I am often asked for a quick solution to the educational crisis. Is there a proven program in another country that allows for a rapid improvement in educational quality? My answer is clear: there is no magic formula, and no country has applied one. What is needed is to do well what we already know must be done. It is not quantum physics. Everyone needs to do their job.
The learning crisis is evident. Before the pandemic, 52% of 10-year-old children in Latin America could not read and understand a simple text, which we call Learning Poverty. Now the situation has worsened after two terrible years of school closures. Saying that we need to invest more in human capital because it is crucial for development already sounds like a cliché.
Some think that we do not improve education because we do not know what to do, but this is false. Although everything can be improved, there are already many schools in Latin America that work well and offer a positive educational experience. There are educational systems that are improving in the region. Is it just a money problem? Partly, yes. Latin America invests less than a quarter of what OECD countries spend on average. Middle-income countries must invest more in education, which implies raising more taxes (there is no magic). However, even within the current fiscal space, much more can be done.
Significant progress would be possible if each actor in the educational system fulfilled their role. Each one must internalize their immense responsibility and understand that their work has a profound impact on learning and the lives of students (this is not a cliché). They are the central focus. A child who spends a year with an unqualified teacher, or in a school in poor conditions, loses a year that is very difficult to recover.
The role of educators
Educators must ensure that the curriculum clearly defines the competencies that students must acquire and that it is a useful tool for teachers, not an incomprehensible document. They must incorporate evidence from the science of learning about how children learn and what works to achieve learning at scale. They should also support the balanced use of technology in teacher training, the development of digital skills, and working with students.
Administrators and public bureaucracy
The bureaucracy must ensure that the necessary inputs—textbooks and learning sessions—reach every student and every teacher. Something obvious that is still not fully achieved. They must ensure that schools have connectivity and hardware, along with staff training and data architecture to use technology at scale. Additionally, they must ensure constant measurement of learning through census evaluations, classroom assessments, and international tests like PISA. Not doing so means navigating without a roadmap; navigating blindly.
This is a superficial description of the complex task of the bureaucracy of an educational system to directly provide the educational service in public schools or regulate it in private schools. Daily, thousands of schools and millions of students depend on a bureaucracy that must be multidisciplinary and highly qualified to guarantee the service. That qualified bureaucracy must also internalize its mission.
The teachers
A good teacher understands that their job is not just to teach, but to ensure that every child learns (which is not the same thing). They know that some children require more attention and effort than others. Their responsibility is crucial and complex: we ask them to provide academic education, promote critical thinking, and foster creativity. There is no more difficult task than achieving this with a high school student absorbed in watching TikTok. A society that truly values education values the teaching profession, and therefore aims for excellence in the selection, training, and necessary support for its teachers. Countries that do not promote meritocracy in this profession tend to treat teaching as an employment program or political spoils, rather than the cornerstone of education.
The principals
Principals must be pedagogical leaders who inspire the teaching staff and effective managers, selected based on merit and evaluated on their ability to lead schools focused on learning. They should be assessed on their capacity to manage the institution effectively (which also seems obvious, but is not the case when they are appointed for political reasons).
The students
Students should find a positive space for socialization in school. Schoolwork should be challenging, engaging, and relevant. Learning occurs when there is rigor, requiring practice and continuous effort. This effort must come from the student.
If all actors in the educational system internalize that their work should focus on learning and providing a quality educational experience, progress is possible. Nothing described here is impossible. It happens in countries where societies have made the political decision to dedicate, with patience and perseverance, the financial, human, and management resources to constantly improve learning. It sometimes happens in a city, state, or province. But that is not enough; the right to quality education for all students must be guaranteed. No magic formulas are needed. We know what to do. What is essential is the political will to place the student at the center of any decision.
Join the Conversation