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Home  /  News  /  Why Is Education Important? The Power Of An Educated Society

Why Is Education Important? The Power Of An Educated Society

Looking for an answer to the question of why is education important? We address this query with a focus on how education can transform society through the way we interact with our environment. 

Whether you are a student, a parent, or someone who values educational attainment, you may be wondering how education can provide quality life to a society beyond the obvious answer of acquiring knowledge and economic growth. Continue reading as we discuss the importance of education not just for individuals but for society as a whole. 

Harness the power of education to build a more sustainable modern society with a degree from  Unity Environmental University .

How Education Is Power: The Importance Of Education In Society

Why is education so important? Nelson Mandela famously said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” An educated society is better equipped to tackle the challenges that face modern America, including:

• Climate change
• Social justice
• Economic inequality

Education is not just about learning to read and do math operations. Of course, gaining knowledge and practical skills is part of it, but education is also about values and critical thinking. It’s about finding our place in society in a meaningful way. 

Environmental Stewardship

A  study from 2022 found that people who belong to an environmental stewardship organization, such as the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, are likely to have a higher education level than those who do not. This suggests that quality education can foster a sense of responsibility towards the environment.

With the effects of climate change becoming increasingly alarming, this particular importance of education is vital to the health, safety, and longevity of our society. Higher learning institutions can further encourage environmental stewardship by adopting a  framework of sustainability science .

The Economic Benefits Of Education

Higher education can lead to better job opportunities and higher income. On average, a  person with a bachelor’s degree will make $765,000 more  in their lifetime than someone with no degree. Even with the rising costs of tuition, investment in higher education pays off in the long run. In 2020, the return on investment (ROI) for a college degree was estimated to be  13.5% to 35.9% . 

Green jobs  like environmental science technicians and solar panel installers  have high demand projections for the next decade. Therefore, degrees that will prepare you for one of these careers will likely yield a high ROI. And, many of these jobs only require an  associate’s degree or certificate , which means lower overall education costs. 

Unity  helps students maximize their ROI with real-world experience in the field as an integral part of every degree program. 

10 Reasons Why School Is Important

Education is not just an individual pursuit but also a societal one.  In compiling these reasons, we focused on the question, “How does education benefit society?” Overall, higher education has the power to transform:

• Individuals’ sense of self
• Interpersonal relationships
• Social communities
• Professional communities

Cognitive Development

Neuroscience research  has proven that the brain is a muscle that can retain its neuroplasticity throughout life. However, like other muscles, it must receive continual exercise to remain strong. Higher education allows people of any age to improve their higher-level cognitive abilities like problem-solving and decision-making. This can make many parts of life feel more manageable and help society run smoothly. 

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is key to workplace success.  Studies  show that people with emotional intelligence exhibit more:

• Self-awareness
• Willingness to try new things
• Innovative thinking
• Active listening
• Collaboration skills
• Problem-solving abilities

By attending higher education institutions that value these soft skills, students can improve their emotional intelligence as part of their career development in college.

Technological Literacy

Many careers in today’s job market use advanced technology. To prepare for these jobs, young people likely won’t have access to these technologies to practice on their own. That’s part of why so many STEM career paths require degrees. It’s essential to gain technical knowledge and skills through a certified program to safely use certain technologies. And, educated scientists are  more likely to make new technological discoveries .

Cultural Awareness

Education exposes individuals to different cultures and perspectives. Being around people who are different has the powerful ability to foster acceptance. Acceptance benefits society as a whole. It increases innovation and empathy. 

College also gives students an opportunity to practice feeling comfortable in situations where there are people of different races, genders, sexualities, and abilities. Students can gain an understanding of how to act respectfully among different types of people, which is an important skill for the workplace. This will only become more vital as our world continues to become more globalized.

Ethical and Moral Development

Another reason why school is important is that it promotes ethical and moral development. Many schools require students to take an ethics course in their general education curriculum. However, schools can also encourage character development throughout their programs by using effective pedagogical strategies including:

• Class debates and discussions
• Historical case studies
• Group projects

Unity’s distance learning programs  include an ethical decision-making class in our core curriculum. 

Ready To Learn More About Unity Environmental University?

Communication Skills

Effective written and verbal communication skills are key for personal and professional success. Higher education programs usually include at least one communication course in their general education requirements. Often the focus in these classes is on writing skills, but students can also use college as an opportunity to hone their presentation and public speaking skills. Courses such as  Multimedia Communication for Environmental Professionals  provide many opportunities for this. 

Civic Engagement

According to a  Gallup survey , people with higher education degrees are:

• More likely to participate in civic activities such as voting and volunteering
• Less likely to commit crimes
• More likely to get involved in their local communities

All these individual acts add up to make a big difference in society. An educated electorate is less likely to be swayed by unethical politicians and, instead, make choices that benefit themselves and their community. Because they are more involved, they are also more likely to hold elected officials accountable.

Financial Stability

The right degree can significantly expand your career opportunities and improve your long-term earning potential. Not all degrees provide the same level of financial stability, so it’s important to research expected salary offers after graduation and job demand outlook predictions for your desired field. Consider the return on investment for a degree from an affordable private school such as  Unity Environmental University .

Environmental Awareness

We have already discussed why education is important for environmental stewardship. Education can also lead to better environmental practices in the business world. By building empathy through character education and ethics courses, institutions can train future business leaders to emphasize human rights and sustainability over profits. All types and sizes of businesses can incorporate sustainable practices, but awareness of the issues and solutions is the first step.

Lifelong Learning

The reasons why education is important discussed so far focus on institutional education. However, education can happen anywhere. Attending a university that values all kinds of learning will set students up with the foundation to become lifelong learners.  Research  demonstrates that lifelong learners tend to be healthier and more fulfilled throughout their lives. When societies emphasize the importance of education, they can boost their overall prosperity.

The Role Of Unity Environmental University In Society

Environmentally conscious education is extremely valuable and should be accessible to all.   Unity Environmental University  offers tuition prices that are comparable to public universities, and financial aid is available to those who qualify. Courses last five weeks so that students can focus on only one class at a time. This ensures all learners are set up for academic success. 

Unity believes in supporting students holistically to maximize the power of education. This includes mental health services,  experiential learning opportunities , and  job placement assistance . Students in our  hybrid programs  can take classes at several field stations throughout Maine and enjoy the beautiful nature surrounding the campus for outdoor recreation.

Sustainable Initiatives

Some highlights from Unity Environmental University’s many sustainable initiatives:

• All programs include at least one sustainability learning outcome
• All research courses are focused on sustainability research
• Reduced building energy use by 25% across campus
• 100% of food waste is recycled into energy 
• Campus features a  net-zero LEED Platinum-certified classroom/office building

While many schools value sustainability, Unity stands out because  everything  we do is about sustainability. We also recognize our responsibility to model how a sustainable business can operate in a manner that’s fiscally viable and socially responsible.

Make An Impact At Unity Environmental University

While the phrase ‘education is power’ may sound cliche, it is also resoundingly true. Higher education has the power to transform individuals and societies. Unity Environmental University understands its power to make a positive impact on the world. That’s why we were the first university to divest from fossil fuels. 

This year, we celebrated our  largest incoming class ever , showing that students want an education system that aligns with their values. In addition to our commitment to sustainability, we offer flexibility to students with start dates all year round for our  online degree programs .

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What Is Education For?

Read an excerpt from a new book by Sir Ken Robinson and Kate Robinson, which calls for redesigning education for the future.

