A special series

Scanning the World for Solutions

Schools around the world are finding ways to improve learning, equity, and well-being.
Their best practices can be adopted here in the U.S.

About this Project

This series features promising educational solutions in other countries that hold potential for improving teaching and learning in U.S. schools. CRPE has spent decades researching systemic barriers to equity and excellence in schools. But good ideas do not stop at national borderseducators across the globe seek to nurture equitable and excellent educational opportunities. The stories in this series center compelling ideas with a track record of success in other parts of the world. We believe they could help U.S. educators hasten students’ mastery of foundational skills, address adolescent mental health, and rethink school staffing arrangements. Each story also includes suggestions for how leaders stateside can adopt, adapt, and scale these practices.

Literacy for all

THE STORY OF SOBRAL

Sobral, a municipality of 200,000 in the rural Brazilian state of Ceará, became the top-ranked elementary school system in the country, despite its limited resources. An upcoming report will detail how they achieved this incredible feat – and how any city in America can follow in their footsteps.

children reading outside
FINLAND - "A pipeline of highly qualified, well-respected teachers in Finland work hard to help all students reach a basic level of achievement by the end of 9th grade." photo by Erin Richards At the Normal Lyceum of Helsinki, English-language teacher Taneli Nordberg helps students with noun-adjective agreement exercises. Nordberg is a product of the selective teacher recruitment and training program at the University of Helsinki.

Beyond Finland

public school solutions from around the globe

For more than a decade, Finland has captured the education world’s attention because of its students’ strong performance on international exams and its high standards for teacher training. But especially in the wake of the pandemic, ideas for improving achievement can be found in many other countries, and even Finnish educators are looking for new solutions. 

Low cost, big gains

FAMILY PHONE TUTORING TARGETS LEARNING LOSS

Schools are hungry for cost-effective strategies that can help students accelerate mastering foundational academic skills. One tutoring approach that has significantly raised math achievement in a dozen countries is worth a look for U.S. schools.

Peer pressure, for a purpose

cooperative learning in brazil

Peer-to-peer learning methods led to unprecedented academic achievement in the rural community of Cipó, Brazil. This model could serve as a valuable strategy for post-pandemic learning recovery in the U.S., fostering collaboration and inspiring future educators.

Peer-to-peer learning in Cipó

COOPERATIVE LEARNING IN BRAZIL
Peer-to-peer learning methods led to unprecedented academic achievement in the rural community of Cipó, Brazil. This model could serve as a valuable strategy for post-pandemic learning recovery in the U.S., fostering collaboration and inspiring future educators.

Near Peer Mentors

Learner guides model success, improve outcomes for younger students

In Sub-Saharan Africa, students who have recently graduated return to their communities as mentors for younger peers. This program has demonstrated significant positive outcomes for both mentors and mentees alike. Could the U.S. benefit from investing more in similar programs?

Khadija Iddrisu, CAMFED Association member and tech expert, Ghana. Photo courtesy of CAMFED.

Intergenerational Learning

CONNECTING THE PAST TO THE FUTURE

Inevitable demographic shifts are about to create a fast-growing population of skilled older workers. At the same time, advances in public health and medicine make it likely that more of those adults will live longer and stay healthy long enough to work for many years past the traditional retirement age. The upshot: schools may be able to mitigate their staffing shortfalls if they can organize to attract, develop, and retain older adults.  

CRPE & Brookings

We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Rebecca Winthrop, Adam Barton, and their colleagues at the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution. Their prior work illuminating international education practices through the Global Catalog of Education Innovations in 2018 was an essential foundation for this project. See Leapfrogging Inequality: Remaking Education to Help Young People Thrive for more information.

Skip to content