Module 2: What does access to quality education look like globally?

Module 2: What does access to quality education look like globally?

This module is framed around UN SDG 4, Quality Education: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

As we consider our progress as a global community towards inclusive and equitable quality education for all, addressing the following questions is absolutely essential:

• What should we continue doing? 
• What should we abandon? 
• What should we creatively reimagine? 
• What are actions we can and will take to increase access to inclusive and equitable quality education in our schools and communities? 

At the conclusion of this module, Fellows will be able to:

• identify the global movement from 2021 through the present towards reimagining and transforming education in pursuit of UN SDG 4,
• discern insights from, and connections between, multiple reflections and analyses on the multifaceted state of global teaching/learning, and apply these insights and connections to their own pursuits of SDG 4,
• compare challenges and opportunities between the U.S. and South African public education systems regarding pursuit of SDG 4, and
• articulate necessary actions for increasing access to inclusive and equitable quality education in their classrooms, schools, and communities.

Global Context for Access to Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education

In 2021, the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)'s International Commission on the Future of Education, after soliciting input from over a million people over the course of two years, released the report below - inviting the global community to forge a "new social contract for education" in pursuit of SDG 4.

First read: Introduction and Chapter 1 of UNESCO's Reimagining Our Futures Together: A New Social Contract for Education

• Book pages: 7-15 (Introduction) & 19-27 (Chapter 1: Towards more equitable educational futures)

In 2024, the UN Secretary-General further challenged the global community to "start walking the talk" with SDG 4 "to end the global crisis in education."

Then, read Remarks from UN Secretary-General António Guterres, from the UN's Special Event on Transforming Education in July 2024.

[Estimated total read time: 30 minutes]

The Multifaceted State of Teaching and Learning Around The World: How Are We Doing?

With the global education ecosystem being as complex and multifaceted as it is, we present you with multiple different yet interrelated reflections and analyses on the state of teaching and learning around the world to consider.

First read: SDG 4 section of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025

Next, read: 2024 Education Finance Watch Highlights the Need for More Adequate, Efficient, and Equitable Education Spending (from The World Bank)

Among myriad data points used to monitor progress towards SDG 4 are data from the following international educational assessments:

• PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment). PISA measures 15-year-olds’ ability to use their reading, mathematics, and science knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges. Distributed by OECD, the most recent assessment was completed in 2022 and released in late 2023.
• TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study). TIMSS measures achievement in mathematics and science at the fourth and eighth grades. Distributed by IEA, the most recent assessment was completed in 2023 and released in late 2024.
• PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study). PIRLS measures reading comprehension skills of fourth graders. Also distributed by IEA, the most recent assessment was completed in 2021 and released in 2023.

The United States participates in all three assessments; South Africa participates in TIMSS/PIRLS and not PISA. Below, you will find two analyses of the 2023 TIMSS results for the United States and South Africa. [KEY CONTEXT: The UN reports that learning outcomes have been "declining in many countries" since 2015 as well as since the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, IEA cites four global takeaways from the 2023 TIMSS results under the "International Report" heading on this page.]

Finally, read: U.S. Students Posted Dire Math Declines on an International Test (from the New York Times) & SA education system fails global test (from DFA)

[Estimated total read time: 30 minutes]

Reflect:

• Which insights resonate the most with you between the UN SDG report, the Education Finance Watch article, and the TIMSS analyses, and why?
• Where are there connections between the readings? Also, what points of discussion or perspectives may be missing from these readings?
• How do these insights and connections inform your own pursuit of greater access to inclusive and equitable education in your classroom, school, and/or community?

Below are two articles about the history of, as well as challenges and opportunities for, South Africa's public education system. During the January 20th webinar, you will have the opportunity to participate in a Q&A with the author of the first article, Dr. Bekisizwe Ndimande.

First read:

• From Bantu Education to the Fight for Socially Just Education (from Dr. Bekisizwe Ndimande, currently at UT San Antonio)
• 'If you don't get early years right, children are unlikely to catch up': why South Africa is trying to reboot its school system (from The Guardian)

Below are two articles about the recent passage and implementation of the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act for South Africa's public education system.

Then, read the following:

• The Basic Education Laws Amendment Act (from the Equal Education Law Centre or EELC) [this is an online booklet]
• A step towards multilingualism and equity in South African education (from The University of Cape Town News)

[Estimated total read time: 55 minutes]

Reflect:

• Which challenges and opportunities discussed in these articles have you also experienced, or at least been made aware of, in U.S. public schools?
• Which challenges and opportunities are you feeling most energized about, indignant about, curious about when considering how educators and education leaders can be pursuing increased access to inclusive and equitable quality education, in the U.S. and South Africa?

How can you contribute to ensuring access to inclusive and equitable quality education in your classroom, your school, your community? 

Let's answer the questions at the top of this module as we, members of the global education community, pursue progress on SDG 4 with urgency and diligence. We therefore lend our voices to the conversation for a new social contract that aims to, as UNESCO's International Commission articulates it, repair past injustices and transform the future - the future overall, and that of education in particular.

Post the following in this Padlet (password: 6FzkgECh):

• 1 response to each of the 4 Padlet columns/questions (4 total responses), and
• Comment on at least 2 other responses.

***IMPORTANT: Please change your Padlet username to your first & last name! You can do this in the top-right corner of the Padlet. When logged in, click on your user icon in the top-right & adjust your name in "User Settings." When not logged in, click where it says "Contributing as guest" in the top-right, and change your name there. Thanks!***

Here are the questions again: As we consider our progress as a global community towards inclusive and equitable quality education for all -

• What should we continue doing? 
• What should we abandon? 
• What should we creatively reimagine? 
• What are actions we can and will take to increase access to inclusive and equitable quality education in our schools and communities?