education in different countries

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Education worldwide - statistics & facts

Regional differences in higher education, the impact of covid-19, key insights.

Detailed statistics

Educational attainment worldwide 2020, by gender and level

Global adult literacy rate 2000-2022, by gender

Global youth literacy rate 2000-2022, by gender

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Current statistics on this topic.

Education Level & Skills

Educational Institutions & Market

Share of people with tertiary education in OECD countries 2022, by country

Illiteracy rates by world region 2022

Gender equality

Gender equality worldwide
Global status of women
Gender equality in Europe

Higher education

Higher education in South Korea
Higher education in the UK
Higher education in France

Recommended statistics

Basic Statistic Educational attainment worldwide 2020, by gender and level
Basic Statistic Share of OECD population with primary education as highest education level 2021
Basic Statistic Share of population in OECD countries with secondary education 2022
Basic Statistic Share of people with tertiary education in OECD countries 2022, by country
Premium Statistic Education Index - comparison of selected countries 2022
Premium Statistic Share of population not in education or employment globally2023, by gender and region
Basic Statistic Pre-education participation rate worldwide 2022, by region

Educational attainment worldwide in 2020, by gender and level

Share of OECD population with primary education as highest education level 2021

Share of population in OECD countries with primary or lower secondary education as highest education level in 2021, by country

Share of population in OECD countries with secondary education 2022

Share of population in OECD countries with upper secondary education as highest education level in 2022

Share of people with tertiary education in OECD and affiliated countries in 2022, by country

Education Index - comparison of selected countries 2022

Education index including inequality* of selected countries in 2022

Share of population not in education or employment globally2023, by gender and region

Share of population not in education, training, or employment worldwide in 2023, by gender and region

Pre-education participation rate worldwide 2022, by region

Participation rate in organized learning (one year before official primary entry age) worldwide in 2022, by region

Primary education

Basic Statistic Number of pupils in primary education worldwide 2000-2020
Basic Statistic Net enrollment rate in primary school worldwide 2000-2018
Basic Statistic Lower secondary education net enrollment rate globally 2020, by country development
Basic Statistic Primary school completion rate worldwide 2000-2020

Number of pupils in primary education worldwide 2000-2020

Number of pupils in primary education worldwide from 2000 to 2020 (in millions)

Net enrollment rate in primary school worldwide 2000-2018

Net enrollment rate in primary school worldwide from 2000 to 2018

Lower secondary education net enrollment rate globally 2020, by country development

Net enrollment rate in primary school worldwide in 2020, by country development status

Primary school completion rate worldwide 2000-2020

Primary school completion rate worldwide from 2000 to 2020

Secondary education

Basic Statistic Number of pupils in secondary education worldwide 2000-2020
Basic Statistic Net enrollment rate in secondary school worldwide 2000-2018
Basic Statistic Secondary school net enrollment rate globally 2020, by level and country development
Basic Statistic Lower secondary completion rate worldwide 2000-2019
Premium Statistic Sex ratio in secondary education worldwide 2000-2020, by gender

Number of pupils in secondary education worldwide 2000-2020

Number of pupils in secondary education worldwide from 2000 to 2020 (in millions)

Net enrollment rate in secondary school worldwide 2000-2018

Net enrollment rate in secondary school worldwide from 2000 to 2018

Secondary school net enrollment rate globally 2020, by level and country development

Net enrollment rate in secondary education worldwide in 2020, by level and country development status

Lower secondary completion rate worldwide 2000-2019

Lower secondary completion rate worldwide from 2000 to 2019

Sex ratio in secondary education worldwide 2000-2020, by gender

Sex ratio among those enrolled in secondary education worldwide from 2000 to 2020, gender parity index*

Premium Statistic Number of universities worldwide in 2023, by country
Basic Statistic World university rankings by Times Higher Education 2023/2024
Basic Statistic Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2023
Basic Statistic World university rankings by reputation score, by Times Higher Education 2022
Premium Statistic Top host destination of international students worldwide 2022
Premium Statistic International student share of higher-ed population worldwide in 2022, by country
Premium Statistic Field of study of international students worldwide 2022, by country

Number of universities worldwide in 2023, by country

Estimated number of universities worldwide as of July 2023, by country

World university rankings by Times Higher Education 2023/2024

World university rankings for 2023/24, according to Times Higher Education

Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2023

The 2023 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) by Shanghai Ranking Consultancy

World university rankings by reputation score, by Times Higher Education 2022

Times Higher Education ranking of the best universities worldwide in 2022, by reputation score

Top host destination of international students worldwide 2022

Top host destination of international students worldwide in 2022, by number of students

International student share of higher-ed population worldwide in 2022, by country

Countries with the largest amount of international students as a share of the total higher education population in 2022

Field of study of international students worldwide 2022, by country

Field of study of international students worldwide in 2022, by country

Literacy rates

Basic Statistic Global adult literacy rate 2000-2022, by gender
Basic Statistic Global youth literacy rate 2000-2022, by gender
Basic Statistic Global youth literacy rate as gender parity index 2009-2022
Basic Statistic Illiteracy rates by world region 2022

Global adult literacy rate from 2000 to 2022, by gender

Global youth literacy rate from 2000 to 2022, by gender

Global youth literacy rate as gender parity index 2009-2022

Global youth literacy rate as gender parity index (GPI) from 2009 to 2022

The illiteracy rate among all adults (over 15-year-old) in 2022, by world region

Impact of COVID-19

Basic Statistic Number of countries with closed schools worldwide 2021, by status
Basic Statistic Number of students in countries with closed schools worldwide 2021, by status
Basic Statistic Students and teachers affected by the coronavirus pandemic worldwide 2020
Basic Statistic Number of students at risk of not returning to education institutions worldwide 2020
Basic Statistic Share of students at risk of not returning to education institutions worldwide 2020
Basic Statistic Number of students at risk of not returning to school worldwide 2020, by region

Number of countries with closed schools worldwide 2021, by status

Number of countries with closed schools worldwide in 2021, by status

Number of students in countries with closed schools worldwide 2021, by status

Number of students in countries with closed schools worldwide in 2021, by status (in millions)

Students and teachers affected by the coronavirus pandemic worldwide 2020

Students and teachers affected by the coronavirus pandemic worldwide in 2020 (in billions)

Number of students at risk of not returning to education institutions worldwide 2020

Estimated number of students at risk of not returning to education institutions worldwide as of 2020, by education level (in millions)

Share of students at risk of not returning to education institutions worldwide 2020

Estimated share of students at risk of not returning to education institutions worldwide as of 2020, by education level (in millions)

Number of students at risk of not returning to school worldwide 2020, by region

Estimated number of students at risk of not returning to education institutions worldwide as of 2020, by region (in millions)

Estimated number of students at risk of not returning to education institutions worldwide as of 2020, by gender (in millions)

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Module 12: Education

Education around the world, learning outcomes.

Identify differences in educational resources around the world

Young students looking at picture books at a table.

Figure 1. These children are at a library in Singapore, where students are outperforming U.S. students on worldwide tests. (Photo courtesy of kodomut/flickr)

Education is a social institution through which a society’s children are taught basic academic knowledge, learning skills, and cultural norms. Every nation in the world is equipped with some form of education system, though those systems vary greatly. The major factors that affect education systems are the resources and money that are utilized to support those systems in different nations, as well as how education is organized and administered to students. As you might expect, a country’s wealth has much to do with the amount of money spent on education. Countries that do not have such basic amenities as running water are unable to support robust education systems or, in many cases, any formal schooling at all. The consequences of this worldwide educational inequality are of social concern for many countries, including the United States.

International differences in education systems are not solely a financial issue. The value placed on education, the amount of time devoted to it, and the distribution of education within a country also play a role in those differences. For example, students in South Korea spend 220 days a year in school, compared to the 180 days a year of their United States counterparts (Pellissier 2010). As of 2006, the United States ranked fifth among twenty-seven countries for college participation, but ranked sixteenth in the number of students who receive college degrees (National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education 2006). These statistics may be related to how much time is spent on education in the United States.

Watch this video to see ways that education varies throughout the globe as well as the important opportunity that education provides for those hoping to improve their circumstances.

Results from the most recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2015, which is a test administered to 15-year-old students in participating economies every three years, showed that students in the United States lag far behind other high-income countries across different subjects, despite making the most progress in equity compared to other participating countries. [1] The same program showed that by 2018, U.S. student achievement had remained on the same level for mathematics and science, but had shown improvements in reading. In 2018, about 4,000 students from about 200 high schools in the United States took the PISA test (OECD 2019). Countries in the Asian and Nordic regions tend to outperform other countries across all subjects tested (science, mathematics, and literacy), although their educational systems are vastly different in their goals and their administrative systems, suggesting that there is not a single recipe for “success” as measured by PISA.

Link to Learning

The PISA assessment is known to be influential around the world—watch this video to understand the system better: How does PISA work?

Analysts determined that the nations and city-states at the top of the rankings had several things in common. For one, they had well-established standards for education with clear goals for all students. Although these countries have well-delineated standards, they do not necessarily outline similar goals. For example, one country may emphasize cooperation, another student growth, or yet another may focus on equality, as in Finland. [2] Another thing the high-performing nations had in common was a tendency to recruit teachers from the top 5 to 10 percent of university graduates each year, which is not the case for most countries (National Public Radio 2010).

Finally, there is the issue of social factors. One analyst from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the organization that created the test, attributed 20 percent of performance differences and the United States’ low rankings to differences in social background. Researchers noted that educational resources, including money and quality teachers, are not distributed equitably in the United States. In the top-ranking countries, limited access to resources did not necessarily predict low performance. Analysts also noted what they described as “resilient students,” or those students who achieve at a higher level than one might expect given their social background. In Shanghai and Singapore, the proportion of resilient students is about 70 percent. In the United States, it is below 30 percent. These insights suggest that the United States’ educational system may be on a descending trajectory that could detrimentally affect the country’s economy and its social landscape (National Public Radio 2010).

Recent research has found that the United States’ low overall educational achievement is in large part due to an underperformance by the middle class. The poorest students in the United States, despite being among the most socioeconomically disadvantaged around the world, perform averagely relative to other poor students. The richest students from the U.S., despite being among the wealthiest, are also average when compared to other rich students – which is also an alarming finding. However, students in the middle of the SES distribution perform half a school year behind comparable middle-SES students, despite being among the wealthiest middle-SES groups in the world. [3]

Education in Finland

With public education in the United States under such intense criticism, why is it that Singapore, South Korea, and especially Finland (which is culturally most similar to the U.S. of those three), have such excellent educational achievement levels on PISA? Over the course of thirty years, Finland has pulled itself from among the lowest rankings by the Organization of Economic Cooperation (OEDC) to first place by 2012. Contrary to the rigid curriculum and long hours demanded of students in South Korea and Singapore, Finnish education often seems paradoxical to outside observers because it appears to break a lot of the rules we take for granted. It is common there for children to enter school at seven years old, where they will have more hours in recess and fewer hours in school than U.S. children—approximately 300 fewer hours. Their homework load is light when compared to all other industrialized nations (nearly 300 fewer hours per year in elementary school). There are no gifted programs, almost no private schools, and no high-stakes national standardized tests (Laukkanen 2008; LynNell Hancock 2011).

Prioritization is different than in the United States. In Finland, there is an emphasis on allocating resources for those who need them most, high standards, support for special needs students, qualified teachers taken from the top 10 percent of the nation’s graduates (who must earn a Master’s degree), and frequent evaluation of education methods, with a focus on balancing decentralization and centralization to maximize administrative efficiency.

“We used to have a system which was really unequal,” stated the Finnish Education Chief in an interview. “My parents never had a real possibility to study and have a higher education. We decided in the 1960s that we would provide a free quality education to all. Even universities are free of charge. Equal means that we support everyone and we’re not going to waste anyone’s skills.” As for teachers, “We don’t test our teachers or ask them to prove their knowledge. But it’s true that we do invest in a lot of additional teacher training even after they become teachers” (Gross-Loh 2014).

Finland has consistently performed among the top nations on the PISA. Despite the most recent PISA assessment showing that their scores have been declining since the 2006 assessment, Finland continues to be among the top performers and to exhibit some of the smallest achievement gaps between its richest and poorest students, a pattern that is consistent across the Nordic countries. Finland’s school children didn’t always excel. Finland built its excellent, efficient, and equitable educational system in a few decades from scratch, and the concept guiding almost every educational reform has been equity. The Finnish paradox is that by focusing on the bigger picture for all, Finland has succeeded at fostering the individual potential of most every child, a mechanism that has resulted in notable achievement on standardized international assessments.

Krista Kiuru, the Minister of Education, said “We created a school system based on equality to make sure we can develop everyone’s potential. Now we can see how well it’s been working. [In 2012] the OECD tested adults from twenty-four countries measuring the skill levels of adults aged sixteen to sixty-five on a survey called the PIAAC (Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies), which tests skills in literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments. Finland scored at or near the top on all measures.”

Formal and Informal Education

Education is not solely concerned with the basic academic concepts that a student learns in the classroom. Societies also educate their children, outside of the school system, in matters of everyday practical living. These two types of learning are referred to as formal education and informal education.

Formal education describes the learning of academic facts and concepts through a structured, programmatic curriculum. Arising from the tutelage of ancient Greek thinkers, centuries of scholars have examined topics through logical, systematic methods of learning. Education in earlier times was only available to the higher classes; they had the means for access to scholarly materials, plus the luxury of leisure time that could be used for learning. The Industrial Revolution, urbanization, the development of state-sponsored, publicly-funded institutions, and other social changes made education more accessible to the general population. Later, many families in the emerging middle class found new opportunities for schooling.

A man and young boy in the kitchen cooking at a stove.

Figure 2. Parents teaching their children to cook provide an informal education. (Photo courtesy of eyeliam/flickr)

The modern U.S. educational system is the result of this progression. Today, basic education is considered a right and responsibility for all citizens. The United Nations outlines education as a basic human right in its Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Citation F), arguing that education must be free and universally-accessible. [4] Expectations of this system focus on formal education, with curricula and testing designed to ensure that students learn the facts and concepts that society believes are basic knowledge.

In contrast, informal education describes learning about cultural values, norms, and expected behaviors through societal participation. This type of learning occurs in family homes, community spaces, and through the education system. Our earliest learning experiences generally happen via parents, relatives, and others in our community. Through informal education, we learn how to dress for different occasions, how to perform regular life routines like shopping for and preparing food, and how to keep our bodies clean.

Cultural transmission refers to the way people come to learn the values, beliefs, and social norms of their culture. Both informal and formal education include cultural transmission. For example, a student will learn about cultural aspects of modern history in a U.S. History classroom. In that same classroom, the student might learn the cultural norm for asking a classmate out on a date through passing notes and whispered conversations, as well as learning how to respectfully voice opinions and meet deadlines for assignments.

