What Works in Education Reform: Putting Young People at the Center

Given the difficulties and uncertainties of education reform, asking “what works” may be making simple and commonplace what is nearly always a messy and unfinished business. But the work of the International Youth Foundation's partners in 49 countries does reveal a common message of successful reform efforts: put young people at the center. Marshalling what we know about children and young people — and acknowledging youth as the central actors in education — defines a common starting point for varied routes to real educational change. What Works in Education Reform: Putting Young People at the Center — produced by the International Youth Foundation (IYF) in collaboration with the Forum — shares a roadmap of this common starting point and these varied routes. In doing so, it zooms in on some of the innovative projects funded by the Lucent Technologies/IYF Global Fund for Education and Learning, as well as education reform efforts spearheaded by other IYF partners. Using these experiences as a concrete starting point and a consistent refrain, the publication also pans out to share and probe some of the core themes of youth-centered reform.