Learning as Development: Rethinking International Education in a Changing World

by Daniel A. Wagner

Overview

In this groundbreaking second edition of Learning as Development, Daniel A. Wagner transforms our understanding of international development by positioning learning at its core. Through a compelling global lens, Wagner demonstrates how education shapes both individual destinies and national futures, with real consequences for income, social mobility, health and well-being.

This new edition provides timely perspectives on education's role in an increasingly interconnected and challenged world. The work traces international development from pre-colonial times to today's learning equity movement, explores how people learn across different cultures and contexts, examines the intersection of education with critical global challenges including climate change, migration, civil conflict and new technologies, and presents cutting-edge research through vivid context-rich examples.

Essential reading for students, practitioners, and policymakers in education, human development, sociology, anthropology and global development, Wagner's analysis offers fresh insights into human potential for those who care about improving the lives of people across the globe.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032509457
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	11/25/2025
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	420
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Daniel A. Wagner is the UNESCO Chair in Learning and Literacy, and Professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author or editor of more than 30 books and many other publications.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Irina Bokova Introduction: Toward a New Understanding of Development  PART I. Development  1. International Development 2. Human Development: A Life-Span Approach 3. Learning as Development  PART II. Learning  4. Learning in Early Childhood 5. Children and Basic Skills 6. Youth and Adult Learning: Beyond the Classroom  PART III. Educational Institutions  7. Schools and Schooling 8. Teachers and Pedagogies  PART IV. Trends and Challenges  9. New Technologies: Problems and Prospects 10. Globalization, Demography, and the Environment 11. Measurement of Learning 12. Learning Equity: A New Agenda for Development Epilogue: The Challenges Ahead

Editorial Reviews

“With the second edition of Learning as Development, Professor Wagner greatly advances our knowledge and understanding of how to improve learning for all—especially for those who have been most marginalized, such as the poor, girls and women, Indigenous populations, migrants, and those impacted by climate change. It is especially welcome as the world moves towards implementing the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.”
Irina Bokova, Former Director-General, UNESCO

“Dan Wagner’s magnum opus covering learning and development (both international and life course development) is unparalleled in scope and depth and with case material from numerous cultures in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. The book is full of new ideas to improve education, and reduce poverty and inequality in low- income countries. Its comprehensive treatment of issues in international development guarantees its permanent value to experts or novices alike. This is a long-awaited book on educational development.”
Robert A. LeVine, Roy E. Larsen Professor Emeritus

“Dan Wagner is at once an exceptional teacher, a researcher, and a man of action. He uniquely combines scientific rigor with pragmatic intelligence. He has designed and successfully implemented a series of innovative educational programs in regions of the world marked by hardship. This revised edition will be an invaluable guide for all those who see education as the key to development.”
Daniel Andler, Academy of Moral and Political Sciences; Emeritus Professor, Sorbonne; Researcher, École Normale Supérieure (Paris), France

“As Pope Francis has stated, the fate of the world today depends on how we support the needs of the most disadvantaged among us, particularly those affected by migration and climate change. Dan Wagner has written a well-researched and comprehensive volume with critical insights on improving education that will help make a difference in the world today and tomorrow.”
Archbishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, Chancellor, Pontifical Academy of Sciences, The Vatican

“Dan Wagner’s thorough understanding of education in low- and middle-income countries is evident in his compelling argument about the relationship between learning and development, as well as the connection between learning equity and social justice. For Latin America, this book provides invaluable insights into transforming education, particularly for disadvantaged groups in poorer countries, to overcome learning inequity and advance toward quality education for all. This second edition of Learning as Development is an indispensable book for educators worldwide.”
Sylvia Schmelkes, Former Academic Vice President and Director of the Research Institute for the Development of Education of Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico

“Learning as Development is a great read. The depth of discussion and the literature it draws on has a wealth of resources. My students really need this in order to critically reflect on what we can (and cannot) achieve through the SDGs. Thumbs up for this excellent book!”
Moses Oketch, Professor, Institute of Education, University College London, UK

“This is a refreshing, accessible volume that combines scholarship with thoughtful descriptions of learning from many cultures; it humanizes and broadens the discussion of education and development.”
Marlaine Lockheed, World Bank and Center for Global Development

“Excellent! It is time to walk the talk! The time has come for rethinking and rebuilding the learning process worldwide. This incisive and thoughtful book strikes an important balance between research and practice, and should be read by policy makers as well as those who engage in the everyday critical work of education and development.”
Adama Samassekou, Minister of Education, Mali

“In this second edition, Professor Dan Wagner continues his long career in both studying and making a difference for children’s learning and literacy. His work in India began in my home state of Andhra Pradesh three decades ago, and continues in India to this day. His credibility in his domains of expertise is widely recognized with national governments, non-profits, and international agencies. I’m certain that this new edition will continue to foster educational improvements around the world.
I. V. Subba Rao, Former Secretary to the Vice-President of India; Former Chief of Literacy and Non-Formal Education, UNESCO, Paris; Former Principal Secretary, School Education; Government of Andhra Pradesh, India

From the Publisher