Skip to main content

Headerlogo

Penn Graduate School of Education

Literacy.org

research and innovation for a more literate world

Recent publications on Literacy.org:

Learning at the bottom of the pyramid: Science, measurement, and policy in low-income countries. Paris: UNESCO-IIEP

This edited volume, Learning at the bottom of the pyramid: Science, measurement and policy in low-income countries, is based on an international conference held in Philadelphia on March 2-3, 2017. This book is made available without cost by UNESCO.

About 50 invited experts participated in the conference which focused on how to better understand the science of learning in low-resourced settings worldwide, how learning can be measured in marginalized populations, and ways that new policy approaches can improve learning. These are matters of substantial concern to international agencies, foundations, policy makers, education specialists, and the public at large. The findings are broad and varied, as represented by the diverse backgrounds of conference participants, and the complex issues involved. It is clear that in order to achieve both inclusion and equity in improving the quality of education, a better understanding of learning in low-income societies should take a high priority.

Learning as development: Rethinking international education in a changing world. NY: Routledge

Learning is the foundation of the human experience. It begins at birth and never stops, a continuous and malleable link across life stages of human development. Disparities in learning access and outcomes around the world have deep consequences for income, social mobility, health, and well-being. For international development practitioners faced with today's unprecedented environmental and geopolitical pressures, learning should be viewed as a touchstone and target for those seeking to truly effect global change. This book traces the path of international development work―from its pre-colonial origins to the emergence of economics as the dominant discipline in the field―and lays out a new agenda for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners, from early education through adulthood. Learning as Development is an attempt to rethink international education in a changing world. With Foreword by Irina Bokova (Director-General, UNESCO).

Learning and Education in Developing Countries: Research and Policy for the Post-2015 UN Development Goals

Learning and Education in Developing Countries provides comprehensive and up-to-date review of learning and educational quality in developing countries, written by highly knowledgeable specialists from around the world. The areas reviewed include early literacy, new technologies, conflict-affected contexts, non-formal education, and learning assessment, and are among the most crucial for policy makers—from ministers of education, development agencies to academic specialists and students in international educational development. Working with the UN Millennium Development Goals to improve educational quality, this cutting edge, research-based review helps to situate what is known and remains to be known to improve education globally.