BE² September News: Latest Updates, Resources & Opportunities

Newsletter

September 3rd 2026

U NESCO Digital Learning Week 2026 will take place from 8-11 September 2026 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris under the theme “Education in the age of AI: Facts | Frictions | Frontiers.” The event will bring together education leaders, policymakers, researchers and practitioners to examine the opportunities and challenges AI is creating for education systems, including public-interest AI, digital sovereignty, equity and human agency. Plenary sessions will also be livestreamed. Register here.
The What Works Hub for Global Education Biennial Conference will take place on 15-16 September 2026 at the Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford, UK. Bringing together over 200 decision-makers across government, donors, research, and civil society, the conference will provide a platform to exchange research, policy, and practice on improving foundational learning globally. Confirmed applicants have been notified.
The Investing for Impact: What Works Best to Improve Learning and Wellbeing in Crisis-Affected Contexts side event will take place on 17 September 2026, 11:00-13:00 BST at the Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford. Co-hosted by INEE, ERICC, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and FCDO, the interactive session will explore evidence on which education interventions deliver the greatest improvements in learning and wellbeing in crisis-affected settings, including their cost-effectiveness, scalability and value for money. RSVP here by 10 September 2026.
The Foundations of Scaling course will launch on 24 September 2026, 8:00-9:30 EDT at the Cornell Club in New York, followed by networking coffee. Developed by the Brookings Center for Universal Education, the free, self-paced course translates a decade of research into practical tools for practitioners, funders, and researchers working to scale education innovations. The eight-module course will be available in English, French, and Spanish, including a fully offline option. To register, RSVP to mcurtiss@brookings.edu.
The OECD Education at a Glance 2026 global webinar will take place virtually on 29 September 2026 at 11:00 CEST. The launch will present the latest internationally comparable data on education participation, attainment, financing and labour market outcomes, with this year’s edition placing a special focus on teacher shortages and their impact on classrooms. The webinar will feature OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann and Director for Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher. Register here.

Blogs:

A ccelerating evidence synthesis in education: The Synthesis-Ready Evidence Repository – This Jacobs Foundation piece introduces a new initiative designed to make education evidence easier to access, synthesise and use in decision-making. A cohort of 15 evidence intermediaries from around the world will help test and shape the repository, which aims to address the fragmentation of research and make evidence more useful and timely for policymakers and practitioners.
B uilding a future for children in displacement in Kenya – This Porticus story reflects on a long-term partnership supporting education for refugee and displaced children in Kakuma. It highlights the importance of local leadership, community involvement and sustained investment in strengthening education systems, including approaches to social and emotional learning that support children, teachers and families.
M other tongue education as a lever for learning and equity – This Agence Française de Développement (AFD) article explores bilingual and multilingual education in Francophone Africa, where more than 12 million students have benefited from the École et langues nationales (ELAN) programme. It highlights how teaching in national languages alongside French can improve learning and reduce educational inequalities.
O ne year of SCALE funding: Insights from Ghana’s foundational learning journey – This Jacobs Foundation piece looks at Ghana’s progress in foundational learning and the lessons emerging from the first year of SCALE funding. It highlights the shift from focusing on school attendance towards whether children are actually learning, and considers how sustained financing, evidence and system-level reform can support improvements in foundational learning.
S upporting cost-effective AI adoption in education – This World Bank blog (Noah Yarrow, Michael Trucano, Gemma Rodon, Martín E. De Simone and Ekua Nuama Bentil) considers how education systems can adopt AI without repeating past mistakes in education technology. It highlights infrastructure, skills, costs and equity challenges and argues for careful, evidence-informed adoption rather than introducing AI simply because of pressure to keep pace with technological change.
T he Last Mile Education: Collaborative Solutions for Rural and Marginalized Communites – This Mastercard Foundation article explores barriers to accessing quality education in rural and marginalised communities, drawing on experiences from Kakuma, Kenya. It highlights the perspectives of young people alongside practical approaches to improving access, continuity and quality of education for learners who remain underserved.

Other Resources:

F rom Learning to Earning – This UNICEF Nepal report explores how education and skills systems can better prepare young people for employment and changing labour markets. Drawing on dialogues with young people, government, educators and employers, it identifies priorities including practical learning, career guidance, digital and employability skills, alternative learning pathways and stronger public-private partnerships.
L eading for impact: IIEP-UNESCO’s new framework puts education policy into practice – This IIEP-UNESCO framework addresses the gap between education policy design and implementation. It provides education leaders with a practical framework for translating plans, policies and budgets into changes that reach schools and classrooms, focusing on the drivers needed to turn policy intentions into sustained results.
M onitoring education rights worldwide – This UNESCO report examines countries’ progress in implementing the right to inclusive and equitable education. It highlights advances in lifelong learning and inclusive education alongside persistent inequalities, teacher shortages and barriers facing marginalised groups, while identifying AI, climate education and psychosocial wellbeing as emerging priorities.
T owards a stronger link between PISA and PIAAC – This OECD Education Working Paper, published on 26 August 2026, explores how PISA and the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) could be more closely connected. It considers how linking the two assessments could strengthen understanding of how skills develop from adolescence into adulthood and provide better evidence for education and skills policy.
U nlocking the Drivers of Learning for a Skilled Future : Insights from the Global Education Policy Dashboard – This World Bank report examines what education systems need to improve foundational learning, drawing on evidence from the Global Education Policy Dashboard. It highlights the importance of understanding what is happening in classrooms, how policies are implemented, and whether teachers, schools and institutions have the capacity and resources to deliver better learning outcomes.