Project led by Prof. Jere R. Behrman and Dr. Nancy Birdsall
Over the past half century, increases in public investments in child health and schooling across the developing world contributed to massive declines in infant and child mortality, substantial increases in preschool enrollments, and almost universal enrollment of children in primary schooling. But over the last decade, evidence has accumulated that levels of learning in low- and even middle-income countries are dramatically lower than in high-income countries and that within developing countries, children from poor families learn less than children from higher-income ones. On average, children from poor households and countries start school systematically less prepared than children from higher-income households and countries.
These differences suggest the logic and potential for placing greater emphasis on improving the quality, not just the quantity, of school and possibly on funding familial and public investments in early child development of all kinds in developing countries. Investment in the quality of schooling and preschool education does not currently command the kind of popular political support within countries and among donors as investment in basic health and schooling infrastructure and systems does, however, making it difficult to fund projects.
Behrman and Birdsall build on studies that suggest that higher-quality education has considerable potential to improve the well-being of children and their families in the short run and ultimately to increase growth and reduce inequities within and across countries. In this context, they will put forward new proposals for improving preschool and school quality choices for global citizens, in important part by improving assessments of providers of services for child development from conception through the school years. (Expected date of completion: August 2015)
Over the past half century, increases in public investments in child health and schooling across the developing world contributed to massive declines in infant and child mortality, substantial increases in preschool enrollments, and almost universal enrollment of children in primary schooling. But over the last decade, evidence has accumulated that levels of learning in low- and even middle-income countries are dramatically lower than in high-income countries and that within developing countries, children from poor families learn less than children from higher-income ones. On average, children from poor households and countries start school systematically less prepared than children from higher-income households and countries.
These differences suggest the logic and potential for placing greater emphasis on improving the quality, not just the quantity, of school and on funding familial and public investments in early child development of all kinds in developing countries. Investment in the quality of schooling and preschool education does not currently command the kind of popular political support within countries and among donors as investment in basic health and schooling infrastructure and systems does.
Behrman and Birdsall are building on studies that suggest that higher-quality education, beginning with early-life preschool learning, has considerable potential to improve the well-being of children and their families in the short run and ultimately to increase growth and reduce inequities within and across countries. In this context, they are considering the possible benefits of widening the debate on what role citizens can take in shaping policy and politics to better exploit technical understanding of the economic returns to early childhood development and school quality, through crowd-sourcing or a contest in which entrants would propose theories of change related to the role of improved information on education — whether at the national, regional or global level — and propose how to test their theories. (Expected date of completion: August 2015)