Think It Over

Has there ever been a time when your formal and informal educations in the same setting were at odds? How did you overcome that disconnect?

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PISA (2015). Results in Focus. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisa-2015-results-in-focus.pdf . ↵
Gross-Loh, Christine (March 2014). Finnish Education Chief: 'We Created a School System Based on Equality' An interview with the country's minister of education , Krista Kiuru. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/03/finnish-education-chief-we-created-a-school-system-based-on-equality/284427/ . ↵
Kristie J. Rowley, Florencia Silveira, Mikaela J. Dufur, and Jonathan A. Jarvis. Forthcoming in Teachers' College Record. “US Achievement Underperformance in an International Context: Are Poor Students’ PISA Scores to Blame?” ↵
United Nations (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/ . ↵
Education around the World. Authored by : OpenStax CNX. Located at : https://cnx.org/contents/[email protected]:VdqlvHGw@6/Education-around-the-World . License : CC BY: Attribution . License Terms : Download for free at http://cnx.org/contents/[email protected]
Education around the World. Provided by : OpenStax. Located at : https://openstax.org/books/introduction-sociology-3e/pages/16-1-education-around-the-world . Project : Sociology 3e. License : CC BY: Attribution . License Terms : Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/introduction-sociology-3e/pages/16-1-education-around-the-world
What does education mean to you?. Authored by : UNICEF. Located at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un5msddQl6U . License : Other . License Terms : Standard YouTube License

6 charts on education around the world

Children listen to their teacher on the first day of the new school year in a primary school in Nice, France, September 4, 2017. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard - RC14C74B21D0

The OECD report card is in. How does your country compare? Image: REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

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The world is more educated than ever before , with the average number of years spent in school increasing constantly. So how do levels of education in your country compare?

A new report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Education at a Glance 2017 , looks at the state of education in all 35 member countries and a number of partner countries.

It found that 85% of young adults (aged 25 to 34) have attained upper secondary education, which typically starts at around 15 or 16 years old.

Almost half (43%) have gone further and have a tertiary degree. In some countries the proportion of young adults with a university degree is even higher, at 50% or more including Canada (61%), Ireland (52%), Japan (60%), Korea (70%), Lithuania (55%) and the Russian Federation (60%).

Primary and secondary education

On average across OECD countries, only 6% of adults have not gone further than primary school.

In some countries, however, this percentage is much higher. A quarter of young adults in China (25%) and Saudi Arabia (24%) never made it past primary school. This figure rises to around one-third or more in Costa Rica (29%), Indonesia (43%), Portugal (30%), and Turkey (43%).

The share of young adults who have not reached upper secondary education is 16% on average across OECD countries.

But it’s much higher than that in some countries: more than half of young adults lack an upper secondary or higher education in China (64%), Costa Rica (51%), India (64%), Indonesia (53%), Mexico (53%) and South Africa (51%).

Parental education really matters

The most important factor when it comes to predicting a child’s future education level is parental education.

A young person is much more likely to study for a degree if one or both of their parents have.

The only exception is Japan, where gender and parents’ educational attainment seem to have an equal influence.

What do they study?

Business, administration and law are by far the most popular areas of study in the countries surveyed, chosen by around one in four students (23%).

This varies across countries, of course. In Korea it’s only 14%, while in Luxembourg it’s 37%.

Yet in terms of employability, young people would be better off studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects, according to the report.

Only 16% study engineering, construction and manufacturing, and less than 5% of students opt for information and communication technologies (ICT), despite graduates in these subjects having the highest employment rate on average across OECD countries.

The gender imbalance

Women’s participation in higher education has been increasing across the countries surveyed in recent years. Women are also more likely to complete their degrees than men .

Yet they will earn less.

Average earnings are higher for degree-educated men than for their female peers. Also, rates of employment for men with tertiary degrees tend to be higher than for women with the same level of education.

There is an obvious gender gap in the subjects that young adults choose at university. Far more women than men choose to study education and health and welfare.

And many more men than women study STEM subjects and ICT. Close to three out of four engineering students and four out of five ICT students are men.

That’s despite the fact that on average, girls outperform boys in the PISA science test .

Results from the PISA 2015 assessment indicate that boys’ and girls’ career paths start to diverge well before they actually select a career.

Boys are more likely than girls to envisage themselves in a science-related career when they are 30. Meanwhile, more than seven out of 10 teachers on average across OECD countries are women. Given the number of women choosing to study education versus men, this is unlikely to change soon. Teachers earn up to 60% less on average than similarly educated workers.

Graduate premium

There is also a gender imbalance for the graduate premium – the extra money a graduate can expect to earn as a result of the extra study.

There are only two countries where women see a higher net return from university study than men: Spain and Estonia. For the average woman elsewhere, net financial returns for tertiary education are $167,400, representing only two-thirds of those for a man.

In seven countries, men saw a higher return of up to 50%. The difference was particularly pronounced in Japan, where male graduates can expect a net financial return of almost $240,000, compared with just $28,200 for women.

Spending on education

As a percentage of GDP, the UK spends more on education than any other OECD country, followed closely by Denmark and New Zealand.

France and Sweden spend the least as a percentage of their GDP.

Benefits of higher education

The benefits of a university education remain high. University graduates are more likely to be employed, they earn 56% more than those without a degree, and they are less likely to suffer from depression.

“Tertiary education promises huge rewards for individuals, but education systems need to do a better job of explaining to young people what studies offer the greatest opportunities for life,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría .

“Equitable and high-quality education fuels personal fulfilment as well as economic growth. Countries must step up their efforts to ensure that education meets the needs of today’s children and informs their aspirations for the future.”

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Education Statistics

Education Statistics (EdStats)

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“Education,” as Nelson Mandela said, “is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

And while every country on Earth has a schooling system, there’s a vast discrepancy in how well each country is able to use it and arm its children with education, leaving the most successful, high-income nations racing ahead of the struggling ones.

“When it's shown as an average number of years in school and levels of achievement, the developing world is about 100 years behind developed countries,” according to the Brookings Institution.

Read More: 5 Countries Where College Is Free

The best of the best keep student-teacher ratios low, kids in school longer, and graduate the greatest number of students with a quality education. Who are these powerhouses? Read on to learn about 10 of the countries that get a figurative A+ in education — and can school the rest of the world on how it’s done.

What’s up down under? Education for all. Placing at the top of the Education Index in the United Nations’ Human Development Report , the country-continent of 24 million expects students will complete an impressive 20-plus years of schooling (The U.S., for comparison, expects 16). In fact, 100% of preschool, primary- and secondary-school age kids are enrolled — and 94% of citizens over 25 have at least some secondary education. Hand-in-hand with full classrooms (in a teacher-student ratio of 14:1), Australia admirably supports its educators. The nation gives incentives to teachers taking rural hardship postings and, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s 2015 Education for All Global Monitoring Report , is taking notable “steps toward pay parity for teachers at all levels.”

Read More: 11 Tech Innovations Changing Global Education

Thanks to an intense focus on academics starting at age 6 (the primary school drop out rate is just .2 percent), Japan’s students have scoring well down to a science. Ranking No. 2 in Pearson Education ’s annual global educational performance report and placing fourth in reading and seventh in math in the influential Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey — which tests 15-year-old students worldwide in order to compare countries’ education systems — the Pacific Ocean island nation is serious about learning. And it’s paid off: The literacy rate of their 127 million citizens is 99 percent.

Read More: 7 Groups Working to Educate the World

South Korea

Standardized tests have met their match in South Korea. Students in the 49-million-person republic — who are randomly assigned to private and public high schools — routinely score at the top of academic assessments: Most recently No. 1 overall, and in “Educational Attainment,” in Pearson Education ’s annual global educational performance report as well as fifth in both reading and math on the PISA survey. Long hours of study have helped the students become so successful, reports the BBC , noting that, “South Korean parents spend thousands … a year on after-school tuition,” for their kids’ evening cram sessions — every day.

Read More: How 2 Muslim Women Built the World’s Oldest Library

Who knew that lots of breaks can help create academic aces? The Finns. The Northern European nation mandates that their kids — who don’t begin studies until age 7 — have 15-minute outdoor free-play sessions for every hour of their five-hour school day. And though grades aren’t given until fourth grade (and schools don’t require any standardized tests until senior year), their students’ achievement is undoubted. Consistently high PISA survey scorers, Finland’s latest rank is sixth in reading and 12 in math. And it’s not just a few smarties who secure the lead. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the difference between the weakest and strongest students in Finland is the smallest in the world.

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Norway, rated highest in human development by the U.N., prioritizes education for their 5.1 million residents. The Nordic nation spends 6.6% of their GDP on education (nearly 1.5% less than the U.S. does) and keeps their student-teacher ratio below 9:1. Relying on a national curriculum that teachers interpret for their pupils — who aren’t defined by grade level — arts and crafts are part of the program, as well as food and health, music, and physical education. And their system is clearly working. A hundred percent of Norway’s school-age population is enrolled in school, 97 percent have some secondary education, and they’ve closed the gender gap in education to boot!

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Described as an “exam-oriented” system, education in this island city-state of nearly 5.7 million in Southeast Asia strives to teach children problem solving . They’ve certainly figured out how to conquer tests. Ranking No. 1 in Pearson Education ’s global educational report for “Cognitive Skills” and No. 3 overall, Singapore placed high on the PISA test too: No. 3 in reading and No. 2 in math. Teachers study-up in Singapore as well, participating in professional development throughout their careers.

Read More: This Dynamic Duo Is Riding Bamboo Bikes for Girls’ Education

Netherlands

Geen Nederlands spreken? No problem. Even non-Dutch speaking students get the help they need to succeed in the Netherlands’ schools. The country of 17 million — ranked No. 8 in Pearson Education’s ratings and No. 10 in the PISA survey — provides teaching in languages other than Dutch for students in grades 1 to 4 to foster learning in all subjects. And to keep their 94% graduation rate at the secondary level, they also funnel extra funding to poorer and ethnic minority students. According to UNESCO , the primary schools with the highest proportion of disadvantaged students have, on average, about 58 percent more teachers and support staff.

Read More: 9 Facts to Know About Education Around the World

Dissatisfied with their scores on the 2000 PISA tests, the European country — ranked 7 in the U.N.’s Education Index — took action. They reformed their education policy, including, “the adoption of national standards and increased support for disadvantaged students,” per UNESCO , and things turned around for their 82 million population. Today in the PISA rankings, Germany sits at No. 20 in Reading, a two-spot improvement, and is No. 16 in math, a five-spot jump.

It’s not the luck of the Irish that’s earned the European nation sixth place in the U.N.’s Education Index . The country of 4.7 million invests in the education of their citizens, spending 6.2 percent of their GDP on education (more than double what Singapore doles out). This prioritization has helped Ireland give nearly 80 percent of citizens at least some secondary education and graduate 98 percent from secondary level schools.

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The United Kingdom

Of Britons age 25 and older, 99.9 percent have had secondary education in the U.K. (population 64 million). And although England is currently strategizing about how to accommodate the extra 750,000 students that their Department of Education estimates they’ll have in their schools by 2025, the nation remains an impressive No. 6 overall in Pearson Education ’s performance report and second only to South Korea in “Educational Attainment.” Cheers to that!

A photo posted by Photos Of Britain 🇬🇧 (@photosofbritain) on Jul 29, 2016 at 1:39am PDT

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Global education: How to transform school systems?

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Emiliana vegas and emiliana vegas former co-director - center for universal education , former senior fellow - global economy and development @emivegasv rebecca winthrop rebecca winthrop director - center for universal education , senior fellow - global economy and development @rebeccawinthrop.

November 17, 2020

12 min read

This essay is part of “ Reimagining the global economy: Building back better in a post-COVID-19 world ,” a collection of 12 essays presenting new ideas to guide policies and shape debates in a post-COVID-19 world.

Even before COVID-19 left as many as 1.5 billion students out of school in early 2020, there was a global consensus that education systems in too many countries were not delivering the quality education needed to ensure that all have the skills necessary to thrive. 1 It is the poorest children across the globe who carry the heaviest burden, with pre-pandemic analysis estimating that 90 percent of children in low-income countries, 50 percent of children in middle-income countries, and 30 percent of children in high-income countries fail to master the basic secondary-level skills needed to thrive in work and life. 2

Analysis in mid-April 2020—in the early throes of the pandemic—found that less than 25 percent of low-income countries were providing any type of remote learning, while close to 90 percent of high-income countries were. 3 On top of cross-country differences in access to remote learning, within-country differences are also staggering. For example, during the COVID-19 school closures, 1 in 10 of the poorest children in the U.S. had little or no access to technology for learning. 4

Yet, for a few young people in wealthy communities around the globe, schooling has never been better than during the pandemic. They are taught in their homes with a handful of their favorite friends by a teacher hired by their parents. 5 Some parents have connected via social media platforms to form learning pods that instruct only a few students at a time with agreed-upon teaching schedules and activities.

While the learning experiences for these particular children may be good in and of themselves, they represent a worrisome trend for the world: the massive acceleration of education inequality. 6

Emerging from this global pandemic with a stronger public education system is an ambitious vision, and one that will require both financial and human resources.

The silver lining is that COVID-19 has resulted in public recognition of schools’ essential caretaking role in society and parents’ gratitude for teachers, their skills, and their invaluable role in student well-being.

It is hard to imagine there will be another moment in history when the central role of schooling in the economic, social, and political prosperity and stability of nations is so obvious and well understood by the general population. The very fact that schools enable parents to work outside the home is hitting home to millions of families amid global school closures. Now is the time to chart a vision for how education can emerge stronger from this global crisis and help reduce education inequality.

Indeed, we believe that strong and inclusive public education systems are essential to the short- and long-term recovery of society and that there is an opportunity to leapfrog toward powered-up schools.

A powered-up school, one that well serves the educational needs of children and youth, is one that puts a strong public school at the center of the community and leverages the most effective partnerships to help learners grow and develop a broad range of competencies and skills. It would recognize and adapt to the learning that takes place beyond its walls, regularly assessing students’ skills and tailoring learning opportunities to meet students at their skill level. New allies in children’s learning would complement and assist teachers, and could support children’s healthy mental and physical development. It quite literally would be the school at the center of the community that powers student learning and development using every path possible (Figure 12.1).

While this vision is aspirational, it is by no means impractical. Schools at the center of a community ecosystem of learning and support are an idea whose time has come, and some of the emerging practices amid COVID-19, such as empowering parents to support their children’s education, should be sustained after the pandemic subsides.

It is hard to imagine there will be another moment in history when the central role of schooling in the economic, social, and political prosperity and stability of nations is so obvious and well understood by the general population.

The way forward

To achieve this vision, we propose five actions to seize the moment and transform education systems (focusing on pre-primary through secondary school) to better serve all children and youth, especially the most disadvantaged.