What is education for? As it happens, people differ sharply on this question. It is what is known as an “essentially contested concept.” Like “democracy” and “justice,” “education” means different things to different people. Various factors can contribute to a person’s understanding of the purpose of education, including their background and circumstances. It is also inflected by how they view related issues such as ethnicity, gender, and social class. Still, not having an agreed-upon definition of education doesn’t mean we can’t discuss it or do anything about it.

We just need to be clear on terms. There are a few terms that are often confused or used interchangeably—“learning,” “education,” “training,” and “school”—but there are important differences between them. Learning is the process of acquiring new skills and understanding. Education is an organized system of learning. Training is a type of education that is focused on learning specific skills. A school is a community of learners: a group that comes together to learn with and from each other. It is vital that we differentiate these terms: children love to learn, they do it naturally; many have a hard time with education, and some have big problems with school.

There are many assumptions of compulsory education. One is that young people need to know, understand, and be able to do certain things that they most likely would not if they were left to their own devices. What these things are and how best to ensure students learn them are complicated and often controversial issues. Another assumption is that compulsory education is a preparation for what will come afterward, like getting a good job or going on to higher education.

So, what does it mean to be educated now? Well, I believe that education should expand our consciousness, capabilities, sensitivities, and cultural understanding. It should enlarge our worldview. As we all live in two worlds—the world within you that exists only because you do, and the world around you—the core purpose of education is to enable students to understand both worlds. In today’s climate, there is also a new and urgent challenge: to provide forms of education that engage young people with the global-economic issues of environmental well-being.

This core purpose of education can be broken down into four basic purposes.

Education should enable young people to engage with the world within them as well as the world around them. In Western cultures, there is a firm distinction between the two worlds, between thinking and feeling, objectivity and subjectivity. This distinction is misguided. There is a deep correlation between our experience of the world around us and how we feel. As we explored in the previous chapters, all individuals have unique strengths and weaknesses, outlooks and personalities. Students do not come in standard physical shapes, nor do their abilities and personalities. They all have their own aptitudes and dispositions and different ways of understanding things. Education is therefore deeply personal. It is about cultivating the minds and hearts of living people. Engaging them as individuals is at the heart of raising achievement.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights emphasizes that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” and that “Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.” Many of the deepest problems in current systems of education result from losing sight of this basic principle.

Schools should enable students to understand their own cultures and to respect the diversity of others. There are various definitions of culture, but in this context the most appropriate is “the values and forms of behavior that characterize different social groups.” To put it more bluntly, it is “the way we do things around here.” Education is one of the ways that communities pass on their values from one generation to the next. For some, education is a way of preserving a culture against outside influences. For others, it is a way of promoting cultural tolerance. As the world becomes more crowded and connected, it is becoming more complex culturally. Living respectfully with diversity is not just an ethical choice, it is a practical imperative.

There should be three cultural priorities for schools: to help students understand their own cultures, to understand other cultures, and to promote a sense of cultural tolerance and coexistence. The lives of all communities can be hugely enriched by celebrating their own cultures and the practices and traditions of other cultures.

Education should enable students to become economically responsible and independent. This is one of the reasons governments take such a keen interest in education: they know that an educated workforce is essential to creating economic prosperity. Leaders of the Industrial Revolution knew that education was critical to creating the types of workforce they required, too. But the world of work has changed so profoundly since then, and continues to do so at an ever-quickening pace. We know that many of the jobs of previous decades are disappearing and being rapidly replaced by contemporary counterparts. It is almost impossible to predict the direction of advancing technologies, and where they will take us.

How can schools prepare students to navigate this ever-changing economic landscape? They must connect students with their unique talents and interests, dissolve the division between academic and vocational programs, and foster practical partnerships between schools and the world of work, so that young people can experience working environments as part of their education, not simply when it is time for them to enter the labor market.

Education should enable young people to become active and compassionate citizens. We live in densely woven social systems. The benefits we derive from them depend on our working together to sustain them. The empowerment of individuals has to be balanced by practicing the values and responsibilities of collective life, and of democracy in particular. Our freedoms in democratic societies are not automatic. They come from centuries of struggle against tyranny and autocracy and those who foment sectarianism, hatred, and fear. Those struggles are far from over. As John Dewey observed, “Democracy has to be born anew every generation, and education is its midwife.”

For a democratic society to function, it depends upon the majority of its people to be active within the democratic process. In many democracies, this is increasingly not the case. Schools should engage students in becoming active, and proactive, democratic participants. An academic civics course will scratch the surface, but to nurture a deeply rooted respect for democracy, it is essential to give young people real-life democratic experiences long before they come of age to vote.

Eight Core Competencies

The conventional curriculum is based on a collection of separate subjects. These are prioritized according to beliefs around the limited understanding of intelligence we discussed in the previous chapter, as well as what is deemed to be important later in life. The idea of “subjects” suggests that each subject, whether mathematics, science, art, or language, stands completely separate from all the other subjects. This is problematic. Mathematics, for example, is not defined only by propositional knowledge; it is a combination of types of knowledge, including concepts, processes, and methods as well as propositional knowledge. This is also true of science, art, and languages, and of all other subjects. It is therefore much more useful to focus on the concept of disciplines rather than subjects.

Disciplines are fluid; they constantly merge and collaborate. In focusing on disciplines rather than subjects we can also explore the concept of interdisciplinary learning. This is a much more holistic approach that mirrors real life more closely—it is rare that activities outside of school are as clearly segregated as conventional curriculums suggest. A journalist writing an article, for example, must be able to call upon skills of conversation, deductive reasoning, literacy, and social sciences. A surgeon must understand the academic concept of the patient’s condition, as well as the practical application of the appropriate procedure. At least, we would certainly hope this is the case should we find ourselves being wheeled into surgery.

The concept of disciplines brings us to a better starting point when planning the curriculum, which is to ask what students should know and be able to do as a result of their education. The four purposes above suggest eight core competencies that, if properly integrated into education, will equip students who leave school to engage in the economic, cultural, social, and personal challenges they will inevitably face in their lives. These competencies are curiosity, creativity, criticism, communication, collaboration, compassion, composure, and citizenship. Rather than be triggered by age, they should be interwoven from the beginning of a student’s educational journey and nurtured throughout.

From Imagine If: Creating a Future for Us All by Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D and Kate Robinson, published by Penguin Books, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2022 by the Estate of Sir Kenneth Robinson and Kate Robinson.

Quality education an ‘essential pillar’ of a better future, says UN chief

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Education is an “essential pillar” to achieving the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, UN chief António Guterres told an audience on Tuesday at the Paris headquarters of UNESCO, the UN Educational, Scientific and Culture Organization, ahead of the agency’s General Conference .

We must ensure universal access to basic education for every child, everywhere. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, President, UN General Assembly

Mr. Guterres, who noted that one-fifth of young people are out of work, lack education or adequate training, praised UNESCO ’s fundamental role in coordinating and monitoring global efforts, such as the agency’s initiative on the future of education.

The theme was taken up by Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, President of the UN General Assembly, in his opening remarks to a ministerial meeting on education at the Conference.

Mr. Muhammad-Bande referred to estimates showing that some 265 million children are out of school. The number is projected to fall to 220 million over the next decade, but he declared that the illiteracy figures forecast for 2030 remain a scandal: “We must remove all barriers to education. We must ensure, at a minimum, universal access to basic education for every child, everywhere.”

