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 borders — educators 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.

In the wake of shared trauma from Covid-19 disruptions, teachers and education leaders worldwide are hungry for new learning recovery strategies.

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.

This is an ongoing series. More stories about education solutions from around the world are coming in Fall 2023. 

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.

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