World Development Report 2018: LEARNING to Realize Education’s Promise

http://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr2018

Main Messages

• Schooling is not the same as learning.
• Schooling without learning is not just a wasted opportunity, but a great injustice.
• There is nothing inevitable about low learning in low- and middle-income countries.

The Three Dimensions of the Learning Crisis

The crisis has three main dimensions:

1. The first dimension of the crisis is the poor learning outcomes themselves.
2. The second dimension of the learning crisis is its immediate causes:
   • Children arrive unprepared to learn.
   • Teachers often lack the skills or motivation to teach effectively.
   • Inputs often fail to reach classrooms or to affect learning.
   • Poor management and governance often undermine schooling quality.
3. The third dimension of the crisis is its deeper systemic causes.

The Three Policy Actions to Address the Crisis

1. Assess learning, to make it a serious goal.
2. Act on evidence, to make schools work for learners.
3. Align actors, to make the system work for learning.