Low school attendance, absent or undertrained teachers, and underperforming schools are on-going impediments to educational attainment for poor students around the world.

While many more children are in school than there were a decade ago, there are still 58 million children out of school. Even when children attend school, they are often still unable to read, write, and do basic math. The Education Program Area at IPA works to rigorously evaluate programs that aim to improve education outcomes, increase access to and quality of early childhood education, and improve school attendance, among other goals.