He also highlighted the importance of educating children effectively, and equipping them with the necessary analytical and critical thinking abilities, in “an ever-changing and more complex world”.

Recalling his former experience as an educator in his home country of Nigeria, Mr. Muhammad-Bande called for more efforts to ensure that teachers are adequately qualified, because “no educational system can rise above the quality of its teachers”.

We must treat young people not as subjects to be protected, but as powerful agents for change.I was very pleased to meet a few of these changemakers at @UNESCO this morning. pic.twitter.com/DjgZP0jNh9 António Guterres, UN Secretary-General antonioguterres

Other important measures cited by the General Assembly President include strong curricula that fully integrate Information and Communications Technology (ICT); ensuring that girls complete at least 12 years of education (which, according to the World Bank, would add some $30 trillion to the global economy); and the effective monitoring and evaluation of learning.

Mr. Muhammad-Bande called on nations to meet their commitments to education spending, and for donor countries to increase international aid directed towards education.

‘Powerful agents of change’

As well as the difficulties in accessing quality education, Mr. Guterres also outlined several other challenges faced by young people: the fact that millions of girls become mothers while they are still children; that one quarter are affected by violence or conflict; and that online bullying and harassment are adding to high levels of stress, which see some 67,000 adolescents die from suicide or self-harm every year.

World leaders, and others who wield power, he continued, must treat young people not as subjects to be protected, but as powerful agents for change, and the role of the powerful is not to solve the enormous challenges faced by young people, but rather to give them the tools to tackle their problems.

Mr Guterres underscored the importance of bringing young people to the table as key partners, and praised UNESCO’s efforts to include their voices, which include holding a major event at the General Conference, and the Youth Forum .

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Education transforms lives and is at the heart of UNESCO’s mission to build peace, eradicate poverty and drive sustainable development. It is a human right for all throughout life. The Organization is the only United Nations agency with a mandate to cover all aspects of education. It has been entrusted to lead the Global Education 2030 Agenda through Sustainable Development Goal 4.  

UNESCO provides global and regional leadership in education, strengthens education systems worldwide and responds to contemporary global challenges through education with gender equality as an underlying principle. Its work encompasses quality educational development from pre-school to higher education and beyond.

Join the #DanceForEducation campaign!

As the African Union celebrates 2024 as year of education , UNESCO has teamed up with the internationally acclaimed Ivorian band, Magic System, to launch a new version of the band’s hit song ‘Magic in the Air’. Entitled ‘Education in the Air’, the song has been rewritten to promote education as the key to unlock Africa’s potential.

Let's dance together to remind world leaders of the central role education plays in achieving all Sustainable Development Goals. Join UNESCO's movement and #DanceForEducation. 

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All children are #Borntolearn. But so many never do. Meet  Godfred,   Priscilla ,  Rougui  and  Pape . As part of the GEM Report Spotlight Series , follow the education journeys of four school children in Africa for an exclusive glimpse into their lives as they navigate their paths to learning in diverse contexts. Embark on a virtual journey to explore the unique experiences, aspirations, and accomplishments of these remarkable children.  

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UNESCO believes in the transformative power of education for girls and women in Afghanistan and its fundamental impact on the future generation of Afghan people. Learning how to read and write not only means a better life for girls and women – it also entails a bright future for the society with an empowered population.

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The World Bank Group is the largest financier of education in the developing world, working in 90 countries and committed to helping them reach SDG4: access to inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all by 2030.

Education is a human right, a powerful driver of development, and one of the strongest instruments for reducing poverty and improving health, gender equality, peace, and stability. It delivers large, consistent returns in terms of income, and is the most important factor to ensure equity and inclusion.

For individuals, education promotes employment, earnings, health, and poverty reduction. Globally, there is a  9% increase in hourly earnings for every extra year of schooling . For societies, it drives long-term economic growth, spurs innovation, strengthens institutions, and fosters social cohesion.  Education is further a powerful catalyst to climate action through widespread behavior change and skilling for green transitions.

Developing countries have made tremendous progress in getting children into the classroom and more children worldwide are now in school. But learning is not guaranteed, as the  2018 World Development Report  (WDR) stressed.

Making smart and effective investments in people’s education is critical for developing the human capital that will end extreme poverty. At the core of this strategy is the need to tackle the learning crisis, put an end to  Learning Poverty , and help youth acquire the advanced cognitive, socioemotional, technical and digital skills they need to succeed in today’s world. 

In low- and middle-income countries, the share of children living in  Learning Poverty  (that is, the proportion of 10-year-old children that are unable to read and understand a short age-appropriate text) increased from 57% before the pandemic to an estimated  70%  in 2022.

However, learning is in crisis. More than 70 million more people were pushed into poverty during the COVID pandemic, a billion children lost a year of school , and three years later the learning losses suffered have not been recouped .  If a child cannot read with comprehension by age 10, they are unlikely to become fluent readers. They will fail to thrive later in school and will be unable to power their careers and economies once they leave school.

The effects of the pandemic are expected to be long-lasting. Analysis has already revealed deep losses, with international reading scores declining from 2016 to 2021 by more than a year of schooling.  These losses may translate to a 0.68 percentage point in global GDP growth.  The staggering effects of school closures reach beyond learning. This generation of children could lose a combined total of  US$21 trillion in lifetime earnings  in present value or the equivalent of 17% of today’s global GDP – a sharp rise from the 2021 estimate of a US$17 trillion loss. 

Action is urgently needed now – business as usual will not suffice to heal the scars of the pandemic and will not accelerate progress enough to meet the ambitions of SDG 4. We are urging governments to implement ambitious and aggressive Learning Acceleration Programs to get children back to school, recover lost learning, and advance progress by building better, more equitable and resilient education systems.

Last Updated: Mar 25, 2024

The World Bank’s global education strategy is centered on ensuring learning happens – for everyone, everywhere. Our vision is to ensure that everyone can achieve her or his full potential with access to a quality education and lifelong learning. To reach this, we are helping countries build foundational skills like literacy, numeracy, and socioemotional skills – the building blocks for all other learning. From early childhood to tertiary education and beyond – we help children and youth acquire the skills they need to thrive in school, the labor market and throughout their lives.

Investing in the world’s most precious resource – people – is paramount to ending poverty on a livable planet.  Our experience across more than 100 countries bears out this robust connection between human capital, quality of life, and economic growth: when countries strategically invest in people and the systems designed to protect and build human capital at scale, they unlock the wealth of nations and the potential of everyone.

Building on this, the World Bank supports resilient, equitable, and inclusive education systems that ensure learning happens for everyone. We do this by generating and disseminating evidence, ensuring alignment with policymaking processes, and bridging the gap between research and practice.

The World Bank is the largest source of external financing for education in developing countries, with a portfolio of about $26 billion in 94 countries including IBRD, IDA and Recipient-Executed Trust Funds. IDA operations comprise 62% of the education portfolio.

The investment in FCV settings has increased dramatically and now accounts for 26% of our portfolio.

World Bank projects reach at least 425 million students -one-third of students in low- and middle-income countries.

The World Bank’s Approach to Education

Five interrelated pillars of a well-functioning education system underpin the World Bank’s education policy approach:

• Learners are prepared and motivated to learn;
• Teachers are prepared, skilled, and motivated to facilitate learning and skills acquisition;
• Learning resources (including education technology) are available, relevant, and used to improve teaching and learning;
• Schools are safe and inclusive; and
• Education Systems are well-managed, with good implementation capacity and adequate financing.