1. Leverage public schools and put them at the center of education systems given their essential role in equalizing opportunity across society

By having the mandate to serve all children and youth regardless of background, public schools in many countries can bring together individuals from diverse backgrounds and needs, providing the social benefit of allowing individuals to grow up with a set of common values and knowledge that can make communities more cohesive and unified. 7

Schools play a crucial role in fostering the skills individuals need to succeed in a rapidly changing labor market, 8 play a major role in equalizing opportunities for individuals of diverse backgrounds, and address a variety of social needs that serve communities, regions, and entire nations. While a few private schools can and do play these multiple roles, public education is the main conduit for doing so at scale and hence should be at the center of any effort to build back better.

2. Focus on the instructional core, the heart of the teaching and learning process

Using the instructional core—or focusing on the interactions among educators, learners, and educational materials to improve student learning 9 —can help identify what types of new strategies or innovations could become community-based supports in children’s learning journey. Indeed, even after only a few months of experimentation around the globe on keeping learning going amid a pandemic, some clear strategies have the potential, if continued, to contribute to a powered-up school, and many of them involve engaging learners, educators, and parents in new ways using some form of technology.

3. Deploy education technology to power up schools in a way that meets teaching and learning needs and prevent technology from becoming a costly distraction

After COVID-19, one thing is certain: School systems that are best prepared to use education technology effectively will be best positioned to continue offering quality education in the face of school closures.

Other recent research 10 by one of us finds that technology can help improve learning by supporting the crucial interactions in the instructional core through the following ways: (1) scaling up quality instruction (by, for example, prerecorded lessons of high-quality teaching); (2) facilitating differentiated instruction (through, for example, computer-adaptive learning or live one-on-one tutoring); (3) expanding opportunities for student practice; and (4) increasing student engagement (through, for example, videos and games).

4. Forge stronger, more trusting relationships between parents and teachers

When a respectful relationship among parents, teachers, families, and schools happens, children learn and thrive. This occurs by inviting families to be allies in children’s learning by using easy-to-understand information communicated through mechanisms that adapt to parents’ schedules and that provide parents with an active but feasible role. The nature of the invitation and the relationship is what is so essential to bringing parents on board.

COVID-19 is an opportunity for parents and families to gain insight into the skill that is involved in teaching and for teachers and schools to realize what powerful allies parents can be. Parents around the world are not interested in becoming their child’s teacher, but they are, based on several large-scale surveys, 11 asking to be engaged in a different, more active way in the future. One of the most important insights for supporting a powered-up school is challenging the mindset of those in the education sector who think that parents and families with the least opportunities are not capable or willing to help their children learn.

5. Embrace the principles of improvement science required to evaluate, course correct, document, and scale new approaches that can help power up schools over time

The speed and depth of change mean that it will be essential to take an iterative approach to learning what works, for whom, and under what enabling conditions. In other words, this is a moment to employ the principles of improvement science. 12 Traditional research methods will need to be complemented by real-time documentation, reflection, quick feedback loops, and course correction. Rapid sharing of early insights and testing of potential change ideas will need to come alongside the longer-term rigorous reviews.

Adapting the scaling strategy is especially challenging, requiring not only timely data, a thorough understanding of the context, and space for reflection, but also willingness and capacity to act on this learning and make changes accordingly.

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Progress towards quality education was already slower than required before the pandemic, but COVID-19 has had devastating impacts on education, causing learning losses in four out of five of the 104 countries studied.

Without additional measures, an estimated 84 million children and young people will stay out of school by 2030 and approximately 300 million students will lack the basic numeracy and literacy skills necessary for success in life.

In addition to free primary and secondary schooling for all boys and girls by 2030, the aim is to provide equal access to affordable vocational training, eliminate gender and wealth disparities, and achieve universal access to quality higher education.

Education is the key that will allow many other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved. When people are able to get quality education they can break from the cycle of poverty.

Education helps to reduce inequalities and to reach gender equality. It also empowers people everywhere to live more healthy and sustainable lives. Education is also crucial to fostering tolerance between people and contributes to more peaceful societies.

To deliver on Goal 4, education financing must become a national investment priority. Furthermore, measures such as making education free and compulsory, increasing the number of teachers, improving basic school infrastructure and embracing digital transformation are essential.

What progress have we made so far?

While progress has been made towards the 2030 education targets set by the United Nations, continued efforts are required to address persistent challenges and ensure that quality education is accessible to all, leaving no one behind.

Between 2015 and 2021, there was an increase in worldwide primary school completion, lower secondary completion, and upper secondary completion. Nevertheless, the progress made during this period was notably slower compared to the 15 years prior.

What challenges remain?

According to national education targets, the percentage of students attaining basic reading skills by the end of primary school is projected to rise from 51 per cent in 2015 to 67 per cent by 2030. However, an estimated 300 million children and young people will still lack basic numeracy and literacy skills by 2030.

Economic constraints, coupled with issues of learning outcomes and dropout rates, persist in marginalized areas, underscoring the need for continued global commitment to ensuring inclusive and equitable education for all. Low levels of information and communications technology (ICT) skills are also a major barrier to achieving universal and meaningful connectivity.

Where are people struggling the most to have access to education?

Sub-Saharan Africa faces the biggest challenges in providing schools with basic resources. The situation is extreme at the primary and lower secondary levels, where less than one-half of schools in sub-Saharan Africa have access to drinking water, electricity, computers and the Internet.

Inequalities will also worsen unless the digital divide – the gap between under-connected and highly digitalized countries – is not addressed .

Are there groups that have more difficult access to education?

Yes, women and girls are one of these groups. About 40 per cent of countries have not achieved gender parity in primary education. These disadvantages in education also translate into lack of access to skills and limited opportunities in the labour market for young women.

What can we do?

Ask our governments to place education as a priority in both policy and practice. Lobby our governments to make firm commitments to provide free primary school education to all, including vulnerable or marginalized groups.

Facts and figures

Goal 4 targets.

Without additional measures, only one in six countries will achieve the universal secondary school completion target by 2030, an estimated 84 million children and young people will still be out of school, and approximately 300 million students will lack the basic numeracy and literacy skills necessary for success in life.
To achieve national Goal 4 benchmarks, which are reduced in ambition compared with the original Goal 4 targets, 79 low- and lower-middle- income countries still face an average annual financing gap of $97 billion.

Source: The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023

4.1 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and Goal-4 effective learning outcomes

4.2 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and preprimary education so that they are ready for primary education

4.3 By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university

4.4 By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship

4.5 By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations

4.6 By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy

4.7 By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development

4.A Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, nonviolent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all

4.B By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries

4.C By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing states

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Education Rankings by Country 2024

There is a correlation between a country's educational system quality and its economic status, with developed nations offering higher quality education.

The U.S., despite ranking high in educational system surveys, falls behind in math and science scores compared to many other countries.

Educational system adequacy varies globally, with some countries struggling due to internal conflicts, economic challenges, or underfunded programs.

While education levels vary from country to country, there is a clear correlation between the quality of a country's educational system and its general economic status and overall well-being. In general, developing nations tend to offer their citizens a higher quality of education than the least developed nations do, and fully developed nations offer the best quality of education of all. Education is clearly a vital contributor to any country's overall health.

According to the Global Partnership for Education , education is considered to be a human right and plays a crucial role in human, social, and economic development . Education promotes gender equality, fosters peace, and increases a person's chances of having more and better life and career opportunities.

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." — Nelson Mandela

The annual Best Countries Report , conducted by US News and World Report, BAV Group, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania , reserves an entire section for education. The report surveys thousands of people across 78 countries, then ranks those countries based upon the survey's responses. The education portion of the survey compiles scores from three equally-weighted attributes: a well-developed public education system, would consider attending university there, and provides top-quality education. As of 2023, the top ten countries based on education rankings are:

Countries with the Best Educational Systems - 2021 Best Countries Report*

Ironically, despite the United States having the best-surveyed education system on the globe, U.S students consistently score lower in math and science than students from many other countries. According to a Business Insider report in 2018, the U.S. ranked 38th in math scores and 24th in science. Discussions about why the United States' education rankings have fallen by international standards over the past three decades frequently point out that government spending on education has failed to keep up with inflation.

It's also worthwhile to note that while the Best Countries study is certainly respectable, other studies use different methodologies or emphasize different criteria, which often leads to different results. For example, the Global Citizens for Human Rights' annual study measures ten levels of education from early childhood enrollment rates to adult literacy. Its final 2020 rankings look a bit different:

Education Rates of Children Around the World

Most findings and ranking regarding education worldwide involve adult literacy rates and levels of education completed. However, some studies look at current students and their abilities in different subjects.

One of the most-reviewed studies regarding education around the world involved 470,000 fifteen-year-old students. Each student was administered tests in math, science, and reading similar to the SAT or ACT exams (standardized tests used for college admissions in the U.S.) These exam scores were later compiled to determine each country's average score for each of the three subjects. Based on this study, China received the highest scores , followed by Korea, Finland , Hong Kong , Singapore , Canada , New Zealand , Japan , Australia and the Netherlands .

On the down side, there are many nations whose educational systems are considered inadequate. This could be due to internal conflict, economic problems, or underfunded programs. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's Education for All Global Monitoring Report ranks the following countries as having the world's worst educational systems:

Countries with the Lowest Adult Literacy Rates

Education rankings are sourced from both the annual UN News Best Countries report and the nonprofit organization World Top 20

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Best Countries for Education - 2023 - US News
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Average years of schooling

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Education Systems Around the World: A Look at 4 Top School Systems

November 16, 2022 · Countries and Regions , Teaching Tips

Education Systems Around the World

Every year, the OECD ranks education systems around the world from best to worst. With these findings, we are confronted with how schools are succeeding and failing to educate our country’s young people. Our education system, made up of policymakers, school leaders, and especially educators, is raising the future talent of the country. As teachers, our role in shaping young lives directly impacts the next generation.

We can learn from other countries how to best design an education system from the bottom up. As an educator, I sometimes feel powerless in the greater tapestry of the American education system, but over time, I learned that teachers are the critical drivers of student outcomes. The lessons we deliver, the skills we focus on, and the learning opportunities we provide affect a generation of students. So, what lessons can we learn from other countries to better prepare our students to thrive in the twenty-first century?

The OECD uses the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) to assess the critical thinking of 15-year-old students in math, science, and reading in 85 countries. Explore how the top-ranking education systems around the world prepare young people for life in the 21st century and what lessons we can learn from them.

1. Finland’s Education System

Helsinki Finland skyline and Helsinki Cathedral

Finland has long held first and second place, as one of the best education systems around the world. Although in recent years, it has lost ground to other countries, it still is a high performer, particularly with the Western style of education. In Finland, schooling does not begin for children until age 7. Homework and standardized testing are delayed until high school. In fact, there are no mandated standardized tests in Finland, apart from one exam at the end of students’ senior year in high school.

“Whatever it takes” describes the attitude of most Finnish educators, who are selected from the top 10 percent of the nation’s graduates to earn a required master’s degree in education. The transformation of Finland’s education system began about 40 years ago as a part of the country’s economic recovery plan. What is most striking about Finland’s education system is that the people running it, from the national to the local level, are educators. Equality is of the utmost importance, and students receive an equal education regardless of their backgrounds. Their children-first approach seems to be working well for this extraordinary education system.

Finland Tip: Prioritize play and outdoor time. One Finnish educator incorporates time outdoors with math by having students measure various objects they find outside.

2. Canada’s Education System

Ferry boat docked on Granville Island in Vancouver, Canada

Canada is a newcomer to the top ten best education systems around the world. They don’t truly have a national education system, since education is divided by their autonomous provinces. The Canadian education system focuses on literacy, math, and high school graduation. Administrators, teachers, and their unions have created a curriculum that is successful across the country. Canada’s education system focuses on providing continued teacher training, transparent results, and a culture of sharing best practices. Students have many opportunities to prepare and practice for their future careers. Teacher morale is also high due to trust in teachers as professionals.

3. The Education System of Singapore

Singapore has risen to second place in the PISA rankings. This city-state has a technology-based education system, similar to Japan and Hong Kong. In 2004, Singapore’s government built a pedagogical framework called Teach Less, Learn More , which encouraged teachers to focus on the quality of learning and asked them to incorporate technology into classrooms. The purpose was to shift focus away from the high-stakes testing environment that Singaporean classrooms traditionally valued.

Educational technology sets Singapore apart from many other countries. In classrooms, digital devices are viewed as a means to bring students together in collaboration, rather than using devices in isolation from other students.

Singapore Tip: Use technology to have students collaborate. Send them on technology missions in groups, then pull students away from their devices to debrief the exercise.

4. South Korea’s Education System

In the past fifty years, South Korea has transformed its education system into one of the best in the world. South Korean students have six years of primary school, three years of middle school, and three years of high school. Coeducation schools are still rare in South Korea, with most students attending single-sex schools. Primary subjects include moral education, Korean language, social studies, mathematics, science, physical education, music, fine arts, and practical arts.

South Korea is known for having a rigorous, high-stress educational system, where families invest enormous time and money into providing the best education for their children. Public schools are free, but private schools and tutoring are available. Being a teacher in South Korea is a coveted position because of the high pay and high level of respect that teachers have. One remarkable achievement of their educational system? South Korea has accomplished a 100 percent literacy rate.

South Korea Tip: Emphasize grit and a growth mindset. In South Korea, talent isn’t important. The culture believes that grit and determination will ultimately lead to success. Frame any challenge as one that simply needs practice.

How Does the United States Compare?

According to PISA –

‘Students in the United States have particular weaknesses in performing mathematical tasks with higher cognitive demands, such as taking real-world situations, translating them into mathematical terms, and interpreting mathematical aspects in real-world problems. An alignment study between the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and PISA suggests that a successful implementation of the Common Core Standards would yield significant performance gains also in PISA.’ PISA

The United States has been steadily improving its PISA scores over the past few decades. According to PISA’s analysis, implementing Common Core Standards with fidelity will yield significant performance gains. Socioeconomic status still divides test results, with students from higher socioeconomic statuses performing better. There is also a persistent gender gap, with boys performing better on the math portion of the test and girls performing better on the reading portion.

What is Next for the American Education System?

Fifty years ago, both South Korea and Finland had poor education systems. Over the past half-century, both South Korea and Finland have turned their schools around — and now both countries are hailed internationally for their extremely high educational outcomes. But these two models of education are polar opposites. South Korea’s rigorous, test-centric approach is so different from Finland, where students spend less time in the classroom and more time outside and in extracurricular activities. In Korea, school is about creating your future; in Finland, it is about creating your identity.

What do these polar opposite education systems have in common? A deep admiration and respect for teachers. In Finland, only 10 percent of applicants are accepted to teaching programs. It’s equally as difficult to become a teacher in Korea. Teachers are paid well and given enormous respect by the community.

