Toward Universal Learning: What Every Child Should Learn

In the run-up to 2015 and beyond, the global education community must work together to improve learning and propose practical actions to deliver and measure progress. In response, UNESCO through its Institute for Statistics (UIS) and the Center for Universal Education (CUE) at the Brookings Institution have co-convened the Learning Metrics Task Force (LMTF). The project’s main objective is to shift the focus of global education debates from access to access plus learning. Based on input from technical working groups and global consultations, the task force will make recommendations to help countries and international organizations measure and improve learning outcomes for children and youth worldwide.

In the first phase of the project, the Standards Working Group prepared a series of initial recommendations to identify the competencies, knowledge or areas of learning that are important for all children and youth to master in order to succeed in school and life. This initial work (based on current discussions, policies and research) was then enriched following a broad consultation involving more than 500 individuals in 57 countries.

The final Phase I recommendations from the task force are presented in its first report entitled, Toward Universal Learning: What Every Child Should Learn, which presents a framework for what every child and youth should learn and be able to do by the time they reach postprimary age.