The Bank is already helping governments design and implement cost-effective programs and tools to build these pillars.

Our Principles:

• We pursue systemic reform supported by political commitment to learning for all children. 
• We focus on equity and inclusion through a progressive path toward achieving universal access to quality education, including children and young adults in fragile or conflict affected areas , those in marginalized and rural communities,  girls and women , displaced populations,  students with disabilities , and other vulnerable groups.
• We focus on results and use evidence to keep improving policy by using metrics to guide improvements.   
• We want to ensure financial commitment commensurate with what is needed to provide basic services to all. 
• We invest wisely in technology so that education systems embrace and learn to harness technology to support their learning objectives.   

Laying the groundwork for the future

Country challenges vary, but there is a menu of options to build forward better, more resilient, and equitable education systems.

Countries are facing an education crisis that requires a two-pronged approach: first, supporting actions to recover lost time through remedial and accelerated learning; and, second, building on these investments for a more equitable, resilient, and effective system.

Recovering from the learning crisis must be a political priority, backed with adequate financing and the resolve to implement needed reforms.  Domestic financing for education over the last two years has not kept pace with the need to recover and accelerate learning. Across low- and lower-middle-income countries, the  average share of education in government budgets fell during the pandemic , and in 2022 it remained below 2019 levels.

The best chance for a better future is to invest in education and make sure each dollar is put toward improving learning.  In a time of fiscal pressure, protecting spending that yields long-run gains – like spending on education – will maximize impact.  We still need more and better funding for education.  Closing the learning gap will require increasing the level, efficiency, and equity of education spending—spending smarter is an imperative.

• Education technology  can be a powerful tool to implement these actions by supporting teachers, children, principals, and parents; expanding accessible digital learning platforms, including radio/ TV / Online learning resources; and using data to identify and help at-risk children, personalize learning, and improve service delivery.

Looking ahead

We must seize this opportunity  to reimagine education in bold ways. Together, we can build forward better more equitable, effective, and resilient education systems for the world’s children and youth.

Accelerating Improvements

Supporting countries in establishing time-bound learning targets and a focused education investment plan, outlining actions and investments geared to achieve these goals.

Launched in 2020, the  Accelerator Program  works with a set of countries to channel investments in education and to learn from each other. The program coordinates efforts across partners to ensure that the countries in the program show improvements in foundational skills at scale over the next three to five years. These investment plans build on the collective work of multiple partners, and leverage the latest evidence on what works, and how best to plan for implementation.  Countries such as Brazil (the state of Ceará) and Kenya have achieved dramatic reductions in learning poverty over the past decade at scale, providing useful lessons, even as they seek to build on their successes and address remaining and new challenges.  

Universalizing Foundational Literacy

Readying children for the future by supporting acquisition of foundational skills – which are the gateway to other skills and subjects.

The  Literacy Policy Package (LPP)   consists of interventions focused specifically on promoting acquisition of reading proficiency in primary school. These include assuring political and technical commitment to making all children literate; ensuring effective literacy instruction by supporting teachers; providing quality, age-appropriate books; teaching children first in the language they speak and understand best; and fostering children’s oral language abilities and love of books and reading.

Advancing skills through TVET and Tertiary

Ensuring that individuals have access to quality education and training opportunities and supporting links to employment.

Tertiary education and skills systems are a driver of major development agendas, including human capital, climate change, youth and women’s empowerment, and jobs and economic transformation. A comprehensive skill set to succeed in the 21st century labor market consists of foundational and higher order skills, socio-emotional skills, specialized skills, and digital skills. Yet most countries continue to struggle in delivering on the promise of skills development. 

The World Bank is supporting countries through efforts that address key challenges including improving access and completion, adaptability, quality, relevance, and efficiency of skills development programs. Our approach is via multiple channels including projects, global goods, as well as the Tertiary Education and Skills Program . Our recent reports including Building Better Formal TVET Systems and STEERing Tertiary Education provide a way forward for how to improve these critical systems.

Addressing Climate Change

Mainstreaming climate education and investing in green skills, research and innovation, and green infrastructure to spur climate action and foster better preparedness and resilience to climate shocks.

Our approach recognizes that education is critical for achieving effective, sustained climate action. At the same time, climate change is adversely impacting education outcomes. Investments in education can play a huge role in building climate resilience and advancing climate mitigation and adaptation. Climate change education gives young people greater awareness of climate risks and more access to tools and solutions for addressing these risks and managing related shocks. Technical and vocational education and training can also accelerate a green economic transformation by fostering green skills and innovation. Greening education infrastructure can help mitigate the impact of heat, pollution, and extreme weather on learning, while helping address climate change. 

Examples of this work are projects in Nigeria (life skills training for adolescent girls), Vietnam (fostering relevant scientific research) , and Bangladesh (constructing and retrofitting schools to serve as cyclone shelters).

Strengthening Measurement Systems

Enabling countries to gather and evaluate information on learning and its drivers more efficiently and effectively.

The World Bank supports initiatives to help countries effectively build and strengthen their measurement systems to facilitate evidence-based decision-making. Examples of this work include:

(1) The  Global Education Policy Dashboard (GEPD) : This tool offers a strong basis for identifying priorities for investment and policy reforms that are suited to each country context by focusing on the three dimensions of practices, policies, and politics.

• Highlights gaps between what the evidence suggests is effective in promoting learning and what is happening in practice in each system; and
• Allows governments to track progress as they act to close the gaps.

The GEPD has been implemented in 13 education systems already – Peru, Rwanda, Jordan, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sierra Leone, Niger, Gabon, Jordan and Chad – with more expected by the end of 2024.

(2)  Learning Assessment Platform (LeAP) : LeAP is a one-stop shop for knowledge, capacity-building tools, support for policy dialogue, and technical staff expertise to support student achievement measurement and national assessments for better learning.

Supporting Successful Teachers

Helping systems develop the right selection, incentives, and support to the professional development of teachers.

Currently, the World Bank Education Global Practice has over 160 active projects supporting over 18 million teachers worldwide, about a third of the teacher population in low- and middle-income countries. In 12 countries alone, these projects cover 16 million teachers, including all primary school teachers in Ethiopia and Turkey, and over 80% in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Vietnam.

A World Bank-developed classroom observation tool, Teach, was designed to capture the quality of teaching in low- and middle-income countries. It is now 3.6 million students.

While Teach helps identify patterns in teacher performance, Coach leverages these insights to support teachers to improve their teaching practice through hands-on in-service teacher professional development (TPD).

Our recent report on Making Teacher Policy Work proposes a practical framework to uncover the black box of effective teacher policy and discusses the factors that enable their scalability and sustainability.

 Supporting Education Finance Systems

Strengthening country financing systems to mobilize resources for education and make better use of their investments in education.

Our approach is to bring together multi-sectoral expertise to engage with ministries of education and finance and other stakeholders to develop and implement effective and efficient public financial management systems; build capacity to monitor and evaluate education spending, identify financing bottlenecks, and develop interventions to strengthen financing systems; build the evidence base on global spending patterns and the magnitude and causes of spending inefficiencies; and develop diagnostic tools as public goods to support country efforts.

Working in Fragile, Conflict, and Violent (FCV) Contexts

The massive and growing global challenge of having so many children living in conflict and violent situations requires a response at the same scale and scope. Our education engagement in the Fragility, Conflict and Violence (FCV) context, which stands at US$5.35 billion, has grown rapidly in recent years, reflecting the ever-increasing importance of the FCV agenda in education. Indeed, these projects now account for more than 25% of the World Bank education portfolio.