One reason for the success of these education systems is that they were a product of economic and social change within the country. It has not historically been necessary for American students to need high-level problem-solving skills to live nice lives. This is no longer the case. According to author Amanda Ripley, “There’s a lag for cultures to catch up with economic realities, and right now we’re living in that lag.” The good news is that teachers are working hard to close the global achievement gap by teaching 21st-century skills , implementing the Common Core, and teaching the knowledge students need to be successful in a global world .

Interested in learning how to improve your learning outcomes with global education? Join our email list, and get our free Mainstream to Multicultural checklist.

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Choi, Amy S. “What the Best Education Systems Are Doing Right.” Ideas.ted.com , 4 Sept. 2014, https://ideas.ted.com/what-the-best-education-systems-are-doing-right/.

“Data – Pisa.” OECD , https://www.oecd.org/pisa/data/.

“Education.” OECD Better Life Index , https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/education/.

Gundala, Sashi. “Education Systems around the World: A Comparison.” LinkedIn , 30 July 2018, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/education-systems-around-world-comparison-sashi-gundala/.

Magazine, Smithsonian. “Why Are Finland’s Schools Successful?” Smithsonian.com , Smithsonian Institution, 1 Sept. 2011, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/why-are-finlands-schools-successful-49859555/.

“Singapore Plows Ahead of U.S. with Technology in Classrooms.” NBCNews.com , NBCUniversal News Group, 27 Apr. 2014, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/singapore-plows-ahead-u-s-technology-classrooms-n90086.

United States – OECD . https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/PISA2018_CN_USA.pdf.

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Ask the Expert: How is Education Different Around the World? Teaching Philosophies Differ But ‘We All Want What is Best for Our Students,’ Says Friday Institute Executive Director Hiller Spires

Hiller Spires, Ph.D., answers the question "How is Education Different Around the World?"

This is part of the monthly “Ask the Expert” series in which NC State College of Education faculty answer some of the most commonly asked questions about education.

Pre-service teachers in North Carolina usually have a good understanding of what they can expect in a U.S. classroom, but how is education different around the world?

Hiller Spires, Ph.D. , executive director of the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation and an associate dean in the NC State College of Education, has worked with schools and educators in different countries for several years and believes that teachers are working hard to provide the education they believe is most beneficial for their students.

“At the end of the day, educators across the globe have similar goals and aspirations. We all want what is best for our students,” she said.

Despite these similar aspirations, education can look drastically different from country to country. Spires notes that early childhood education in Japan, for example, is primarily focused on academic rigor while early childhood education in Finland emphasizes play.

In developing countries, the economy and geography can play a big role in what education looks like, as well as who has access to it. In a country like Kenya , for example, girls in certain villages are unable to attend school because they must walk for hours each day to fetch fresh water and bring it back to their families.

“When a well is built in one of these villages, all of a sudden these girls’ lives may change dramatically because they can now go to school,” Spires said.

It is important that teachers in North Carolina understand different cultures and educational contexts, as there is a high probability they will have students from different cultural backgrounds in their classrooms.

To help with this, Spires has spent the past decade of her career researching Project-Based Inquiry (PBI) Global . The PBI Global process allows teachers and students to collaborate with other classrooms within North Carolina as well as around the world to help develop global competence as they address issues related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals .

These interactions, Spires said, help students develop empathy as well as view issues from different perspectives.

“Being able to slow down and take time to listen to what people from different cultures are saying is a valuable skill,” she said. “Respectful and productive interactions can promote mutual understanding among diverse groups, and this is an important process for education, work and being an active citizen.”

To help teachers further understand how to teach in a global context, Spires has taken more than 80 graduate and undergraduate students, as well as NC State faculty, to study in China over the past several years.

During the most recent study abroad trip last summer , 11 students had the opportunity to immerse themselves in Chinese culture and education through visits to three different cities — Shanghai, Suzhou and Beijing. Students on the trip also visited two Chinese schools, where they were invited to co-teach lessons.

These opportunities to study abroad, facilitated through the college’s Office of Global Programs, are invaluable to future educators, Spires said, because they bring the experience of being in a different culture back to their classrooms in the U.S.

“As a teacher in a classroom with students from different cultures and speaking different languages, it’s essential to know how to relate to students and create space for their culture and their perspectives to be an integral part of the learning process,” she said.

The College of Education also offers a master’s degree in New Literacies and Global Learning , where educators learn about theoretical perspectives on global learning as well as how to implement practical strategies to help students focus on project-based inquiry activities related to global learning.

Although educators uncover different backgrounds, language barriers and educational philosophies while studying abroad or engaging in PBI Global, Spires said that her work with teachers across the globe has a unifying aspect.

“Despite the different contexts, cultures and access to resources, the teachers I’ve worked with in the U.S., China and Kenya are all dedicated to their profession and strive to provide the very best circumstances for their students,” Spires said.

Currently, the global community is navigating the coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) pandemic, which has forced educational institutions across the world to close, with UNESCO estimating more than 1.5 billion students are at home.

“Global education is more important than ever during the pandemic,” Spires said.

In addition, in the wake of the recent murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Rayshard Brooks there has been a global response against racial injustice. “Human impulse may lead some to want to close off from global connections and understandings as political conflict takes center stage. It is in the shared interest of institutions, communities, and individuals to take a stand for racial equality and international engagement through education. Our collective future depends on it,” she said.

Video by Ryan Clancy

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Four of the biggest problems facing education—and four trends that could make a difference

Eduardo velez bustillo, harry a. patrinos.

In 2022, we published, Lessons for the education sector from the COVID-19 pandemic , which was a follow up to, Four Education Trends that Countries Everywhere Should Know About , which summarized views of education experts around the world on how to handle the most pressing issues facing the education sector then. We focused on neuroscience, the role of the private sector, education technology, inequality, and pedagogy.

Unfortunately, we think the four biggest problems facing education today in developing countries are the same ones we have identified in the last decades .

1. The learning crisis was made worse by COVID-19 school closures

Low quality instruction is a major constraint and prior to COVID-19, the learning poverty rate in low- and middle-income countries was 57% (6 out of 10 children could not read and understand basic texts by age 10). More dramatic is the case of Sub-Saharan Africa with a rate even higher at 86%. Several analyses show that the impact of the pandemic on student learning was significant, leaving students in low- and middle-income countries way behind in mathematics, reading and other subjects. Some argue that learning poverty may be close to 70% after the pandemic , with a substantial long-term negative effect in future earnings. This generation could lose around $21 trillion in future salaries, with the vulnerable students affected the most.

2. Countries are not paying enough attention to early childhood care and education (ECCE)

At the pre-school level about two-thirds of countries do not have a proper legal framework to provide free and compulsory pre-primary education. According to UNESCO, only a minority of countries, mostly high-income, were making timely progress towards SDG4 benchmarks on early childhood indicators prior to the onset of COVID-19. And remember that ECCE is not only preparation for primary school. It can be the foundation for emotional wellbeing and learning throughout life; one of the best investments a country can make.

3. There is an inadequate supply of high-quality teachers

Low quality teaching is a huge problem and getting worse in many low- and middle-income countries. In Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, the percentage of trained teachers fell from 84% in 2000 to 69% in 2019 . In addition, in many countries teachers are formally trained and as such qualified, but do not have the minimum pedagogical training. Globally, teachers for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects are the biggest shortfalls.

4. Decision-makers are not implementing evidence-based or pro-equity policies that guarantee solid foundations

It is difficult to understand the continued focus on non-evidence-based policies when there is so much that we know now about what works. Two factors contribute to this problem. One is the short tenure that top officials have when leading education systems. Examples of countries where ministers last less than one year on average are plentiful. The second and more worrisome deals with the fact that there is little attention given to empirical evidence when designing education policies.

To help improve on these four fronts, we see four supporting trends:

1. Neuroscience should be integrated into education policies

Policies considering neuroscience can help ensure that students get proper attention early to support brain development in the first 2-3 years of life. It can also help ensure that children learn to read at the proper age so that they will be able to acquire foundational skills to learn during the primary education cycle and from there on. Inputs like micronutrients, early child stimulation for gross and fine motor skills, speech and language and playing with other children before the age of three are cost-effective ways to get proper development. Early grade reading, using the pedagogical suggestion by the Early Grade Reading Assessment model, has improved learning outcomes in many low- and middle-income countries. We now have the tools to incorporate these advances into the teaching and learning system with AI , ChatGPT , MOOCs and online tutoring.

2. Reversing learning losses at home and at school

There is a real need to address the remaining and lingering losses due to school closures because of COVID-19. Most students living in households with incomes under the poverty line in the developing world, roughly the bottom 80% in low-income countries and the bottom 50% in middle-income countries, do not have the minimum conditions to learn at home . These students do not have access to the internet, and, often, their parents or guardians do not have the necessary schooling level or the time to help them in their learning process. Connectivity for poor households is a priority. But learning continuity also requires the presence of an adult as a facilitator—a parent, guardian, instructor, or community worker assisting the student during the learning process while schools are closed or e-learning is used.

To recover from the negative impact of the pandemic, the school system will need to develop at the student level: (i) active and reflective learning; (ii) analytical and applied skills; (iii) strong self-esteem; (iv) attitudes supportive of cooperation and solidarity; and (v) a good knowledge of the curriculum areas. At the teacher (instructor, facilitator, parent) level, the system should aim to develop a new disposition toward the role of teacher as a guide and facilitator. And finally, the system also needs to increase parental involvement in the education of their children and be active part in the solution of the children’s problems. The Escuela Nueva Learning Circles or the Pratham Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) are models that can be used.

3. Use of evidence to improve teaching and learning

We now know more about what works at scale to address the learning crisis. To help countries improve teaching and learning and make teaching an attractive profession, based on available empirical world-wide evidence , we need to improve its status, compensation policies and career progression structures; ensure pre-service education includes a strong practicum component so teachers are well equipped to transition and perform effectively in the classroom; and provide high-quality in-service professional development to ensure they keep teaching in an effective way. We also have the tools to address learning issues cost-effectively. The returns to schooling are high and increasing post-pandemic. But we also have the cost-benefit tools to make good decisions, and these suggest that structured pedagogy, teaching according to learning levels (with and without technology use) are proven effective and cost-effective .

4. The role of the private sector

When properly regulated the private sector can be an effective education provider, and it can help address the specific needs of countries. Most of the pedagogical models that have received international recognition come from the private sector. For example, the recipients of the Yidan Prize on education development are from the non-state sector experiences (Escuela Nueva, BRAC, edX, Pratham, CAMFED and New Education Initiative). In the context of the Artificial Intelligence movement, most of the tools that will revolutionize teaching and learning come from the private sector (i.e., big data, machine learning, electronic pedagogies like OER-Open Educational Resources, MOOCs, etc.). Around the world education technology start-ups are developing AI tools that may have a good potential to help improve quality of education .

After decades asking the same questions on how to improve the education systems of countries, we, finally, are finding answers that are very promising. Governments need to be aware of this fact.

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10 Ways Schools Differ Around the World

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Setting aside the tragedy of the millions who are still denied any form of education, what schooling means and what it’s for depends a whole lot on a country’s history and culture. Some might say that the purpose of education is learning valuable facts. Others would argue it’s primarily about becoming an effective critical thinker. Others still see it as a process for creating the citizens and workers of the future. Most of us, of course, believe it to be some combination of the three – but which country you live in is a significant factor in determining which of the three will take priority. There are less fundamental differences too – in the shape of the school year, the number of hours students are expected to work for, and how much of their lives their school is expected to be involved in. We’ve taken a look at the school systems in ten different countries around the world – here’s what you should know about them.

1. Chinese education emphasises memorisation and learning by drill

Of the different beliefs about what education is for, Chinese schools lean very strongly towards the memorisation and retention of facts. This is demonstrated in the gaokao, the university admissions exam, which depends on what a student can memorise and repeat; analysis and critical thinking are not tested. This is one of the reasons why China excels so much in producing scientists, engineers and mathematicians – while these subjects do still require a good deal of critical thinking, rote learning is certainly more helpful here than in arts subjects.

It’s also been suggested that China’s language, as well as its culture, has contributed to this style of education. To be literate in Chinese requires memorisation of thousands of characters, so while reading and writing in languages like English can be taught through other methods, some rote learning is essential for students of Chinese. While teachers in countries like Britain might argue that rote learning is antithetical to critical thinking, and encourage their students to question what they’re being taught as part of the learning process, teachers in China believe that memorisation is an aid to understanding, and that the two work in tandem.

2. Religious dress is banned in French schools

A core principle of French society is laïcité , roughly translated in English as secularity, though it goes rather further than secularity normally would do in English-speaking countries. It’s the belief that religion and public life should be kept as far apart as possible. It is not in principle an opposition to religion – atheists are a minority in France, albeit a sizeable one – but the belief that religion and public life, especially politics, should not mix, and especially that religious justifications for political decisions should be avoided. One of the more controversial aspects of this was that in 2011, it became illegal to hide your face in public places in France, a move that effectively banned Muslim women from wearing the burqa or niqab.

Wearing hijab is not permitted in French schools.

Similarly, French public schools ban the wearing of any religious dress, a move that was seen as principally targeted at Muslim schoolgirls wearing headscarves, but that also affects Sikhs wearing turbans, Jews wearing yarmulkes, and Christians wearing crucifixes. The law has been controversial and drew protests when it was first announced, but nonetheless remains in force. Based on the same principle of laïcité , French schools also don’t provide any form of religious instruction, though some are prepared to allow their buildings to be use for religious after-school clubs and societies.

3. … but less than 3% of Irish schools are non- or multi-denominational

France and Ireland are both majority Catholic countries, but the approach they take to religion in schools could not be more different. In Ireland, there are 2,884 Catholic schools, which teach religious education from a Catholic perspective and may choose not to employ non-Catholic teachers or accept non-Catholic pupils. Many parents have their children baptised not because they are themselves religious, but for the sake of securing a place in the local school if there’s a danger it will be oversubscribed. There are only 81 schools that are not affiliated with one particular religion, and many of these allow for different choices of religion, but not for atheism. Ireland’s education system is celebrated internationally, but this is a growing problem. While only 6% of the Irish population said they had no religion in the 2011 census, humanist campaigners have suggested this is because of the way the question was phrased, encouraging lapsed Catholics to count themselves as Catholic even though describing themselves as atheist or agnostic might have been more accurate. A different poll in 2012 had only 47% of those surveyed in Ireland describing themselves as “a religious person.”

4. Bangladeshi schools are sometimes on boats

Students are able to attend classes even during floods.

