What Works in Girls' Education

Book Description The persistent problem of the tens of millions of children across the developing world who grow up without receiving the most basic education has attracted increased public attention in recent years. This crisis is acute in rural and poor areas of sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. More than 180 governments have committed to addressing this crisis by pledging that every boy and girl will receive a quality basic education by 2015. This target is now firmly established and endorsed as one of the eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Yet to reach the overall goal of universal education for children, policymakers will need to make special efforts to address the economic, social, and cultural barriers that keep even larger proportions of girls in poor countries out of school. Indeed, extensive research confirms that investing in girls' education delivers high returns not only for female educational attainment, but also for maternal and children's health, more sustainable families, women's empowerment, democracy, income growth, and productivity. What Works in Girls' Education summarizes the extensive body of research on the state of girls' education in the developing world today; the impact of educating girls on families, economies, and nations; and the most promising approaches to increasing girls' enrollment and educational quality. The overall conclusions are straightforward: educating girls pays off substantially. While challenges exist, existing research provides us guidance on how to make significant progress. About the Author Barbara Herz, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, has worked on and written about girls' education for more than 20 years. When she worked at the World Bank from 1981-1999, she launched the Women in Development division and then headed another division covering education, health, and population in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Gene B. Sperling is the director of the Center for Unviersal Education at the Council on Foreign Relations. He previously served as national economic adviser to President Clinton from 1996-2000, and represented the Clinton administration at the 2000 UN World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal.