IBE on Curriculum, Learning, and Assessment – serie

Educating for the Twenty-First Century is an engaging account of some of the most critical challenges for humanity, seen through the unique perspective of a school principal.A virtuoso performance of great imaginative force, the book takes the reader through philosophical reflections, humorous anecdotes, syntheses of cutting-edge research and examples of best practice, to answer fundamental questions about education and learning in the 21st century.Provocative, touching, accessible, but always profound, the book is a must-read for policy-makers, school and university leaders, parents and anyone passionate about education and the future of the planet."A significant book, which makes it required reading for educators, public policy experts, indeed every thoughtful citizen of our time." - AC Grayling, Philosopher and Master of the New College of the Humanities"An essential book for all those who are interested in the future of their children, in other words, the very future of humanity." - Luc Ferry, Philosopher and former Minister of Education, France

Educating for the Twenty-First Century is an engaging account of some of the most critical challenges for humanity, seen through the unique perspective of a school principal.A virtuoso performance of great imaginative force, the book takes the reader through philosophical reflections, humorous anecdotes, syntheses of cutting-edge research and examples of best practice, to answer fundamental questions about education and learning in the 21st century.Provocative, touching, accessible, but always profound, the book is a must-read for policy-makers, school and university leaders, parents and anyone passionate about education and the future of the planet."A significant book, which makes it required reading for educators, public policy experts, indeed every thoughtful citizen of our time." - AC Grayling, Philosopher and Master of the New College of the Humanities"An essential book for all those who are interested in the future of their children, in other words, the very future of humanity." - Luc Ferry, Philosopher and former Minister of Education, France

Learning to read and write for meaning and pleasure are arguably the two most important competences that children acquire in primary school. Yet, in 2019 more than one half of children worldwide do not reach this first rung on the literacy ladder. Improving Early Literacy Outcomes aims to address this head-on, by foregrounding the work of more than 40 researchers, most of them living in, and working on, developing countries.Their contributions illuminate, magnify, and discover anew the importance of improving early reading, through precise alignment of curriculum, teaching, and assessment, and with a special focus on some of the most under-studied countries in the world (e.g., Burkina Faso, Niger, and Senegal).Through probing analyses of research, policy, and practice, the book highlights the common experiences of high aspirations repeatedly confronting harsh realities. Sixteen interconnected chapters cast an ever-vigilant and deflationary eye on the temptation to take an unrealistic approach to early literacy, and also caution against lumping all languages, contexts, and policy-challenges into a single heap.This book provides an indispensable guide to policymakers, practitioners, educators, and academics working towards the realisation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Improving the teaching, learning, and assessment of early grade literacy is key not only to expanding the quality, access, and equity of education, but also to unlocking all the other SDGs, and ultimately to driving development.

Learning to read and write for meaning and pleasure are arguably the two most important competences that children acquire in primary school. Yet, in 2019 more than one half of children worldwide do not reach this first rung on the literacy ladder. Improving Early Literacy Outcomes aims to address this head-on, by foregrounding the work of more than 40 researchers, most of them living in, and working on, developing countries.Their contributions illuminate, magnify, and discover anew the importance of improving early reading, through precise alignment of curriculum, teaching, and assessment, and with a special focus on some of the most under-studied countries in the world (e.g., Burkina Faso, Niger, and Senegal).Through probing analyses of research, policy, and practice, the book highlights the common experiences of high aspirations repeatedly confronting harsh realities. Sixteen interconnected chapters cast an ever-vigilant and deflationary eye on the temptation to take an unrealistic approach to early literacy, and also caution against lumping all languages, contexts, and policy-challenges into a single heap.This book provides an indispensable guide to policymakers, practitioners, educators, and academics working towards the realisation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Improving the teaching, learning, and assessment of early grade literacy is key not only to expanding the quality, access, and equity of education, but also to unlocking all the other SDGs, and ultimately to driving development.

Listen to the podcast!The world is on a track to true climate catastrophe, with unprecedented heat, floods, wildfires, and storms setting new records almost weekly. To avoid a climate disaster, we need rapid, transformative, and sustained action as well as a major shift in our thinking—a shift strong enough to make the climate crisis a center of our social, political, economic, personal, and educational life.Curriculum and Learning for Climate Action is one of the best scorecards in comparative education for keeping track of this drama as it unfolds, shedding light on the global climate crisis like no other education writing today. This book turns to our curricula, our education systems, and our communities for a response on how to effectively achieve Target 4.7 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Universal Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), and Global Citizenship Education (GCED). The message from key stakeholders, including students, educators, and leaders of civil society, is driven home with passion and uncommon clarity: We can and must stave off the worst of climate change by building climate action into the world’s pandemicrecovery.

Listen to the podcast!The world is on a track to true climate catastrophe, with unprecedented heat, floods, wildfires, and storms setting new records almost weekly. To avoid a climate disaster, we need rapid, transformative, and sustained action as well as a major shift in our thinking—a shift strong enough to make the climate crisis a center of our social, political, economic, personal, and educational life.Curriculum and Learning for Climate Action is one of the best scorecards in comparative education for keeping track of this drama as it unfolds, shedding light on the global climate crisis like no other education writing today. This book turns to our curricula, our education systems, and our communities for a response on how to effectively achieve Target 4.7 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Universal Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), and Global Citizenship Education (GCED). The message from key stakeholders, including students, educators, and leaders of civil society, is driven home with passion and uncommon clarity: We can and must stave off the worst of climate change by building climate action into the world’s pandemicrecovery.

Since the Delors report, education reformers have been working to create curricula that allow human beings to flourish. Schools should not only be places where we learn to be and learn to live together, but also places where the way we assess students valorises the diverse range of human gifts within them.Yet, most schools remain locked in a 19th-century assessment structure that prevents young people from exploring the full variety and extent of their talents, forcing them to perform on a narrow, high-stakes track. When will this change?In this remarkable book, Conrad Hughes gives an overview of the assessment problem affecting schools and creates a path to take to broaden assessment and potentially reposition the whole purpose of schooling. It is a brave, beautifully written treatise that anyone interested in education and assessment should read.— Georges Haddad, Honorary President of Panthéon-Sorbonne University, Former Director at UNESCO (Education Sector)