70% of the total land area of Bangladesh is less than a metre above sea level. It’s hit by a triple whammy of bad luck being situated on the Ganges Delta, prone to flooding during the monsoon season, and affected by rainfall from the Himalayas. All of this in combination means around a fifth of the country floods every year. The country is demographically unusual, too – of Bangladesh’s population of 165 million, 32% are under the age of 15, so the school-age population is huge and places a significant financial burden on state finances. Conventional schools have to close during flooding, leaving millions of children with no access to education, so Bangladesh has had to come up with an innovative solution: flood-proof schools on boats. Non-profits working in Bangladesh have played a significant role in providing these floating schools, often powered by solar panels, that mean children can get an education even when the floods are at their worst.

5. Japanese schools teach moral education

What can legitimately be considered "moral education"?

Of the different approaches to education outlined above, Japan’s school system appears to prioritise producing good citizens. Moral education has been taught informally in Japan for decades, but it is gaining ever more prominence in the Japanese curriculum, being taught in some schools on a par with subjects such as Japanese or mathematics. The subject covers many topics that seem uncontroversial, such as compassion, persistence, and some life skills. In this way, it isn’t dissimilar to subjects such as Citizenship or Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) in British school, except that much more classroom time is devoted to it. However, there is also an emphasis on diligence, endurance and generally working hard to an extent that might seem excessive in other cultures, as well as topics such as national heritage that could be seen to have nationalistic overtones when taught in the context of morality, rather than more neutrally in a subject such as history.

6. The majority of South Africans pay for their children’s education

Most South African parents are expected to contribute financially to their children's education.

While the cost of university varies around the world, there are very few developed nations in which primary and secondary school education is not provided for free for the majority of the population. South Africa is one of the rare exceptions, where the default is not a school funded wholly by the state, but a state-aided school, in which the state subsidises education, but parents who can afford to do so are still expected to contribute financially towards their children’s education. However, there are safeguards. A large minority – about 43% of students – are exempt from paying fees on the grounds that their parents earn less than 10 times the annual school fees, and there are reductions on a sliding scale. Schools can’t refuse admittance on the grounds that a child’s parents haven’t paid fees, though they can take legal action against parents who haven’t paid. And orphans are also exempt from paying school fees.

7. German schools are strongly opposed to uniforms

Many school students would envy Germany's attitude to uniform...

School uniforms are a popular choice across the globe. In some cases, it’s because of the belief that wearing the same thing makes the school population feel more unified, contributing to a positive sense of school spirit and belonging. But just as often, it’s for practical reasons, such as uniforms allowing students from different schools to be identified more easily, or that they provide a cheaper clothing option for poorer families, or they make it easier for parents to get their children ready for school in the mornings. There are plenty of countries where schoolchildren don’t usually wear uniforms, such as the USA or France, but few are so vociferous about it as Germany, where uniforms have uncomfortable militaristic associations. Where branded school clothing does exist, it is carefully designed to look as unlike a military uniform as possible – branded hoodies and t-shirts in a range of bright colours are the usual choice – and it is very seldom compulsory to wear it.

8. The South Korean school day is very long

Most school days around the globe last for five or six hours. In Brazil, that involves starting school at 7am and going home for lunch; in France, it can involve starting at 8.30am and going home at 4.30pm, but enjoying a two-hour lunch break (often with a three-course meal) in the middle. British state schools usually start lessons at 9am and finish by 3.30pm. There may be after-school clubs or homework, but about six hours formally in the classroom is judged to be plenty, particularly for younger students.

Students can expect school days of up to 14 or 16 hours.

By contrast, South Korean students in secondary school can be at their desks for 14 to 16 hours. The standard school day is 8am until 4pm, which in its own right is long by international standards. But students in the last couple of years of school will then go home for some dinner, and head out again to a private school from 6pm to 9pm for intensive revision. There may well be another couple of hours of homework to do even after all of that. South Korean students are among the most successful on international league tables, but it requires a remarkable amount of work.

9. Dutch students all start school on their 4th birthday

"Happy birthday, son! Now put your blazer on."

There are different approaches to starting school, and the age at which it’s appropriate for students to do so. Often, the differences are more in terminology than reality, so German children might only start school at 7, but will have spent a few years in a school-like kindergarten, while British students start school between the ages of 4 and 5, but the first year doesn’t look too different from kindergarten activities. One difficulty that school systems do face is that if every student starts school on the same day – say the start of September, as is the norm in Britain – some will be nearly a year older than others, which represents a significant developmental difference. Students born in September in the UK consistently do better at school than those born in August. The solution to this in the Netherlands is that all students start school on their 4th birthday, whenever that may be, so throughout the year there are always new students joining. While this does mean that older students get more time to settle in and make friends, it does at least mean that students should be at a similar development level by the time their first day at school rolls around.

10. Norway’s high school graduation involves a three-week party

To some it's just a bus; to Norwegian students it's a world of possibilities.

In Ireland, there are the Debs; in the USA, the Prom; in the UK, the Leavers’ Ball. But the champion of high school graduation celebrations must be the Norwegian Russfeiring, which traditionally lasts from the 20th April to the 17th May, before school exams in late May and early June. The tradition is that Norwegian high school students club together to buy an old car, bus or van, which they then decorate. They wear red or blue overalls, which also get decorated. And then they spend the next three weeks in said car, bus or van having a wild party, driving between different impromptu or organised events, finally culminating in their graduation. In the early 2000s, for fear that the celebrations were getting out of hand, Norwegian authorities moved school exams to early May to discourage students from celebrating Russfeiring too enthusiastically. As could have been predicted, the students chose partying over exams, their grades suffered, and the government gave up and moved the exams back again.

What’s the most noteworthy thing about education in your country? Let us know in the comments!

Image credits: apple ; school bus ; classroom wall ; woman wearing hijab ; crucifix ; bangladeshi river ; japanese schoolchildren ; debit card ; sneakers and shirt ; hourglass ; child with birthday cake ; bus in forest

How Cultural Norms in Education Differ Around the World

Different cultures have different norms when it comes to education. Today, Letitia Zwickert, a high school teacher at Naperville Central High School and a K-12 Education Advisor to the University of Illinois’ International Outreach Council , explores.

When was the last time you, as a teacher, went out with a student’s parent for karaoke or witnessed your students scrubbing your classroom floor? Or took a coffee break with your students during class? If this sounds a little foreign to you, that’s because it is! There are many cultural variances between norms in education systems around the globe, and some of these differences, besides giving us fun new ways of doing things, could offer us real benefits here at home.

Japan: Parents take teachers out

In Japan, some communities take the parent-teacher relationship to a whole new level. Ichiko Matsui traveled to the United States as a participant in the State Department’s Study of the U.S. Institutions (SUSI) participant in 2012. ( SUSI programs are for foreign undergraduate students, scholars, and teachers which promote a better understanding of American people and the United States). Among the differences she noticed between American customs and her own were the interactions of teachers with the school community. “In towns like mine, parents and teachers hang out until midnight, many times enjoying karaoke and drinks.” Perhaps a new way to spend a parent-teacher conference!

What’s the benefit? Studies have shown any positive interaction between school and families, or constructive work toward building a strong rapport between parents and teachers helps to support student achievement. Though drinking with parents might not work for you and your school, there are numerous ways you can achieve better communication and ultimately stronger connections with your parents. Take a look at Harvard’s Family Research Project to find more ways to improve your relationship with parents and your school or district.

United Kingdom: Students who wear slippers have better grades

A recent article in the Telegraph highlighted children wearing slippers at school instead of their street shoes to improve learning. The children change into their slippers once they get to school and keep them on during class. Schools across Scandinavia and Asia have a similar custom of changing into “school shoes.” In England, one primary school that instituted this slipper option came across research that suggested this approach, and their experiments have led to better behavior and improved grades.

What’s the benefit? There is research that supports that either more comfortable footwear, or going shoeless, actually works! It improves the comfort level of students, which increases attention spans and receptivity to learning. Improved behavior and increased scores are proven outcomes. “ Shoeless Learning Spaces ” offers more information on shoeless learning and the research behind the slippers.

If you give this a try in your classroom, let us know how it goes!

Korea and Japan: Napping during school is encouraged

Sleeping in class in the United States is seen as lazy or as a potential health concern. However, in South Korea and Japan, napping during lessons is encouraged. According to the Korea Times , almost 50 percent percent of students in Japan and about 30 percent in Korea student nap during class! You might even see teachers napping in their communal office during off periods!

What’s the benefit?

With students in the United States getting less and less sleep, and too much screen time reducing the quality of the sleep they do get, student health is being impacted. Napping is scientifically been proven to improve mental health and academic achievement, according to the Japan Times . In fact, the Japanese Health, Labor, and Welfare Ministry recommends 20-30 minute naps daily.

We know sleep is essential for physical health and emotional well-being , as well as memory and learning . Perhaps a structured approach to keeping napping as a part of school beyond preschool might work in the United States too, and offer a real solution to modern problems of getting enough sleep. And, some U.S. school are already catching on! Is your school ready for “sleep pods” ?

Wales: Loosening playground regulations

A recent article in the Atlantic pointed out that American kids are overprotected compared to children in Wales. The description of an “adventure playground”, called The Land, includes youth starting fires, rolling tires into a creek, creating structures out of wooden pallets, and workers who oversee everything but rarely intervene. No parents are allowed.

Students playing in adventure playgrounds learn to be independent, navigate difficult situations, and interact with their peers. Most of our current American playgrounds have no element of surprise for kids and are built purposefully to shield them from any possible risk of injury. Helicopter parents are often buffering kids from any possible danger or social challenge. New York City has built their own such playground called play:groundNYC , designed to allow children to benefit from the effects of risk. New York Magazine highlights this approach to letting children learn while playing. The piece shares the ideas of Norwegian scholar, Ellen Sandseter, who found “children benefit from, if not actual danger, the feeling of danger and related sensations that result from activities like climbing up to get a bird’s-eye view, playing with dangerous tools, or exploring on their own.”

Finland/Sweden/Iceland: Calling teachers by their first name

How do your students address you in class? Now, how would you feel if your students called you by your first name? In Nordic countries, first names are the standard for student-teacher communication. Exchange students in these countries can find the practice very hard to get used to.

What’s the benefit? In the United Kingdom , this approach is surprising parents, but still catching on in some schools where teachers have embraced the new policy as a way to create stronger bonds with their students. Australia is also beginning to change their norms, and use first names for teachers to help support student engagement. Even in the U.S., many charter schools use first names in the classroom. Here’s a study on preference by country.

Denmark: Coffee/tea break during class

Teachers are often lining up in the morning at the coffee machine to grab their cup of joe before running off to their first period. What if that wasn’t necessary? What if every day had built-in coffee breaks? In Denmark, they do! Alex Hayler, who was on a Fulbright student Ph.D. research grant to Denmark for 2015-2016, was delighted to find breaks were a norm in schools. And, not only do teachers and students alike take the breaks, they do so during class! “Every class period, we always went and got coffee as a break at some point. It was completely normal and expected that the whole class went to get coffee/tea/water.”

What’s the benefit? Studies show drinking green tea positively impacts spatial learning and memory , consuming hot cocoa keeps the brain young and helps to enhances cognitive performance , drinking water improves mental function , and having a cup of coffee after learning helps “ memory consolidation ”. All great reasons to have a coffee/tea/water break during the class period!

Please let us know what fun cultural differences you have experienced in other education systems and write it as a comment on this piece!

Connect with Letitia and Heather on Twitter.

Photo credit: Flickr user enixii . Used under Creative Commons license: CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15848017

The opinions expressed in Global Learning are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

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People demonstrate in Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington, June 30, 2023.

Student loans can be ‘simple’ and ‘automatic.’ Other countries offer lessons to the US.

In the US, interest on student loans started accruing again on Sept. 1. Soon, more than 40 million borrowers will have to resume their payments. The US is an outlier when it comes to high tuition and the debts that students take on.

By Kirk Carapezza Lex Weaver The World staff

People demonstrate in Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington, June 30, 2023, after a sharply divided Supreme Court ruled that the Biden administration overstepped its authority in trying to cancel or reduce student loan debts for millions of Americans. Conservative justices were in the majority in the 6-3 decision that effectively killed the $400 billion plan that President Joe Biden announced last year.

Editor’s note: This story is one in a three-part series from The World’s Global Classroom project with the Lumina Foundation about student debt in higher education across the globe. The second and third stories focus on the situations for students in Denmark and Cambodia .

Brooke Samuelian graduated from West Chester University in Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in forensics and toxicological science in 2013.

A decade later, the Philadelphia resident still owes about $25,000 in student loan repayments.

“I’ve been pretty consistent with my payments, and it’s like the number doesn’t go down,” Samuelian said.

Samuelian is hardly alone.

Federal student loan payments in the United States resumed last week , bringing an end to a three-year hiatus that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 43 million Americans will once again face interest charges this month, with full payments resuming in October.

For many borrowers in the US, making those payments is a challenge — the national average per borrower is around $35,000 . Student loan debt in the US is extremely high globally, second only to the UK, according to a 2022 Lending Tree report .

Before the pandemic, Samuelian worked full time at a pharmaceutical company and made regular payments on her student loans. Though, she still had to pick up a side job waitressing for additional income in order to manage other debts while making her student loan payments.

Amid COVID-19 restrictions, she wound up losing that side job when the restaurant where she worked closed temporarily, which led to a significant decrease in income, she said.

Now, Samuelian, who works at Syndax Pharmaceuticals, is considering whether to go back to waitressing to afford payments on all her debt, not just student loans.

“I’m not going to be able to pay other loans and things down as quickly with these payments resumed,” Samuelian said. “So, it will definitely have an impact.”

Many borrowers in the US are in the same position, having to shoulder more than one job to make ends meet. Upon graduation, 59% of borrowers expect to take a second job or side hustle to make their loan payments, according to Insider . Similarly, a 2022 survey found that 62% of Gen Z workers juggle a side gig on top of a full-time job.

It’s a story that’s all-too-familiar to economist Susan Dynarski , a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and an advocate for President Joe Biden’s new loan forgiveness plan .

The Supreme Court rejected Biden’s earlier plan to wipe away $400 billion in student loan debt.

Dynarski said that she believes that attending college should not lead to financial hardship for students.

“Student loan repayments can be humane and sensitive to people’s financial situations,” she said. “And the more simple and automatic it is, the more effective it’s going to be.”

Dynarski pointed to Scandinavian countries that view education as a public good. Sweden, Norway and Denmark are among at least a dozen EU countries that provide free tuition to public and private universities as well as loans to cover living expenses, making education highly accessible. According to Accredited Schools Online, 22 countries around the globe offer free college .

Stipulations vary, though. Some countries only make free college tuition available to citizens, while others let international students earn a degree if they know the local language, according to Accredited Schools Online. Others require nominal fees. In many European countries, other Europeans study for free, but non-Europeans pay more, the site says.

And whether students pay for their own living expenses also differs from place to place.

What is life like in countries where students don’t have to worry so much about student loans? The World talked to students in Denmark to find out .

Free college, though, doesn’t guarantee that students graduate on time.

