Incluye bibliografía.

Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- Definitions and data notes -- Summary -- Pt. 1. The record of experience and the tasks ahead -- 1. Education and development -- 2. Achievements and challenges -- 3. Public finance for efficiency and equity -- 4. Improving quality -- Pt. 2. Six key reforms -- 5. A higher priority for education -- 6. Attention to outcomes -- 7. Public investment focused on basic education -- 8. Attention to equity -- 9. Household involvement -- 10. Autonomous institutions -- Pt. 3. Implementing change -- 11. The political and social context of change -- 12. The World Bank and education -- References -- Tables -- Figures -- Boxes.

Education is critical for economic growth and poverty alleviation. Changing technology and economic reforms are creating dramatic shifts in the structure of econmies, industries and labor markets throughout the world. The rate of acquiring new knowledge and the pace of changing technology raise the possibility of sustained economic growth with more frequent job changes during individuals ' lives. These developments have created two key priorities for education: it must meet economies ' growing demands for adaptable workers who can readily acquire new skills and it must support the continued expansion of knowledge. This paper synthesizes the Bank ' s work on education published since the last sector policy paper in 1980, and considers options for the Bank ' s borrowing countries.