Education is crucial to minimizing the effects of fragility and displacement on the welfare of youth and children in the short-term and preventing the emergence of violent conflict in the long-term. 

Support to Countries Throughout the Education Cycle

Our support to countries covers the entire learning cycle, to help shape resilient, equitable, and inclusive education systems that ensure learning happens for everyone. 

The ongoing  Supporting  Egypt  Education Reform project , 2018-2025, supports transformational reforms of the Egyptian education system, by improving teaching and learning conditions in public schools. The World Bank has invested $500 million in the project focused on increasing access to quality kindergarten, enhancing the capacity of teachers and education leaders, developing a reliable student assessment system, and introducing the use of modern technology for teaching and learning. Specifically, the share of Egyptian 10-year-old students, who could read and comprehend at the global minimum proficiency level, increased to 45 percent in 2021.

In  Nigeria , the $75 million  Edo  Basic Education Sector and Skills Transformation (EdoBESST)  project, running from 2020-2024, is focused on improving teaching and learning in basic education. Under the project, which covers 97 percent of schools in the state, there is a strong focus on incorporating digital technologies for teachers. They were equipped with handheld tablets with structured lesson plans for their classes. Their coaches use classroom observation tools to provide individualized feedback. Teacher absence has reduced drastically because of the initiative. Over 16,000 teachers were trained through the project, and the introduction of technology has also benefited students.

Through the $235 million  School Sector Development Program  in  Nepal  (2017-2022), the number of children staying in school until Grade 12 nearly tripled, and the number of out-of-school children fell by almost seven percent. During the pandemic, innovative approaches were needed to continue education. Mobile phone penetration is high in the country. More than four in five households in Nepal have mobile phones. The project supported an educational service that made it possible for children with phones to connect to local radio that broadcast learning programs.

From 2017-2023, the $50 million  Strengthening of State Universities  in  Chile  project has made strides to improve quality and equity at state universities. The project helped reduce dropout: the third-year dropout rate fell by almost 10 percent from 2018-2022, keeping more students in school.

The World Bank’s first  Program-for-Results financing in education  was through a $202 million project in  Tanzania , that ran from 2013-2021. The project linked funding to results and aimed to improve education quality. It helped build capacity, and enhanced effectiveness and efficiency in the education sector. Through the project, learning outcomes significantly improved alongside an unprecedented expansion of access to education for children in Tanzania. From 2013-2019, an additional 1.8 million students enrolled in primary schools. In 2019, the average reading speed for Grade 2 students rose to 22.3 words per minute, up from 17.3 in 2017. The project laid the foundation for the ongoing $500 million  BOOST project , which supports over 12 million children to enroll early, develop strong foundational skills, and complete a quality education.

The $40 million  Cambodia  Secondary Education Improvement project , which ran from 2017-2022, focused on strengthening school-based management, upgrading teacher qualifications, and building classrooms in Cambodia, to improve learning outcomes, and reduce student dropout at the secondary school level. The project has directly benefited almost 70,000 students in 100 target schools, and approximately 2,000 teachers and 600 school administrators received training.

The World Bank is co-financing the $152.80 million  Yemen  Restoring Education and Learning Emergency project , running from 2020-2024, which is implemented through UNICEF, WFP, and Save the Children. It is helping to maintain access to basic education for many students, improve learning conditions in schools, and is working to strengthen overall education sector capacity. In the time of crisis, the project is supporting teacher payments and teacher training, school meals, school infrastructure development, and the distribution of learning materials and school supplies. To date, almost 600,000 students have benefited from these interventions.

The $87 million  Providing an Education of Quality in  Haiti  project supported approximately 380 schools in the Southern region of Haiti from 2016-2023. Despite a highly challenging context of political instability and recurrent natural disasters, the project successfully supported access to education for students. The project provided textbooks, fresh meals, and teacher training support to 70,000 students, 3,000 teachers, and 300 school directors. It gave tuition waivers to 35,000 students in 118 non-public schools. The project also repaired 19 national schools damaged by the 2021 earthquake, which gave 5,500 students safe access to their schools again.

In 2013, just 5% of the poorest households in  Uzbekistan  had children enrolled in preschools. Thanks to the  Improving Pre-Primary and General Secondary Education Project , by July 2019, around 100,000 children will have benefitted from the half-day program in 2,420 rural kindergartens, comprising around 49% of all preschool educational institutions, or over 90% of rural kindergartens in the country.

In addition to working closely with governments in our client countries, the World Bank also works at the global, regional, and local levels with a range of technical partners, including foundations, non-profit organizations, bilaterals, and other multilateral organizations. Some examples of our most recent global partnerships include:

UNICEF, UNESCO, FCDO, USAID, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation:  Coalition for Foundational Learning

The World Bank is working closely with UNICEF, UNESCO, FCDO, USAID, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as the  Coalition for Foundational Learning  to advocate and provide technical support to ensure foundational learning.  The World Bank works with these partners to promote and endorse the  Commitment to Action on Foundational Learning , a global network of countries committed to halving the global share of children unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10 by 2030.

Australian Aid, Bernard van Leer Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Canada, Echida Giving, FCDO, German Cooperation, William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, Conrad Hilton Foundation, LEGO Foundation, Porticus, USAID: Early Learning Partnership

The Early Learning Partnership (ELP) is a multi-donor trust fund, housed at the World Bank.  ELP leverages World Bank strengths—a global presence, access to policymakers and strong technical analysis—to improve early learning opportunities and outcomes for young children around the world.

We help World Bank teams and countries get the information they need to make the case to invest in Early Childhood Development (ECD), design effective policies and deliver impactful programs. At the country level, ELP grants provide teams with resources for early seed investments that can generate large financial commitments through World Bank finance and government resources. At the global level, ELP research and special initiatives work to fill knowledge gaps, build capacity and generate public goods.

UNESCO, UNICEF:  Learning Data Compact

UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Bank have joined forces to close the learning data gaps that still exist and that preclude many countries from monitoring the quality of their education systems and assessing if their students are learning. The three organizations have agreed to a  Learning Data Compact , a commitment to ensure that all countries, especially low-income countries, have at least one quality measure of learning by 2025, supporting coordinated efforts to strengthen national assessment systems.

UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS):   Learning Poverty Indicator

Aimed at measuring and urging attention to foundational literacy as a prerequisite to achieve SDG4, this partnership was launched in 2019 to help countries strengthen their learning assessment systems, better monitor what students are learning in internationally comparable ways and improve the breadth and quality of global data on education.

FCDO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation:  EdTech Hub

Supported by the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the EdTech Hub is aimed at improving the quality of ed-tech investments. The Hub launched a rapid response Helpdesk service to provide just-in-time advisory support to 70 low- and middle-income countries planning education technology and remote learning initiatives.

MasterCard Foundation

Our Tertiary Education and Skills  global program, launched with support from the Mastercard Foundation, aims to prepare youth and adults for the future of work and society by improving access to relevant, quality, equitable reskilling and post-secondary education opportunities.  It is designed to reframe, reform, and rebuild tertiary education and skills systems for the digital and green transformation.

Bridging the AI divide: Breaking down barriers to ensure women’s leadership and participation in the Fifth Industrial Revolution

Common challenges and tailored solutions: How policymakers are strengthening early learning systems across the world

Compulsory education boosts learning outcomes and climate action

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Every child has the right to learn..