In Argentina, where tuition is free, degree programs take an unusually long time to complete — five to nine years — and the country faces one of the highest dropout rates globally, at 73%.

Some countries, while not making tuition free, strive to make higher education affordable.

England, while charging comparatively high tuition fees for Europe, caps the amount at about $12,000 . It also maintains an efficient loan system to support students, according to British economist Lorraine Dearden .

“Every single student who goes to university in the UK is entitled to a loan to fully pay their fees, and 95% of students take out these loans,” Dearden said.

On average, students in the UK borrow twice as much as their American counterparts . However, an income-based repayment system provides flexibility, automatically adjusting repayments based on an individual’s income. This mechanism proved invaluable during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dearden said, when job losses led to payment suspensions.

“The beauty of these loans is that they’re done through employer withholding, so the student does nothing,” Dearden explained.

Students only pay when in a job and earning above the payment threshold. The loan holder never has to do anything after leaving college — it’s all automatic.

“The employer calculates whether they are above the threshold in the current pay period and deducts if they are,” she said.

And if someone switches jobs, “the new employer is informed that they have to make deductions,” she said.

Even so, the system has its issues. In June, The Guardian reported that outstanding student loans in England surpassed 200 billion pounds ($251 billion) for the first time — 20 years earlier than projected, as the number of university students continues to exceed expectations.

Recently, an Ontario mayor said she can’t afford a home in the township that she represents due to outstanding student loans in England, CTV News reported in August , and a public Facebook page devoted to complaints about student finance in England has garnered over 1,300 members.

Student finances are expected to be a battleground in next year’s general election, The Guardian adds.

But what happens in other countries when there is little to no flexibility with repayments?

In Colombia, university fees are set according to one’s socio-economic status . But access to quality education remains a big challenge . And recently, the country experienced the pitfalls of inflexible repayment systems.

When COVID-19 hit, borrowers out of work due to the pandemic struggled to meet their loan obligations. Dearden said Colombia’s system “imploded” and the resulting crisis prompted a shift to an income-contingent loan system for new students.

Wherever you live, loans can be a great option to fund your college education, unless you don’t pay them back. In Nigeria, failing to do so can even land you in prison.

Dearden maintained that going to college in any country carries inherent risks but argues public-funding mechanisms are vital to ensure affordable access to higher education.

“If the government doesn’t get involved, there will be underinvestment in higher education,” particularly for students from disadvantaged backgrounds whose parents cannot afford to support them, she said.

In Cambodia, the government provides little support for higher education. That means that students there must be resourceful. Hear from some Cambodian students about how they’re making it work , despite the constraints.

For borrowers in the US like Samuelian, time is of the essence.

“I think, you know, [the deadline to repay student loans] has been extended a few times. So, it’s like people hold out hope that maybe something will change. Maybe there’ll be another extension, but I guess our time has run out here,” she said.

OPINION article

This article is part of the research topic.

Smart Sustainable Development: Exploring Innovative Solutions and Sustainable Practices for a Resilient Future

The significance of global nature-based education to ensure a sustainable world: An urgent need for change Provisionally Accepted

1 Eastern Institute of Technology, New Zealand

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Introduction and objective: Richardson (2023) reminds us that people are part of the natural world, and that the process of birth is a natural phenomenon. He further discusses that present societal construct slowly erodes that connection through the consumerist lifestyles, and ever-advancing technology that supports this throw-away lifestyle. Some isolated subjects within current global education curricula, strive to re-connect children with nature but do not go far enough to ensure that future global citizens embrace a different way of thinking about our planet. To some extent this may be attributed to attitudes and motivation of teachers to learning in the outdoors, possibly due to lack of personal involvement or exposure to relevant pedagogies (Du Plessis, 2023;Ray & Jakubec, 2018). A curriculum, embedded in the natural world, willhas the potential to developensure that this Understanding and acting on these issues would also lead to a positive impact on health and emotional and physical wellbeing (Penetito, 2009). Globally, urbanisation has seen a decline in the frequency of people's interactions with the natural environment (Richardson, 2023), which is partially due to the lack of natural spaces within built-up work and living areas, and partially the more sedentary and technological pastimes embedded within this style of living (Postlewaight, et al., 2023;Ritchie, 2013).Disconnect from nature can result in compromising holistic wellbeing, including the physical, mental and spiritual realms (Du Plessis, 2023;Postlewaight, et al., 2023). Enabling opportunities for positive connections in the outdoors will confirm and establish relationships with the natural world and sustainability for future generations, thus creating a healthier balance between the natural and human-made environments.Previous studies undertaken by Postlewaight et al., (2023) and Du Plessis (2023) focus on early childhood teachers and student teachers experiencing and re-connecting with nature.Learning from these experiences enables recognition of the importance of nature and placebased learning as a catalyst for learning in all domains of the curriculum, alongside relationships and personal identity. The approaches described in these studies are just the beginning of possibilities for long-term change.Current health studies highlight the negative impact that the reliance on technological devices for learning has on children's social interactions, emotional wellbeing, and physical health (Chung & Seomun, 2021). Conversely, discovery and inquiry-based learning in nature enhance physical development, cognitive development, and risky play, enabling children's agency to drive their own learning (Northern Christian School, 2015). This is equally applicable to adult learners, student teachers and teachers. Inquiry-based learning encourages and supports problem-solving, independent and divergent thinking, and collaborative learning in a holistic way that is not achievable when learning solely with electronic devices or in a classroom.Holistic learning includes devices as a supportive tool, rather than the context for learning (Schilhab et al., 2018). Curricula that are fully immersed in nature-based education, model sustainable ways of being in the world (Louv, 2005). When sustainability is part of your everyday learning, a flow-on effect occurs through children sharing their knowledge and understandings, over time changing societal construct from a disposable consumerist mindset to one that is focused on eco principles and reuse, reduce, repair, recycle resources (Merewether et al., 2023).Negative dispositions towards engaging with nature may be attributed to personal experience, upbringing, or adverse incidents (Du Plessis, 2023). An individual's beliefs and values of learning in the natural world could furthermore influence their attitude (Postlewaight, et al., 2023). For teachers, these attitudes may also be the result of not being exposed to nature-based pedagogical approaches during initial teacher education, or not having access to professional learning and development during years of teaching.Additionally, one such negative belief pertains to the notion of bureaucracy and regulations, for example, risk management plans, emergency responses, and health and safety protocols, as constricting incentive to change practice (Postlewaight, et al., 2023). It is visible in the Northern Christian School (2015) model that these perceived barriers can be overcome. In order to reverse this trend and authenticate personal pedagogies, teacher education and all education curricula need to be aligned to the natural world. Te Whāriki, the early childhood education curriculum of Aotearoa New Zealand (Ministry of Education, [MoE], 2017) is a holistic framework that is underpinned by the stance that children's learning is enhanced through connection with the natural world. Within the parameters of the framework, learning goals and outcomes are framed to support children's wellbeing and their understanding that they are part of the wider community. The natural Formatted: Justified world, place-based learning, and all curricula, including mathematics, science, literacy, the Arts, history and information technology, are embedded in an integrated way enabling children to discover the connections between them rather than each being taught as separate subjects (MoE, 2017;Penetito, 2009). Penetito (2009) asserts that the natural world is the curriculum. Indigenous cultures' stories tell of their spiritual and physical relationship with nature and place (MoE, 2009), and sustainable practices cannot be separated from this historical knowledge. For example, Durie's (1994) Te Whare Tapa Whā health model, based on the beliefs and values of Aotearoa New Zealand's indigenous peoples, emphasises the connection between taha tinana (physical), taha wairua (spiritual), taha whānau (family and community), and taha hinengaro (emotional) wellbeing. These pillars of health are grounded by people's relationship with whenua (land). It is imperative that kaupapa Māori, (Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand 2007, p. 8) and all such global indigenous cultural sustainable principles, are valued and incorporated in all aspects of nature-based approaches and plans for learning and teaching.Global curricula currently incorporate sustainability as a stand-alone subject or within science learning, admittedly showing merit as a starting place. However, to fulfil the vision of a natural learning environment, these curricula need to be developed to encompass all subjects, and will ultimately enhance wellbeing and develop a sense of connectedness to and belonging in the space/ place (MoE, 2017;Teton Science Schools, 2023). Forest school movements which evolved in Scandinavia and Germany in the 1950's and 1960's (The Forest School Foundation, 2020) initiated and consistently follow a learning in nature curriculum that has proven to benefit physical, emotional, social and mental development throughout a child's education.Forest schools, or similar, are now recognised globally as a holistic learning approach. The link between children's emotional wellbeing, physical development, relationship-building, and learning in the natural environment is evident in examples such as Toybox early childhood centre on Rawhiti (Catto, 2023) where everyone participates in growing, harvesting and preparing food that is chosen each day. Formatted: Justified A possible education model for curriculum, that is embodied within nature would impact societal constructs of holistic learning, sustainability, health and wellbeing, place-based learning, and community. Children who learn that they are part of, rather than owning or controlling the natural world, will grow up with beliefs and values that will support and protect its resources (Penetito, 2009), as a result of their deepening connectedness with nature and the land. Such an approach needs to be the focus of education going forward.Rather than the narrow focus of education for sustainability, learning in nature will enable future generations to realise that care of nature is important to human survival. Each of the previously described curriculum foci can be integrated within nature-based learning. For example, a child who has experienced the bush or the beach environments will learn how plastics are destroying ecosystems and the impact of catastrophic weather events.Mathematics learning could entail collecting rubbish and compiling statistics on how much is present in the area. The child's learning could be documented or presented through the Arts, literacy, or as scientific findings.Each of the aforementioned changes to curricula development would have a flow on effect on global economy, consumerism, urbanisation, food production, toxic waste and a sustainable lifestyle that will ensure a balanced long-term future. However, parallel change needs to occur for initial teacher education alongside the provision of essential professional learning to support teachers' planning and implementation of holistic pedagogies, for example modelling integrated curriculum and opportunities for engaging with experiential learning. Du Plessis (2023) examined and reflected on teacher involvement, values and beliefs, and prior experiences, and how these influenced teacher dispositions towards working with learners in this way. Furthermore, Postlewaight et al. (2023), conducted a pilot study that enabled participants to examine their attitudes, beliefs and experiences. From the initial findings of Postlewaight et al. (2023), Postlewaight has since facilitated professional learning and development to equip the teachers with a range of relevant strategies for working with a holistic curriculum in nature.The authors' proficiency is in early childhood learning and teaching, and initial teacher education, yet they recognise that it is imperative that a nature-based curriculum underpins Formatted: Justified learning throughout life. Learning in the natural world needs to assimilate a spiral methodology that keeps progressing through the educational system. A spiral curriculum is not a novel concept since Bruner (1960) advocated for cyclical learning that builds on prior knowledge, adding depth of experience and understanding. He acknowledged how the prior knowledge of learners, and utilising inquiry-based learning, empowers their agency, deepening their engagement with their learning. For instance, the professional development undertaken by Postlewaight, involved participants contributing to literacy through storytelling in nature, using props from within the environment. Du Plessis (2023), in her autoethnographic narrative, concluded that a combination of spontaneity and planning is the catalyst for problem-solving and agency. Consequently, she intentionally prepared the resources within the natural environment as provocations for engagement by the student teachers.It is recognised that sustainability encompasses two main concerns, namely sustainable living and protection of the natural world. Present-day consumerism impacts on ecology, partially due to the lack of awareness of the need for consideration, planning, and implementation of sustainable practices in our everyday living. We are informed of the need for greater integration of sustainable energy, transportation, water supply and treatment, building, industrial processes, and the size of our cities (Sodiq et al., 2019). However, the advancement of these is slowly evolving, being ignored, and/or their positive impact is not fully recognised.In order for people to realise the importance of sustainable living, a nature-based curriculum would reveal the effects through learning about the care and protection of nature. For example, one kaupapa Māori value embraces the concept of kaitiakitanga, that all people are part of, and therefore are guardians of the natural world. Recognition of the importance of community involvement and learning about the place in which we live, is a way of engaging everyone in these undertakings. Initiatives such as Enviroschools (Enviroschools, n.d.) in Aotearoa New Zealand equip learners to become part of the sustainable enterprises within their community. The philosophy of Enviroschools is based on the notion "where young people are empowered to design and lead sustainability projects in their schools, neighbourhoods and country" (Enviroschools,n.d.,para. 1). Incorporated within working with the community is learning the stories and traditions of place, and historical importance. While there is urgency in the agreed UNSDG changes, the achievement of longer-term goals requires the assimilation of a societal construct that is based on the balance and relationship between protection of the natural world and technological advancement. This article proposes an alternate way of being in the world through education leading to sustainable awareness, understanding and action, resulting in a balanced lifestyle for people as part of nature.

Keywords: Nature curriculum, teacher education and professional learning, holistic learning, wellbeing, sustainability

Received: 30 Jan 2024; Accepted: 18 Apr 2024.

Copyright: © 2024 Du Plessis and Postlewaight. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Ms. Tania Du Plessis, Eastern Institute of Technology, Napier City, New Zealand

Commission rolls out plans for a European degree

Erasmus students inscription for the Spring Semester of the Free University of Berlin

Today we are one step closer to creating a European degree , a new type of voluntary joint programme between universities from different EU countries that will be recognised across the EU. This comes after the Commission presented a package to advance cross-border cooperation between higher education institutions.

A European degree will benefit students by boosting learning mobility and by making graduates more attractive for employers. At the same time, it will help to meet labour market demand, ultimately boosting Europe’s competitiveness.

The package is comprised of three initiatives that tackle the legal and administrative barriers to setting up competitive joint degree programmes at Bachelor, Master or Doctoral levels. Importantly, they do so while fully respecting universities’ autonomy and competence of EU countries and regional governments in the area of higher education.

The first of these initiatives is the blueprint for a European degree, which sets out a concrete cooperation path between EU countries and the higher education sector. Given the diversity of European higher education systems, this will follow a gradual approach with two possible entry points

a preparatory European label : joint programmes which meet the proposed European criteria would be given a preparatory European label and students would receive a European degree label certificate together with their joint degree
a European degree : a new type of qualification anchored in national legislation, awarded jointly by several universities or a common legal entity established by such universities, and automatically recognised

To support this and to support the higher education sector more generally, there are two other initiatives in the package. One looks at ways to improve quality assurance processes and automatic recognition of qualifications in higher education, and the other at how to make academic careers more attractive and sustainable.

Find more information

Dedicated website on the Higher Education Package

Factsheet on a European degree

Press release: Commission rolls out plans for a European degree

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Changing Partisan Coalitions in a Politically Divided Nation

2. partisanship by race, ethnicity and education, table of contents.

