How to improve the world’s school systems

School’s back in session, and while more children than ever are learning around the world, many are not mastering basic skills. The World Bank estimates that seven in ten students in low- and middle-income countries are living in “learning poverty,” unable to read a simple text by the end of elementary school.

McKinsey’s Kartik Jayaram, Jimmy Sarakatsannis, and coauthors say that successful education systems, at every level of spending and national development, use four strategies to create a virtuous cycle and enable long-term learning gains. Check out the report to learn more—including seven “failure modes” of stagnating school systems—and explore other insights about improving education.

Spark & Sustain: How all of the world’s school systems can improve learning at scale

Reimagining a more equitable and resilient K–12 education system

Improving schools: Reflections from education leaders in South Australia

Expanding publicly funded pre-K: How to do it and do it well

Advancing racial equity in US pre-K–12 education

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