Today, 650 million children around the globe are at risk of being left behind as they fail to learn basic skills. Inequitable access to education is part of the problem, but even when children are in school, they may not be learning. In Uganda, for instance, barely half of grade 6 children read at a grade 2 level. In India, just one in four children enrolled in grade 5 can read a simple sentence or complete simple division problems.

These challenges are widespread. According to the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity (Education Commission), only one in ten children in low-income countries (four in ten in middle-income countries) are on track to gain basic secondary-level skills by 2030. Moreover, the obstacles to learning disproportionately affect marginalized populations — children in poor households or rural areas (especially girls), children with disabilities, and children affected by conflict and violence.

It is clear that the status quo is not good enough, but what should be done differently? While struggling schools would certainly benefit from better facilities and more teachers, research underscores that input-oriented solutions are likely insufficient. Many countries that dedicate substantial resources to education still fall short of ensuring that all children are learning. Meanwhile, relatively resource-poor education systems in Latvia and Vietnam, for example, punch above their weight in achieving greater gains for students than their peers with similar income levels.

Read the full article about data-driven education systems at Brookings.