What this report tells us – and what it doesn’t
Partisans and partisan leaners in the U.S. electorate
Party identification and ideology
Education and partisanship
Education, race and partisanship
Partisanship by race and gender
Partisanship across educational and gender groups by race and ethnicity
Gender and partisanship
Parents are more Republican than voters without children
Partisanship among men and women within age groups
Race, age and partisanship
The partisanship of generational cohorts
Religion, race and ethnicity, and partisanship
Party identification among atheists, agnostics and ‘nothing in particular’
Partisanship and religious service attendance
Partisanship by income groups
The relationship between income and partisanship differs by education
Union members remain more Democratic than Republican
Homeowners are more Republican than renters
Partisanship of military veterans
Demographic differences in partisanship by community type
Race and ethnicity
Age and the U.S. electorate
Education by race and ethnicity
Religious affiliation
Ideological composition of voters
Acknowledgments
Overview of survey methodologies
The 2023 American Trends Panel profile survey methodology
Measuring party identification across survey modes
Adjusting telephone survey trends
Appendix B: Religious category definitions
Appendix C: Age cohort definitions

As has long been the case, White voters are much more likely than those in other racial and ethnic groups to associate with the Republican Party. Hispanic and Asian voters tilt more Democratic. Black voters remain overwhelmingly Democratic.

Trend charts by party identification over time showing that majorities of Hispanic, Black and Asian registered voters continue to favor the Democratic Party, while White voters remain more aligned with GOP. The last time White voters were about equally split between the two parties was in 2008.

However, there have been some shifts toward the GOP in most groups in recent years.

The Republican Party now holds a 15 percentage point advantage among White voters: 56% of non-Hispanic White voters identify with or lean toward the Republican Party, while 41% align with the Democratic Party.

This double-digit lead for the GOP among White voters has held for more than a decade. The last time White voters were about equally split between the two parties was in 2008.

About six-in-ten Hispanic voters (61%) are Democrats or lean to the Democratic Party, while 35% are Republicans or Republican leaners.

The Democratic Party’s edge among Hispanic voters over the last two years is somewhat narrower than it was in years prior.

Black voters continue to overwhelmingly associate with the Democratic Party, although the extent of the Democratic advantage among this group has fallen off over the last few years.

Currently, 83% of Black voters are Democrats or lean Democratic, while 12% align with the GOP.
As recently as 2020, the share associating with the Democratic Party was 5 percentage points higher. That somewhat larger edge in party affiliation had been in place for much of the last two decades.

About six-in-ten Asian voters (63%) align with the Democratic Party, while 36% are oriented toward the GOP.

The balance of partisan association among Asian voters has changed little over the last few years.

The relationship between education and partisanship has shifted significantly since the early years of the 21st century.

Trend chart over time showing that the GOP has edge among registered voters without a college degree, while college grads continue to favor Democrats.

The Republican Party now holds a 6 percentage point advantage over the Democratic Party (51% to 45%) among voters who do not have a bachelor’s degree. Voters who do not have a four-year degree make up a 60% majority of all registered voters.
By comparison, the Democratic Party has a 13-point advantage (55% vs. 42%) among those with a bachelor’s degree or more formal education.

This pattern is relatively recent. In fact, until about two decades ago the Republican Party fared better among college graduates and worse among those without a college degree.

In the last years of George W. Bush’s presidency and the first year of Barack Obama’s, Democrats had a double-digit advantage in affiliation over Republicans among voters without a college degree. For example, in 2007, 56% of voters without a degree were Democrats or leaned Democratic, while 42% were Republicans or GOP leaners. This group was narrowly divided between the two parties for most of the next 15 years, but in the last few years it has tilted more Republican.

College graduates moved in the opposite direction, becoming more Democratic over this same period.

Trend charts over time showing that registered voters with postgraduate degrees are substantially more likely to identify as Democrats or lean Democratic than those with four-year degrees.

Since 2017, the gap in partisanship between college graduates and those without a degree has been wider than at any previous point in Pew Research Center surveys dating back to the 1990s.

Voters with postgraduate degrees are even more Democratic than those with bachelor’s degrees. About six-in-ten registered voters who have a postgraduate degree (61%) identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party, while 37% associate with the Republican Party. Voters with a bachelor’s degree but no graduate degree are more closely divided: 51% Democratic, 46% Republican.

Voters with a high school degree or less education and those who have attended some college but do not have a bachelor’s degree both tilt Republican by similar margins.

White voters are far more polarized along educational lines than are Hispanic and Black voters.

White voters by education

By nearly two-to-one (63% vs. 33%), White voters without a bachelor’s degree associate with the Republican Party.

Trend charts over time showing that educational differences in partisanship are widest among White voters. By nearly two-to-one, White voters without a bachelor’s degree associate with the Republican Party.

The GOP’s advantage among this group has remained relatively steady over the last several years but reflects a major shift since 2009. This group is now substantially more Republican-oriented than at any prior point in the last three decades.

Today, White voters with a bachelor’s degree are closely divided between associating with the Democratic Party (51%) and the Republican Party (47%). Prior to 2005, this group had a clear Republican orientation.

Hispanic voters by education

In contrast, there are no meaningful differences in the partisan leanings of Hispanic voters with and without bachelor’s degrees. Democrats hold a clear advantage in affiliation among both groups of Hispanic voters, although the share of Hispanics (both those with and without bachelor’s degrees) who align with the Democratic Party has edged lower in recent years.

Black voters by education

Black voters both with (79%) and without college degrees (85%) remain overwhelmingly Democratic in their partisan affinity.

Black college graduates are somewhat less closely aligned with the Democratic Party now than they were for most of the prior three decades (for most of this period, 85% or more of Black college graduate voters affiliated with the Democratic Party).

Asian voters by education

Two-thirds of Asian voters with a college degree align with the Democratic Party; 31% associate with the Republican Party. The partisan balance among Asian voters with a college degree has remained largely the same over our last two decades of surveys. (Asian American voters without a college degree are a smaller group, and sample sizes do not allow for reporting trends among this group.)

Visit the chapter on partisanship by gender, sexual orientation and marital and parental status for discussion of overall trends among men and women.

Trend charts over time showing partisan identification by gender among racial and ethnic groups. 60% of White men who are registered voters identify as Republicans or lean Republican, as do 53% of White women voters. Among Hispanic voters, about six-in-ten men (61%) and women (60%) associate with the Democrats. Hispanic women voters have become somewhat less Democratic in recent years (down from 74% in 2016).

Six-in-ten White men who are registered voters identify as Republicans or lean Republican, as do 53% of White women voters.

The balance of partisanship among White women voters has tilted toward the GOP in recent years, but it was more divided in 2017 and 2018.

Among Hispanic voters, about six-in-ten men (61%) and women (60%) associate with the Democrats. Hispanic women voters have become somewhat less Democratic in recent years (down from 74% in 2016).

About eight-in-ten Black voters – both women (84%) and men (81%) – are Democrats or Democratic leaners.

About six-in-ten men (61%) and women (64%) among Asian voters identify as Democrats or lean toward the Democratic Party. (There is insufficient sample to show longer-term trends among Asian voters by gender.)

Among White voters, there are wide differences in partisanship by gender, by educational attainment – and by the combination of these.

Dot plot showing a gender gap in partisanship among White registered voters with at least a four-year degree, but not among White voters without one. Among Black and Hispanic voters, there are only modest differences in partisanship across the combination of gender and education.

Among White voters without a college degree, 64% of men and 62% of women say they identify as or lean toward the Republican Party (about a third of each associate with the Democrats).
White men with a college degree also tilt Republican among voters, though to a lesser extent (53% are Republicans or lean Republican, 45% are Democrats or lean Democratic).
In contrast, White women with a college degree are more Democratic than Republican by 15 percentage points (42% Republican or Republican leaning, 57% Democrat or lean Democrat).

Among Black and Hispanic voters, there are only modest differences in partisanship across the combination of gender and education. In both groups, there are no significant differences between men with and without college degrees, or between their women counterparts. (Because Asian American voters without a college degree are a small group, sample sizes do not allow comparing college and non-college Asian men and women.)

Trend charts over time showing that among White registered voters, there have been sizable shifts in partisan dynamics by gender and education since the early 2000s. The difference in partisanship between White women voters who have a college degree and those who do not, in particular, is now quite large.

This dynamic has changed over time, as college-educated White men and women have grown more Democratic and those with less formal education have grown more Republican.

As recently as 15 years ago, there were sizable gender gaps in partisanship among both college and non-college White voters. In both cases, men were substantially more likely than women to associate with the Republican Party.

But, at that time, there was not a substantial difference in the partisanship of college and non-college White voters – for either women or men.

Today, there is no gender gap in partisanship among non-college White voters, while there is a gender gap among college graduate White voters. The difference in partisanship between White women voters who have a college degree and those who do not, in particular, is quite large.

By contrast, there is little variation in the partisanship of Black and Hispanic voters by these characteristics, and the relationship has varied less over time.

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George Mason University

Mason has 14 graduate programs in the top 50 in U.S. News rankings

George mason’s nursing doctorate program is 1st among public universities in u.s. news and world report graduate program rankings; the law school is top three in the washington, maryland and virginia region.

George Mason University’s nursing programs climbed to the top in graduate program rankings from U.S. News and World Report, ready to meet the commonwealth’s increased workforce demands for highly skilled career-ready health care talent.

Mason’s doctor of nursing practice program ranked No. 1 among public institutions—up 27 spots from last year—and No. 2 among institutions nationally—up 37 spots. The nursing master’s program came in at No. 4 (up 17 spots) for public universities and No. 10 (up 28) nationally.

The master of public health program also jumped ahead 23 spots to become No. 53 nationally among all institutions, and 35th among publics. The social work program is 47th among public institutions, and the heath systems management program is 17th among public institutions and 32nd nationally. Mason is home to Virginia’s first College of Public Health .

"At Mason, our focus is clear: to foster excellence and innovation in public health education, research, and practice,” said College of Public Health Dean Melissa Perry. “As the pioneering College of Public Health in Virginia, we are setting the standard for interprofessional education in this vital field. Our programs are designed to equip the next generation of health professionals with the knowledge and skills to address the complex health challenges of our time."

Overall this year, Mason has 21 graduate programs in the top 50 among public universities and 14 programs in the top 50 of all universities nationally. (All U.S. News graduate program rankings, including previous years, are available here .)

Antonin Scalia Law School ’ s law program advanced to No. 11 among public schools and No. 28 among all law schools nationally. With this move, it ranks third among all law schools in Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. The part-time program ranks second nationally among all public law schools.

“The law school achieved the highest ranking in the school’s history at No. 28,” said Scalia Law Dean Ken Randall. “The part-time JD program remains among the top five nationally. Despite its relative youth, Scalia is ranked No. 3 among the 16 law schools in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland, behind only UVA and Georgetown.”

The College of Education and Human Development ’s special education program gained ground as well, coming in at No. 16 for publics (up one) and No. 17 for all institutions (up two).

“We are so proud of our special education program,” said Dean Ingrid Guerra-L ó pez. “This recognition affirms our commitment to excellence, innovation, and the belief that every individual has the potential to make a meaningful impact in the world. It is a testament to our faculty, staff, and students, who work tirelessly to push boundaries and inspire change.”

The Schar School of Policy and Government is 4th in homeland security both nationally and among publics. The school ranks 39th nationally overall and 26th among publics for public affairs; 10th among publics for nonprofit management (13th nationally); 33 nationally and 24 among publics for public management and leadership; and No. 31 nationally and No. 17 among publics for public policy analysis.

“These rankings are affirmation of the strong quality of the Schar School’s academic programs and cutting-edge research,” said Schar School Dean Mark Rozell. “The continued growth in the rankings aligns to the value proposition that Schar provides to students and career-seekers located in the Washington, D.C., region, offering direct access to leaders, news makers, policy advocates, and amazing faculty expertise.”

“Mason has made significant investments in graduate education and the latest U.S. News rankings reflect our commitment to excellence as well as reaffirm the quality and hard work of our faculty, students, and staff,” Interim Provost Ken Walsh said. “I’m proud that our teaching and learning is recognized, as well as the impact of research and scholarship these programs produce.”

In 2022, Mason launched its Graduate Division, expanding student support services and creating a dedicated graduate success center, to increase graduate funding for programs. New professional development programs, such as the Accelerate to Industry program, the Graduate Student Career Conference, the Communication Academy four-part performance workshop series, and a Skillcraft Series for graduate teaching through the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning, offer students a roadmap combining their academic learning with work-readiness skills.

U.S. News announced April 8 that they would delay the release of Engineering School rankings and rankings for Clinical Psychology programs, as well as Medical School rankings.

The complete rankings released on Tuesday, April 9, can be found on the U.S. News and World Report website .

Start your graduate program journey

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Harvard Youth Poll

Introduction

A national poll released today by the Institute of Politics (IOP) at Harvard Kennedy School indicates that among 18-to-29-year-olds nationwide, more than half of young Americans say they will definitely be voting in the Presidential election this Fall. But findings show that among those likely voters, levels of support varied significantly among different subgroups.

The poll also finds:

Broad support for a permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war;
Economic concerns continue to be top of mind for young voters;
Confidence in public institutions continues to decline.

Since 2000, the Harvard Public Opinion Project (HPOP) has provided the most comprehensive look at young Americans’ political opinions and voting trends. It provides essential insight into the concerns of young Americans at a time when the nation is confronting numerous challenges both at home and abroad. President Kennedy once said, "It is a time for a new generation of leadership, to cope with new problems and new opportunities." The IOP is preparing a new generation of political leaders to confront these very challenges and gain the ability to successfully lead in today’s complicated political landscape. Identifying areas of concern through the Harvard Youth Poll lets tomorrow’s political leaders get started on ideas, strategies, and solutions, and allows them to decide today what the next generation of political leadership needs to look like.

The Spring 2024 Harvard Youth Poll surveyed 2,010 young Americans between 18- and 29 years old nationwide, and was conducted between March 14-21, 2024.

"Young people today have clear concerns about where our country is headed," said IOP Director Setti Warren . "From worries about the economy, foreign policy, immigration, and climate, young people across the country are paying attention and are increasingly prepared to make their voices heard at the ballot box this November."

"As the Biden/Trump rematch takes shape, we see strong levels of engagement and interest in voting among young Americans," said John Della Volpe, IOP Polling Director . "Make no mistake, this is a different youth electorate than we saw in 2020 and 2022, and young voters are motivated by different things. Economic issues are top of mind, housing is a major concern—and the gap between young men's and young women's political preferences is pronounced."

"Young Americans are emerging from a pandemic that has tested our trust in democratic institutions and the bonds that unite us," said Anil Cacodcar, Student Chair of the Harvard Public Opinion Project . "Despite this, young Americans are more ready than ever to engage with these institutions to push for the change we want to see in the world."

Ten key findings from the 47th in the biannual series are below.

