of their programs. During the closing event, organizations presented their work and explored ideas for potential randomized evaluations with peers and researchers from J-PAL North America’s network. “It is important to incorporate elements into program design from the very beginning that will later facilitate measurement and evaluation of public policies and programs,” noted Eduardo Torres of the Departamento de Salud.
Participants also reflected on how AprendeLab aligned with their organizations' existing commitments to data-informed decision-making. "The AprendeLab has been intensive and deeply enriching. Part of our culture is to never create without first examining both the data and the needs of our community." said Enid Quiles of ColaborativoPR. “This experience broadened our perspective on program evaluation and strengthened collaborative relationships with other organizations committed to creating greater impact.”
J-PAL North America will continue to support AprendeLab participants in their road to launch randomized evaluations and build new partnerships with researchers in J-PAL’s network. The organization will also continue to foster a community of practice among current cohort members and support institutional capacity to design and implement programs informed by rigorous evidence.
Local government leaders, researchers, potential partners, or funders interested in learning more about J-PAL North America's work in Puerto Rico or exploring new collaboration opportunities may contact Daniela Gómez Treviño at [email protected], Laura Ruiz-Gaona at [email protected], or Laura Romero-Ayala at [email protected].