Learning and Development: Debating Priorities

Group Submission Type: Panel Session

Proposal

In September 2015, the UN body of nations came together again and agreed on a new and expanded set of goals—the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to be achieved by 2030. The 2030 SDGs contains a specific goal on education, SDG #4, that includes a highlighted role for learning, namely to “Ensure inclusive and qual¬ity education for all and promote lifelong learning.” Achieving the SDGs will require a much better understanding of the relation¬ship between improved human development and the political impetus for global collective action by international agencies, national governments, community activists, the private sector, non-profits, academics, and others. The wealthier nations of the world have shown that they are aware of this responsibility. Development assistance has grown substantially both in overall funding (a near-doubling over the past 15 years) as well as in the number of donor countries.

In this context, with renewed and expanded interest in the role of education—and particularly the quality of education—the field of international development has, in recent years, invested more attention, expertise and resources on how learning can be improved in all societies, and in particular, in low income countries.

This panel is built around two large-scale efforts to synthesize the research, policy and practice of learning in developing countries. The first is a volume released in September 2017 by the World Bank, entitled Learning to Realize Education’s Promise. The authors show that the authors will show that many countries have already made a tremendous start by getting so many children and youth into school. Improved learning will benefit many: children and families whose positive schooling experience restores their faith in government and society, rather than corroding it; youth who have skills employers are looking for; teachers who can respond to their professional calling, rather than to political demands; adult workers who have learned how to learn, preparing them for unforeseeable economic and social changes; and citizens who have the values and reasoning abilities to contribute to civic life and social cohesion.

The second is based on a just-published book entitled on learning that focuses particularly on poor and marginalized populations. The paper considers specific policies and approaches that lead directly to better learning across the life span, while considering the implications of learning “at the bottom of the pyramid” as contrasted with learning among national and international population samples.

Each volume has convergences in the importance of learning and how to improve learning. Yet each volume also show diverges in the priorities that should be set in order to best meet the UN goals and the needs on the ground. Thus, the panel title of “debating priorities.” A third paper will provide a formal commentary on each of the first two papers. These three papers will be followed by discussant remarks by diverse experts, followed by audience Q&A.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Chairs

• Dan Wagner, University of Pennsylvania

• Regina Cortina, Teachers College, Columbia University

Individual Presentations

• Priorities of the World Bank’s 2018 WDR on learning - Halsey Rogers, World Bank; Deon Filmer, World Bank

• Learning as development: The educational priorities for those most in need - Dan Wagner, University of Pennsylvania

• Commentary on two learning presentations - Sylvia Irene Schmelkes, Instituto Nacional para la Evaluación de la Educación

Discussants

• Luis Crouch, RTI International

• Amita Chudgar, Michigan State University

• Moses Oketch, University College London