Key Takeaways

Among young Americans under 30, President Biden leads former President Trump by eight percentage points; among likely voters, Biden's lead expands to 19 points.

Approximately half (53%) of young Americans indicate they will "definitely be voting" in the 2024 general election for president. Young Americans' interest in voting in 2024 is now on par with Harvard Youth Poll data from 2020, which indicated that 54% would likely vote.

If the presidential election were held today, President Biden would outperform former President Trump among both registered (50% Biden, 37% Trump) and likely young voters under 30 (56% Biden, 37% Trump). When there is no voter screen (i.e., all young adults 18-29), the race narrows to single digits, 45% for President Biden, 37% for former President Trump, with 16 percent undecided.

Among the 1,051 "likely voters" in our sample, we found significant differences in support levels based on gender, age, race/ethnicity, and education levels, among other subgroups. For example, among likely young voters:

President Biden's lead among young men is six points; among young women his lead is 33 points;
President Biden's lead among 18-24 year-olds is 14 points, and among 25-29 year-olds it is 26 points;
President Biden's lead among white voters is 3 points; among non-white voters his lead is 43 points;
President Biden's lead among college students is 23 points; he leads by 47 points among college graduates. The race is even among those not in college and without a four-year degree.

Harvard Youth Poll Spring 2024 - Horse Race

For context, at this stage in the 2020 election, the Harvard Youth Poll showed Biden leading Trump by 23 points among all young adults (51%-28%) and by 30 points (60%-30%) among likely voters under 30.

One area where former President Trump has an advantage over Biden is enthusiasm. Three-quarters (76%) of Trump voters say they enthusiastically support their candidate, while 44% of Biden voters say the same.

A guilty verdict in any of former President Trump's trials could significantly impact the youth vote. If Trump is found guilty, we find that:

Biden's lead among all young Americans increases from 8 to 18 points;
Biden's lead among young registered voters increases from 13 to 21 points;
Biden's lead among young likely voters increases from 19 to 28 points.

In a hypothetical scenario, when Biden and Trump were joined on the ballot by independent and third party candidates Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Cornel West, and Jill Stein, Biden would still win the youth vote but with smaller margins.

Harvard Youth Poll Spring 2024 - Horse Race extended

Support for a permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war is 5-to-1 in favor; majorities of young Americans sympathize with the Israeli and the Palestinian people.

While only 38% of young Americans tell us that they are following the news about the war between Israel and Hamas very or somewhat closely, the proportion rises among registered voters (45%) and those most likely to vote in November (52%). Overall, we find that Democrats (49%) are more likely to follow this news closely compared to Republicans (32%), and those with a college degree (50%) are more likely to be following these events compared to current college students (39%) and those that never attended (32%).

When young Americans are asked whether or not they believe Israel's response so far to the October 7 attack by Hamas has been justified, a plurality indicates that they don't know (45%). About a fifth (21%) report that Israel's response was justified with 32% believing it was not justified. Across most subgroups, more young Americans say the actions of the Israeli government were unjustified than justified. Republicans see Israel's actions as justified (36% justified, 16% not justified), while Democrats (14% justified, 44% not justified) and independents (19% justified, 30% not justified) feel the opposite is true.

Young Americans support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza by a five-to-one margin (51% support, 10% oppose). No major subgroup of young voters opposes such action.

Harvard Youth Poll Spring 2024 - Ceasefire

Asked whether or not they sympathize with various groups involved in the war, we found that majorities of young Americans hold sympathy for the Israeli (52% sympathize) and the Palestinian people (56% sympathize), while they have far less sympathy for their governments (29% sympathize with the Israeli government; 32% with the Palestinian government). Seventeen percent (17%) expressed sympathy toward Hamas; for those who were presented with the information in a split sample that Hamas was an Islamist militant group, sympathy dipped to 13%.

Most young Americans believe there's a crisis at the Southern border; at the same time, youth believe immigrants improve America's culture.

A majority (53%) of young Americans—including at least a plurality of every significant subgroup—believe that the United States is experiencing an immigration crisis at the Southern border; only 16% disagree with this notion, while 29% neither agree nor disagree. Despite this, young Americans oppose construction of a border wall (36% support, 45% oppose) and believe by wide margins that:

Immigrants improve the culture of the United States (50% agree; 17% disagree);

And they disagree by similarly strong margins that:

Immigrants increase crime in my community. (21% agree, 45% disagree); and
Immigrants are taking jobs that should go to Americans instead. (24% agree, 48% disagree).

Only 12% of young Americans say they would be uncomfortable if an immigrant moved next door to them. A solid majority (60%) of young Americans have had classmates who have been immigrants, 46% have friends who are immigrants, 41% have had immigrant coworkers, and 40% have had immigrant neighbors. Young Americans who have firsthand experience with immigrants have more favorable views about their impact on society.

Harvard Youth Poll Spring 2024 - Immigration

After being informed by the U.S. Census Bureau's projection that white Americans will comprise less than half of the U.S. population by approximately 2045, respondents were asked to share their perspectives. A significant majority (60%) expressed a neutral stance, considering the news neither inherently positive nor negative for the country. Among the remaining young Americans, opinions were evenly divided, with 19% viewing it favorably and 18% perceiving it unfavorably.

Only 9% of young Americans say the country is headed in the right direction; economic concerns, along with reproductive freedom, continue to be top of mind for young voters.

Nearly three in five (58%) young Americans believe that the country is "off on the wrong track," and only 9% say that things in the nation are "generally headed in the right direction." An additional 32% say they are unsure. In the Spring 2020 wave, 21% responded that the nation was headed in the right direction; in the Spring 2016 wave, 15% said the same.

In an open-ended question about which national issue concerned them most, we found that about a quarter (27%) of young Americans volunteered something related to the economy. Immigration (9%), foreign policy (8%), and environmental issues followed behind.

President Biden's job approval among all young Americans is 31% (-4 since Fall 2023, +3 since Spring 2023). Vice President Kamala Harris (32% approval) and Democrats in Congress (34% approval) are in a similar position, while Republicans in Congress (24% approval) trail their Democratic colleagues by 10 percentage points.

President Biden's approval on economic issues, except student loan debt, is lower than his approval rating overall:

39% Student debt relief
33% Ukraine (-4 since Spring 2023)
30% Economy (+2 since Spring 2023)
25% Gun violence (-2 since Spring 2023)
23% Inflation (-1 since Spring 2023)
18% Israel-Hamas war

Additionally, we identified 16 prominent areas of concern and asked survey respondents in a series of randomized match-ups which one of two paired issues was more important to them. Again, we found that economic concerns were viewed as more prominent. Inflation, healthcare, housing, and jobs won most match-ups regardless of what they were paired against.

The table below shows the percentage of the time an issue was rated as more important than the issue it was matched against.

Harvard Youth Poll Spring 2024 - Issues by Gender, Race, and Political Party

The only issue time that inflation did not win its individual match-up was when it was paired with women's reproductive rights. Women's reproductive rights was considered the more important issue, 57% to 43%. A link to the chart of individual match-ups is here .

Young Americans do not support gender-based stereotypes; political ideology more than gender, race, or education, is most predictive of attitudes on this subject.

With increasing attention on culture war issues in media and politics, our students designed a new series of questions to benchmark youth opinions on gender norms, stereotypes, and prejudices.

Overall, we found that the overwhelming majority of youth do not subscribe to these gender-based stereotypes. Still, nevertheless, there are striking differences between how young Democrats, Republicans, and independents view the role of men and women in society.

Large numbers of Republicans distance themselves from their peers, believing that their generation (69%), and men in particular (61%), are too soft these days.
Between a quarter and roughly half of young Republicans also subscribe to beliefs such as women should prioritize children over joining the workforce (26% Republicans, 7% Democrats agree), women's emotions make it more challenging to lead (33% Republicans, 6% Democrats agree), and women are too promiscuous these days (46% Republicans, 14% Democrats agree).

Harvard Youth Poll Spring 2024 - Gender Norms, 1

We find that political ideology, more than gender, education, race and ethnicity is more predictive of views related to gender norms in society today.

Harvard Youth Poll Spring 2024 - Gender Norms, 2

When we isolate political party and gender we find:

Nearly identical numbers of young Republican men (46% agree, 21% disagree) and young Republican women (47% agree, 18% disagree) agree that "women are too promiscuous these days;" and
Most Democratic young men (18% agree, 57% disagree) and women (11% agree, 70% disagree) reject the stereotype.

While young men are turning away from the Democratic party, they remain supportive of basic party tenets such as health insurance being a right and the role the government should play in safeguarding the vulnerable.

For 2024 likely voters, Joe Biden leads among both men (+6) and women (+33). Compared with this stage in the 2020 campaign, Biden's lead among women is nearly identical (was +35 in 2020), but his lead among likely male voters has been dramatically reduced from +26 in 2020 to +6 today. While Democrats still hold a party ID advantage with younger males and females, as the chart below illustrates, Democrats have lost significant ground with young men in the last five years.

Only five years ago, in 2020, 42% of young men in our poll identified as Democrats and 20% were Republicans (+22 Democratic advantage); in this wave, 32% are Democrats and 29% are Republicans (+3 Democratic advantage). The percentage of independents has remained unchanged at 37% during this period.
Over the same period, the Democratic advantage among women expanded by six points. In 2020, 43% of young women in our poll identified as Democrats, and 23% were Republicans (+20 Democratic advantage); in this wave, 44% are Democrats, and 18% are Republicans (+26 Democratic advantage).

Harvard Youth Poll Spring 2024 - Party ID and Ideology by Gender

While party ID and self-identified ideology show younger men shifting from Democrat to Republican and from liberal to conservative—their views on the role of government have not changed as dramatically.

Today, 60% of young men agree that "basic health insurance is a right for all people, and if someone has no means of paying for it, the government should provide it;" and 64% agreed in 2020.
Fifty-four percent (54%) agree that "the government should spend more to reduce poverty;" and 56% agreed in 2020.

Over the last five years, we have noted however an attitudinal shift on climate policy. In 2020, 60% of young men agreed that "government should do more to curb climate change, even at the expense of economic growth," while today, agreement is down to 47%.

Harvard Youth Poll Spring 2024 - Typology Male

At the same time, young female opinion grew in favor of more government intervention in two of the three policy areas.

Harvard Youth Poll Spring 2024 - Typology Female

Confidence in public institutions continues to decline. While still the most trusted institution in the survey, faith in the military dropped 10 points last year.

This wave of the youth poll shows the lowest levels of confidence in most public institutions since the survey began. In the last twelve months alone, trust in the U.S. military and the Supreme Court to do the right thing "all" or "most of the time" has fallen by 10 and nine percentage points, respectively.

Only one (the United Nations) of the eight institutions in our survey is more trusted today than in 2015. The level of trust for the UN has increased by 17% over the decade. The remaining institutions saw steep declines:

Trust in the President has declined by 60% since 2015 (it now stands at 20%);
Trust in the Supreme Court declined 55% (now at 24%);
Trust among Wall Street is down 43% (now at 9%);
Trust in the U.S. military (now at 36%) and the federal government (now at 17%) both declined 38%;
Trust in Congress is down 34% (now at 12%);
Trust in the media is down 18% (now at 10%).

Harvard Youth Poll Spring 2024 - Trust in Institutions

One-third of college students are uncomfortable sharing their political views on campus; young Democrats are more comfortable and more likely to be politically engaged.

While students are more comfortable than uncomfortable sharing their political opinions at their college, we still find that one-third (33%) of students are concerned about censorship or negative repercussions if they do. During the transition between the Obama and Trump presidencies, we charted a significant increase in students feeling uncomfortable sharing their political views. In the last seven years, however, this trend has stabilized.

Harvard Youth Poll Spring 2024 - Comfortability Sharing Political Opinions

While college students who are Democrats say they are more comfortable than Republicans and independents sharing their views on campus, young Democrats also appear more politically engaged than Republicans. Among young Americans under 30, Democrats are more likely than Republicans in the last year to say they are politically engaged (34% Democrat, 25% Republican). Additionally, they are more likely to have:

Shared or posted online advocating for a political position or opinion (32% Democrat, 14% Republican)
Attended a political rally or demonstration (22% Democrat, 10% Republican)
Donated money to a political campaign or cause (21% Democrat, 10% Republican)
Participated in a government, political, or issue-related organization (10% Democrat, 6% Republican)
Volunteered on a political campaign for a candidate or an issue (10% Democrat, 5% Republican).

As the election draws closer, young Americans can more clearly see the difference political engagement can make.

Among the strongest predictors of whether or not a young American is likely to vote in 2024 are attitudes related to the efficacy of the process, the system, and perceived differences between the parties. For example:

57% of likely voters strongly disagree with the statement that "it really doesn't matter to me who the President is." In comparison, only 25% of less likely voters strongly disagree with the statement.
45% of likely voters strongly disagree that they "don’t see a difference between the Democratic and Republican parties" compared to 21% of less likely voters.
32% of likely voters strongly disagree that "politics is not relevant to my life right now," while 9% of those less likely to vote strongly disagree.

As the number of young people likely to vote has increased in the last two waves of this poll, so too have positive attitudes about the efficacy of engagement.

Harvard Youth Poll - 47th Edition - Efficacy of Political Engagement

Nearly half of young Americans are regularly bothered by feelings of depression or hopelessness. Mental health remains challenging for millions of young Americans, but there are early signs that things could be improving.

Forty-four (44%) of young Americans report feelings of depression or hopelessness at least several days in the last two weeks. Nearly as many say they had feelings of loneliness (40%), and feeling afraid as if something awful might happen (38%). Importantly, 17% tell us that they have had thoughts of self harm at least several days in the last two weeks—three percent of youth between 18 and 29 have these thoughts nearly every day.

Thoughts of self harm at least several days in the last two weeks are more prevalent among:

Young women (19%);
Hispanic-Americans (24%);
Those not in college and without a degree (19%); and
Young people living in small towns (27%).

Despite this, we see some evidence that the mental health of young Americans may be improving relative to 2021. While the number of young people suffering from depression, anxiety, loneliness, and thoughts of self-harm remains alarmingly high—across the board, the trend since 2021 appears to be heading in the right direction.

Harvard Youth Poll Spring 2024 - Mental Health

Methodology

This poll of 2,010 18-to-29-year-olds was organized with undergraduate students from the Harvard Public Opinion Project (HPOP) and supervised by John Della Volpe, Director of Polling. Data were collected by Ipsos Public Affairs using the KnowledgePanel. KnowledgePanel provides probability-based samples with an "organic" representation of the study population for measurement of public opinions, attitudes, and behaviors. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish between March 14 and 21, 2024. The target population for this survey is U.S. residents between the ages of 18 and 29. Data are weighted to reflect population estimates based on age, race/Hispanic ethnicity, education, household income, census region by metropolitan area, and primary language within Hispanics. The margin of error for the total sample is +/- 3.02%.

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