Hard-headed evidence on why the returns from investing in girls are so high that no nation or family can afford not to educate their girls. Gene Sperling, author of the seminal 2004 report published by the Council on Foreign Relations, and Rebecca Winthrop, director of the Center for Universal Education, have written this definitive book on the importance of girls’ education. As Malala Yousafzai expresses in her foreword, the idea that any child could be denied an education due to poverty, custom, the law, or terrorist threats is just wrong and unimaginable. More than 1,000 studies have provided evidence that high-quality girls’ education around the world leads to wide-ranging returns: Better outcomes in economic areas of growth and incomes Reduced rates of infant and maternal mortality Reduced rates of child marriage Reduced rates of the incidence of HIV/AIDS and malaria Increased agricultural productivity Increased resilience to natural disasters Women’s empowerment What Works in Girls’ Education is a compelling work for both concerned global citizens, and any academic, expert, nongovernmental organization (NGO) staff member, policymaker, or journalist seeking to dive into the evidence and policies on girls’ education.

Fun and fabulous popular education workbook enables users to understand the impact of the global economy on women. Includes activities on eight themes, glossary, resource lists. Perfect for community-based organizations, study groups, or classrooms.

Why do women in most developing countries lag behind men in literacy? Why do women get less schooling than men? This anthology examines the educational decisions that deprive women of an equal education. It assembles the most up-to-date data, organized by region. Each paper links the data with other measures of economic and social development. This approach helps explain the effects different levels of education have on womens' fertility, mortality rates, life expectancy, and income. Also described are the effects of women's education on family welfare. The authors look at family size and women's labor status and earnings. They examine child and maternal health, as well as investments in children's education. Their investigation demonstrates that women with a better education enjoy greater economic growth and provide a more nurturing family life. It suggests that when a country denies women an equal education, the nation's welfare suffers. Current strategies used to improve schooling for girls and women are examined in detail. The authors suggest an ambitious agenda for educating women. It seeks to close the gender gap by the next century. Published for The World Bank by The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Persuasive evidence demonstrates that gender equality in education is central to economic development. Despite more than two decades of accumulated knowledge and evidence of what works in improving gender equality, progress on the ground remains slow and uneven across countries. What is missing? Given that education is a critical path to accelerate progress toward gender equality and the empowerment of women, what is holding us back? These questions were discussed at the global symposium Education: A Critical Path to Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, which was sponsored by the World Bank in October 2007. Girls' Education in the 21st Century is based on background papers developed for the symposium. The book's chapters reflect the current state of knowledge on education from a gender perspective and highlight the importance of, and challenges to, female education, as well as the interdependence of education and development objectives. The last chapter presents five strategic directions for advancing gender equality in education and their implications for World Bank operations. Girls' Education in the 21st Century will be of particular interest to researchers, educators, school administrators, and policy makers at the global, national, regional, and municipal levels.

This book explores how changes in the new world economy are affecting the education of male and female workers. Authors from Australia, Africa, Brazil, Europe, North America, and South Korea use methodologies--such as literature reviews, case studies, legislative analysis, evaluations of model delivery systems, and demographic profiles--to examine the current efforts of a number of nations around the world to transform vocational education and training (VET) programs into gender equitable institutions where female students are able to obtain skills necessary for successful and economically viable lives. The cross-national perspectives in this volume illuminate the meaning of VET equity theory and practice in the new economy. Gender equity in education is constructed differently from place to place depending on a variety of factors, including economic development and cultural traditions. Starting from this understanding that gender and culture are multifaceted, historically situated, and constructed around dominant economic and institutional structures, class identities, and social positions, as well as discursive practices, the book addresses central questions, such as: *What roles do schools play in the global economy? *Is there a parallel between an increasingly globalized economy and a viable universal concept of education for work? *What is the effect of a nation's financial condition, political system, and global economic posture on its training policies? *Are educational equity issues heightened or submerged in the new economy? The comparative perspective helps readers to more clearly analyze both tensions that arise as capitalist changes in the new economy are contested, resisted, or accommodated--and the impact upon education. In the Afterword, the editors identify overarching themes emerging from the volume and illuminate various comparative perspectives on gender and the new economy. Globalizing Education for Work: Comparative Perspectives on Gender and the New Economy brings together important information and analysis for researchers, students, and teachers in education, women's studies, and sociology; for vocational education and training professionals; and for policymakers and policy analysts in governmental and nongovernmental organizations. It is well suited as a text for a range of graduate courses in the fields of comparative and international education, politics of education, vocational educational policy, gender and education, and sociology of education.

"What Works in Girls Education" summarizes the extensive body of research on the state of girls education in the developing world today; the impact of educating girls on families, economies, and nations; and the most promising approaches to increasing girls enrollment and educational quality.