Systems Thinking in International Education and Development

释放学习ing for All?

NORRAG Series on International Education and Development

Edited by Moira V. Faul, Director of Research and Executive Director, NORRAG, Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Switzerland and Laura Savage, Associate Member, Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre, University of Cambridge, UK

This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License. It is free to read, download and share on Elgaronline.com.

Underlining the urgency, scale and complexity of the crisis of declining student learning trajectories despite significant financial investments and reform efforts, this insightful book proposes systems thinking a way of understanding the global education crisis and to drive the real change that is needed to achieve SDG4.

‘Systems thinking has been successfully applied to address service delivery challenges in many sectors, especially health. While it is a relatively new approach in education, systems thinking will become a commonly used tool in delivering quality education post the ravages of covid. This book, consisting of 11 chapters and authored by a wide range of reputable practitioners on the topic, will become a valuable companion to donors, policymakers and implementers down to the classroom level striving to provide quality learning for all children.’
– Dzingai Mutumbuka, First Minister of Education of Independent Zimbabwe, former Chair of ADEA, former Sector Manager at the World Bank and currently serves on numerous education boards

‘Given what we know about complexity theory and the insights it offers into how we might go about initiating and sustaining change in education, it''s hard to imagine taking on the perennial challenges in international education and development without first understanding what dynamic systems approaches have to offer in this domain. Perhaps the biggest of those challenges lies in enabling quality learning for all – and this volume takes that on through a systems approach, considering examples of such thinking and practice from across the globe and asking how systems thinking might help in the design and implementation of interventions aimed at realizing Sustainable Development Goal Four. It''s hard to imagine how we''ve done without this book for so long.’
– Mark Mason, The Education University of Hong Kong

‘The language of change is often slippery, nowhere more so than discussing “systems”. Is “system” merely a synonym for bureaucracy, or a non-linear, unpredictable and constantly evolving network? When advocates of change use the term interchangeably, confusion is the inevitable result. In this book, Faul and Savage disentangle the two, show how the broader understandings of “systems thinking” apply to the education sector, and explore a series of case studies for additional insights. A valuable contribution.’
– Duncan Green, author of How Change Happens; Professor in Practice, London School of Economics, UK; Strategic Adviser, Oxfam GB