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A child’s right to education entails the right to learn. Yet, for too many children across the globe, schooling does not lead to learning.

Over 600 million children worldwide are unable to attain minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics, even though two thirds of them are in school. For out-of-school children, foundational skills in literacy and numeracy are further from grasp.

Children are deprived of education for various reasons. Poverty remains one of the most obstinate barriers. Children living through economic fragility, political instability, conflict or natural disaster are more likely to be cut off from schooling – as are those with disabilities, or from ethnic minorities. In some countries, education opportunities for girls remain severely limited.

Even in schools, a lack of trained teachers, inadequate education materials and poor infrastructure make learning difficult for many students. Others come to class too hungry, ill or exhausted from work or household tasks to benefit from their lessons.

Compounding these inequities is a digital divide of growing concern: Most of the world’s school-aged children do not have internet connection in their homes, restricting their opportunities to further their learning and skills development.

Without quality education, children face considerable barriers to employment later in life. They are more likely to suffer adverse health outcomes and less likely to participate in decisions that affect them – threatening their ability to shape a better future for themselves and their societies.

Education is a basic human right. In 147 countries around the world, UNICEF works to provide quality learning opportunities that prepare children and adolescents with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive. We focus on:

Equitable access : Access to quality education and skills development must be equitable and inclusive for all children and adolescents, regardless of who they are or where they live. We make targeted efforts to reach children who are excluded from education and learning on the basis of gender, disability, poverty, ethnicity and language. 

Quality learning : Outcomes must be at the centre of our work to close the gap between what students are learning and what they need to thrive in their communities and future jobs. Quality learning requires a safe, friendly environment, qualified and motivated teachers, and instruction in languages students can understand. It also requires that education outcomes be monitored and feed back into instruction.

Education in emergencies : Children living through conflict, natural disaster and displacement are in urgent need of educational support. Crises not only halt children’s learning but also roll back their gains. In many emergencies, UNICEF is the largest provider of educational support throughout humanitarian response, working with UNHCR, WFP and other partners.

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Education Improves Public Health and Promotes Health Equity

Robert a. hahn.

1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

Benedict I. Truman

This article describes a framework and empirical evidence to support the argument that educational programs and policies are crucial public health interventions. Concepts of education and health are developed and linked, and we review a wide range of empirical studies to clarify pathways of linkage and explore implications. Basic educational expertise and skills, including fundamental knowledge, reasoning ability, emotional self-regulation, and interactional abilities, are critical components of health. Moreover, education is a fundamental social determinant of health – an upstream cause of health. Programs that close gaps in educational outcomes between low-income or racial and ethnic minority populations and higher-income or majority populations are needed to promote health equity. Public health policy makers, health practitioners and educators, and departments of health and education can collaborate to implement educational programs and policies for which systematic evidence indicates clear public health benefits.

Education is a process and a product . From a societal perspective, the process of education (from the Latin, ducere, “to lead,” and e, “out from,” yield education, “a leading out”) intentionally engages the receptive capacities of children and others to imbue them with knowledge, skills of reasoning, values, socio-emotional awareness and control, and social interaction, so they can grow as engaged, productive, creative, and self-governing members of a society. 1 Of course, not all educational institutions achieve these goals for all children – far from it; educational institutions in the United States often fall short of goals, and too many students may be led into school failure, social dysfunction, and marginal living conditions with lifelong disadvantages.

Not all learning is acquired in a formal school setting. The process of education occurs at home, in school, and in the child’s community. Children in the United States spend a relatively small proportion of their waking hours in school – approximately 1,000 hours per year or about one fifth of their waking hours. 2 Thus there are many opportunities for informal education outside the school setting. 3 When researchers find evidence linking mental capacities, knowledge, feelings, and values with health outcomes, 4 not all consequences can be attributed to formal education.

As the product of the educational process, an education is the array of knowledge, skills, and capacities (ie, intellectual, socio-emotional, physical, productive, and interactive) acquired by a learner through formal and experiential learning. An education is an attribute of a person. And, although a person may be said to “have” a certain level of education at any particular moment, educational attainment is a dynamic, ever-evolving array of knowledge, skills, and capacities.

Although we conceive of education broadly, including both its formal and informal sources, the focus of our evidence review is the formal education that is measured in most research. Our recommendation also focuses on the formal education, from early childhood to college and beyond, that is, the subject of educational policy and, we argue, should also be the subject of public health policy.

In public health, researchers and practitioners have examined 3 principal relationships between education and health. First, health is a prerequisite for education : hungry children or children who cannot hear well, or who have chronic toothaches, eg, are hindered in their learning. 5 Second, education about health (ie, health education) occurs within schools and in many public health interventions; it is a central tool of public health. 6 Third, physical education in schools combines education about the importance of physical activity for health with promoting such activity. 7 Here we focus on 2 additional relationships between education and health. First, we propose that education as a personal attribute is a central conceptual component and essential element of health , similar to physical fitness. Second, we summarize the extensive literature demonstrating that formal education is a contributing cause of health .

We argue that education – the product and personal attribute acquired – is both a critical component of a person’s health and a contributing cause of other elements of the person’s concurrent and future health. Consistent with other definitions of health, a person who lacks basic elements of an education is not fully healthy. 8 , 9 For example, the 1978 Alma Ata International Conference on Primary Health Care defined “health” to include “a state of complete…mental and social well-being” – which we see as largely products of education. Attainment of a certain level of formal education by young adulthood affects lifelong health through multiple pathways. 8 , 10

We then argue that, because it is both an essential component and a major contributing cause of health, educational achievement broadly should be a legitimate arena for public health intervention. Thus, public health practitioners could legitimately promote educational programs to advance public health. Education should also be recognized as an essential requirement for the disruption of the cycle of poverty and inequities in health. The public health community should expand research to better understand the causal relationships between education and health, and thereby identify evidence-based educational policies that have great potential to improve public health.

A Broad Concept of Education

We propose a broad concept of education as a personal attribute, which includes not only subject-matter knowledge, reasoning, and problem-solving skills, but also awareness of one’s own emotions and those of others and control of one’s emotions (ie, “emotional intelligence”) 11 and associated abilities to interact effectively. “Education improves health because it increases effective agency, enhancing a sense of personal control that encourages and enables a healthy lifestyle. Education’s beneficial effects are pervasive, cumulative, and self-amplifying, growing across the life course.” 12

In 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education’s report, A Nation at Risk , launched a national conversation about the need for educational reform. 13 In 1990, the US Department of Labor initiated a program – the Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills – to determine critical capacities for a US workforce to be provided by the educational system. 14 The capacities proposed were based on “a three-part foundation” reflecting the broad notion of education that we propose: Basic Skills (reading, writing, arithmetic, mathematics, listening, speaking), Thinking Skills (creative thinking, decision making, problem solving, seeing things in the mind’s eye, knowing how to learn, reasoning), and Personal Qualities (responsibility, self-esteem, sociability, self-management, integrity/honesty). The project recommends as a central educational goal: “All American high school students must develop a new set of competencies and foundation skills if they are to enjoy a productive, full, and satisfying life.” 14 (p1) We would expand this list of outcomes to include a healthy life.

