The problem
Around the world, children in and out of formal education systems are not being supported enough to reach their full potential.
Effective education solutions exist. The challenge has not been a lack of innovations but that too many promising or proven innovations never scale, leaving both learning opportunities and the investments behind them stranded at the margins of the systems they were meant to transform.
This usually isn’t because innovations are weak, but because systems lack capacity to sustain them and teams treat scaling as simple replication rather than a distinct skill to be learned and adapted.
The core problem is how to embed what works into education systems so that improvements reach more learners sustainably, equitably, and at scale.
Our approach
Millions Learning is a research and practice initiative housed within the Center for Universal Education at Brookings. We do not design interventions, and we do not prescribe which programs governments should adopt.
We study how effective learning approaches and education programs move from pilot success into system-level adoption so they reach more learners with lasting impact, including those underserved by existing institutions. Our work focuses on the process of sustainable, equitable scaling.
Our scaling principles
After more than a decade of research and practice, five principles define our approach. Rather than abstract ideas, they are usable reference points for policymakers, planners, funders, and advisors working to move effective innovations from isolated success to durable system change.
- Effective innovations alone are insufficient. Many reforms succeed at small scale, but the broader system doesn’t always provide the capacity and conditions to scale and sustain their impact.
- Scaling is a mindset before it is a method. A project mindset optimizes for delivery, but a scaling mindset optimizes for systems change. After witnessing many failed efforts, we think confusing one for the other is one of the most common and costly mistakes in education reform.
- Not everything should scale, and knowing the difference is part of the work. Scaling the wrong thing wastes scarce resources and crowds out better options. Scaling always requires tradeoffs and brings unintended consequences, but equity and scaling shouldn’t be at odds. Those most impacted must determine if the outcomes are worthwhile. Assessing the scalability of an innovation for a particular context and moment in time is a critical skill in itself.
- Scaling knowledge exists. Often, the challenge is applying it in context. The problem isn’t a lack of information on key scaling principles and constraints. The hard part is translating these principles into practical action.
- Scaling takes time, collaboration, and continuous iteration. Multi-year commitment, rigorous research grounding, diverse but durable partnerships, and continuous learning are necessary ingredients for sustainable scale.