A new edited volume, Learning at the bottom of the pyramid: Science, measurement, and policy in low-income countries, published by the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning, shifts the conversation to bring more attention to learning inequalities within countries.
Often excluded and overlooked at the national level, poor and marginalized communities within low- and middle-income countries also frequently slip through international efforts to raise global education outcomes. When the focus is on average country-level performance, those who face the most barriers to education and learning continue to be left out. The premise is that by focusing more on marginalized communities within poorer countries equity can be improved and overall national levels of learning will increase.
Quality education and learning play central roles in the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, the development goals are largely normative, meaning that too little attention has been given to variations within countries and to those who are performing at the lower end of the social pyramid.
Featuring essays and commentaries from 36 international experts, the book is a cutting-edge resource for those seeking to understand the science of learning in low-resource settings worldwide.
One of the editors is Jacobs Foundation Research Fellow, Sharon Wolf, an Assistant Professor of Human Development in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania.
Learn more here.