Education as an Element of Health

In our conception, basic education is an integral part of being healthy. A person is unhealthy if he or she lacks basic knowledge, the ability to reason, emotional capacities of self-awareness and emotional regulation, and skills of social interaction. These embodied personal attributes or mental capacities, the products of formal education as well as other learning experiences, are conceptually comparable to physical capacities of fitness and coordination – well-established components of health. “Education teaches a person to use his or her mind: Learning, thinking, reasoning, solving problems, and so on are mental exercises that may keep the central nervous system in shape the same way that physical exercise keeps the body in shape.” 8 (p738) A person is unhealthy who cannot conduct himself or herself effectively and achieve some level of “social well-being” – a critical element of the World Health Organization (WHO) conception of health, which recognized the contributions of social sectors beyond the health sector in promoting health. 9

The projects of several US and international health agencies reflect this concept of education as a component of health. For example, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes “cognitive health” in its Healthy Aging Program; although the focus of this program is prevention and control of Alzheimer’s disease, the “cognitive health” rubric suggests far broader considerations: “The public health community should embrace cognitive health as a priority, invest in its promotion, and enhance our ability to move scientific discoveries rapidly into public health practice.” 15 (p1) The National Institutes for Health similarly has a “healthy brain” program that recognizes cognitive as well as emotional capacities as elements of health. 16

Similar concepts are recognized internationally by the WHO, in accordance with its definition of health cited above. More recently, a WHO paper 17 included cognition and affect as 2 of 6 domains for the international comparison of health status .

Measures of Education as a Personal Attribute

Education is measured in a variety of ways. A common measure, years of schooling/educational attainment, is problematic insofar as time spent in school gives little indication of how the time is spent and what is learned. 2 School-level completion may be a better measure, but also varies in terms of the quality and quantity of what is learned. Standardized tests of subject-matter knowledge and reasoning skills may be still better for some purposes, but may offer challenges when compared across populations. 18

Some 19 , 20 have argued that teacher-assigned grades are an alternate, if not better, predictor of long-term outcomes than standardized tests because they reflect not only academic achievement, but also classroom social and learning skills that indicate abilities to learn and to interact successfully. The breadth of skills addressed by this measure better reflects the broad concept of education argued here. Subjectivity, personal preferences, and comparability are challenges with teacher-assigned grades as a measure of achievement.

Evidence of Causal Association

It may seem odd that, in the perspective developed here, education – the product and the personal attribute – is at once an element of health and a cause of health. The relationship is similar to that of physical fitness and health. Fitness is an element of health and an important cause of subsequent health – not only of physical fitness, but of other facets of health as well, including cardiac health and mental health. 21 – 23 In addition to providing extensive evidence that education is associated with health, we argue that the underlying causal process is conceptually similar to the causal relationships between physical activity or an infectious agent and health. We provide some evidence of causation, noting that the notion of causal proof in a traditional deterministic sense has been challenged. 24

Criteria to determine causality in public health developed by Sir Bradford-Hill in 1965 25 are still useful. They are:

• Strength of association linking hypothetical cause and outcome (as assessed, eg, by the magnitude of relative risks)
• Consistency of findings, eg, by different researchers in different settings
• Specificity – the connection of specific, narrow causes to specific outcomes
• Temporal sequence—the necessity of cause preceding consequence
• Dose–response relationship
• Plausibility in terms of current knowledge
• Coherence – similar to plausibility, the fit with other contemporary knowledge
• Experiment – offering the strongest support
• Analogy – the comparability of postulated causality with causality in similar phenomena

Most of the Bradford-Hill criteria clearly apply when linking education to health. An obvious exception is specificity, because education itself is a broad concept including many elements, and the causal consequences of education are also numerous and heterogeneous. Bradford-Hill did not regard specificity as essential, as in the case of cigarette smoke with its multiple health consequences. As Susser has argued, “Specificity enhances the plausibility of causal inference, but lack of specificity does not negate it.” 26 (p153)

The associations presented below satisfy several standard criteria for causation. At least 3 approaches are used: 1) observational cohort studies with concurrent controls, 2) natural quasi-experiments in education policy, and 3) educational experiments. In the sections that follow, we provide samples of evidence of the causal association between education and health, assessed first by various health-related outcomes: health risk and protective behaviors, wages and income (resources for health), self-assessed health, morbidity, mortality, and life expectancy. We then provide evidence from experimental studies. The literature on these topics is extensive 4 , 8 and here we describe only a few examples, from early childhood and beyond. Evidence of the association between measures of education – the personal attribute – and other health-related outcomes is positive, strong, and consistent.

Health Risk and Protective Behaviors Are Associated With Academic Achievement

Evidence of an association between high school student grades and risk behaviors in the United States is remarkably consistent; higher average grade achievement is associated with lower rates of risk behavior ( Figure 1 ). 27 One plausible explanation is that there is causation in the reverse direction of what is proposed here, ie, that risk behavior interferes with academic achievement; such reverse causation seems reasonable, eg, for watching television and using alcohol. Also plausible is that other factors, such as strong values, promote both academic achievement and self-protective behaviors, or that academic achievement is associated with knowledge, which leads to risk avoidance. Another explanation is that underlying psychological or environmental conditions are associated with risk behavior and academic problems. Causation in both directions is likely. The consistency of a dose response for multiple behaviors is consistent with an effect of educational success on the avoidance of risky behavior.

Health-risk behaviors and school grades, United States, 2009.

Source: www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/health_and_academics/pdf/health_risk_behaviors.pdf .

There is also strong evidence of a dose response between years of education and many health-related risk and protective behaviors among US adults. Analysis of a representative survey of adults aged >25 years between 1990 and 2000 indicates that the prevalence of several risk behaviors is generally higher among those with fewer than nine years of formal education, begins to decline among those who have nine to 12 years of formal education, and continues to decline with additional years of education; this finding corresponds to the recognized importance of high school completion for subsequent health. 28 , 29

Wages and Income, Resources for Health, Are Associated With Educational Success

Wages and income are not health outcomes, but are closely linked with health outcomes because they provide access to health-related resources, such as healthy food, a safe environment, and healthcare. A recent analysis 30 of trends in US wages over more than 20 years finds higher wages consistently associated with higher educational attainment and a trend toward increasing differences in wages by educational status. In the causal chain, high educational attainment is antecedent to high wages or income. A recent study 31 linking individual kindergarten standardized achievement tests with wages at ages 25–27 years indicates a remarkable linear association accounting for 17% of the variability in the wage outcome – 20 years later ( Figure 2 ). Although high family income precedes and predicts educational success in children, controlling for such demographic characteristics of the kindergartner (including family income, household ownership, and marital status) diminishes, but by no means eliminates, the association found in this study.

Association between kindergarten test score percentiles and mean wage earnings, ages 25–27 years, Tennessee STAR program.

Source: Chetty, 2010.

Self-Assessed Health Is Associated With Educational Attainment

Self-assessed health is a well-established index of morbidity and predictor of mortality. 32 , 33 A recent study compares the association of educational attainment with self-assessed health in US and Canadian populations. 34 , 35 Controlling for basic demographics and income, those with less than a high school education in the United States are 2.4 times as likely as high school graduates and 4.1 times as likely as those with post-secondary education to rate their health as poor. Further adjusting these ratios for risk behaviors only moderately reduces the ratios, suggesting that education is related to self-reported health due to important factors in addition to risk behaviors.

It is plausible that health status affects the likelihood of educational achievement, but it is likely that the major force of causation is in the opposite direction. Not only is educational attainment closely associated with self-rated health, but the association increases with age when measured by the number of days per week reported as free of major symptoms. With increasing age, the gap in symptom-free days increases between those with a college degree, those with a high school degree or some college, and those with less than a high school degree, suggesting that the effects of education are pervasive throughout the lifespan, and that its consequences have cumulative effects on health over time. 36

Morbidity is Associated With Educational Attainment

In the United States, although higher self-reported rates of several conditions, such as prostate cancer and sinusitis, are reported among more adults with greater levels of education, for most conditions the reverse direction of association is evident. Rates of major circulatory diseases, diabetes, liver disease, and several psychological symptoms (sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness) show higher rates among adults with lower educational attainment. 35

Mortality and Life Expectancy Are Associated With Educational Attainment

Evidence also exists of a strong association between educational attainment and mortality from many diseases. 37 The parallel relationship for three heterogeneous groups of illness or injury again suggests an underlying connection unrelated to the specific etiologic pathways of each cause of death ( Figure 3 ). 37 In addition, the modal age for completing formal education (the mid-20 s) substantially precedes the peak age for mortality in the United States (77 years of age) by many years, consistent with another Bradford-Hill principle, ie, the precedence of cause before effect.

Age-adjusted death rates among persons ages 25–64 years for several condition groupings, by sex and educational attainment. Selected US states, 1994–2005.

From the perspective of life expectancy, at age 25 in 2005, a man in the United States with less than a high school education could expect to live an additional 44.2 years to age 69.2 years; a man with a graduate degree could expect to live more than 15 years longer. At age 25 years, a woman in the United States with less than a high school education could expect to live to age 74.9 years; a woman with a graduate degree could expect to live more than 11 years longer. 38

Educational Experiments and Quasi-Experiments

True experiments in the field of education are uncommon. Nevertheless, several experiments have been conducted. Groups of children, often from low-income or minority families, have been exposed, sometimes with random assignment, to different forms of education and followed over time to determine long-term outcomes, including health-related outcomes, as shown in the following 3 examples of early childhood programs.

In the early 1960s, 3- and 4-year-olds with low IQs from low-income families were randomly assigned to either the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program – an educational program including home visits – or no intervention. Home visits were designed to strengthen parental engagement in the child’s education. Participants were periodically assessed until age 40. 39 Over several follow-up assessments, intervention participants had greater levels of educational attainment, income, and health insurance, lived in safer family environments, and had lower rates of tobacco and drug use and risky driving behavior than controls. At age 40 years, however, more intervention than control participants had chronic diseases, but fewer intervention participants had died.

In 1972, healthy infants at risk of academic difficulties because of their demographic circumstances (eg, poor, minority, single parents) were randomly assigned to the Carolina Abecedarian Project or a control intervention (offered social services, nutritional supplements, and healthcare services, but no educational program). 40 The Abecedarian preschool program focused on developing cognitive, social, language, and motor skills from birth through age 5 years. Before entering kindergarten, control and experimental children were again randomized into either routine schooling or a strengthened school program complemented by home visits for parental guidance to reinforce child learning. At follow-up, both the preschool and the early schooling programs were shown to be beneficial in terms of academic achievement; the preschool program had the larger effect. By age 21 years, participants in the early childhood education intervention (combining those with and without the strengthened primary school programming) had better health behaviors and better health than those who did not receive the early childhood education intervention. 41 By their mid-30 s, those exposed to the intervention, particularly males, had substantially more favorable cardiovascular risk profiles than those exposed to the control condition. 42

Finally, though not a true experiment, the Chicago Child-Parent Center program followed two groups of poor Chicago children aged 3 and 4 years: one exposed to an early childhood program and the other not exposed. Children residing in Chicago districts with federally funded kindergarten programs were eligible and selected on a “most-in-need basis”; comparison children lived in similarly poor neighborhoods with locally funded kindergarten programs. The Chicago Child-Parent Center provided educational enrichment from prekindergarten through the third grade, required parental involvement in the classroom a half-day per week, and provided nutrition and health services. At age 24 years, in comparison with control subjects, participants had lower rates of out-of-home placement (indicating child abuse), lower rates of arrests and conviction for violent behaviors, and lower rates of disability. 43

A recent review of the effects of early childhood educational programs indicates that programs with strong instructional components and those evaluated with strong study designs have large and enduring effects on the educational, social, and health outcomes of participants. 44

Several researchers have made use of natural quasi-experiments involving education policies that rapidly change years of schooling required, to evaluate the effects of the requirement on health-related and other outcomes. When state educational requirements change from 1 year to the next from 7 to 9 years, eg, cohorts of children of a certain age in that state will receive approximately 7 years of education, while their younger siblings will receive 9 years. The state where this policy is implemented may be compared by regression discontinuity analysis from before to after the change, but also with other states that have not made this change at the same time.

In one such study, Lleras-Muney 45 uses a sample of US census data to estimate the effects on mortality of changes in compulsory education requirements in 30 states, comparing birth cohorts before and after such changes between 1915 and 1939 with long-term follow-up data. Lleras-Muney concludes that each year of additional required schooling resulted in a reduction of mortality by 3.6% over 10 years, or gain of 1.7 years to life expectancy at 35 years of age. Although these data are old, it is likely that the general effects of increased educational requirements on mortality have not changed substantially. Other researchers have used regression discontinuity analysis to estimate the effects of education on rates of crime, arrest, and incarceration in the United States 46 and on teenage births in the United States and Norway. 47 Among researchers using this design, only Arendt 48 finds equivocal evidence regarding the effects of additional years of education on self-rated health, body mass index, and smoking in the United States, Canada, and Denmark. The heterogeneity of conditions affected by educational exposure again suggests a broad, nonspecific underlying “mechanism.”

The Fallacy of the Endowment Hypothesis

Gottfredson has proposed that intelligence – innate intellectual and associated ability – rather than educational attainment is the “fundamental cause” of socioeconomic inequalities in health, a proposal referred to as the “endowment hypothesis.” 49 Several basic features distinguish Gottfredson’s notion of intelligence from the concept of education as defined in this article: intelligence is regarded as “natural, not cultural,” “context-free,” and “highly heritable” – indicating a largely innate, biological foundation, little affected by environmental variability. From this vantage, education as conceived in this article may be regarded as largely determined by intelligence insofar as those with greater intelligence are both more likely to seek education and to succeed in acquiring it.

Gottfredson’s hypothesis is explicitly evaluated by others in a study of 2 US cohorts that assesses the contributions of education, income, and intelligence to 3 health outcomes: mortality, life-threatening illness, and self-rated health. 50 The researchers posit an alternative model, in which there are underlying “background influences on [socioeconomic status] and intelligence.” In this model, intelligence affects education and income, and both of these socioeconomic status characteristics in turn affect intelligence; a summary of research on this linkage 51 indicates that a year of education is associated with a gain of between 2 and 4 IQ points. In both study cohorts, intelligence during high school is measured by standardized and validated tests, the Henmon-Nelson test and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. The researchers find generally consistent evidence of pairwise dose–response associations between levels of education, income, and intelligence with each of 3 health outcomes.

The researchers then examine the questions: what is the effect of controlling the association of education and health outcomes for intelligence; of income and health outcomes controlling for intelligence; and of intelligence and health outcomes controlling for both education and income? This assessment allows answering 2 basic questions: how much does intelligence contribute to the effects of education and of income on health, ie, what are the effects of these determinants net the contribution of intelligence? And, to what extent are the effects of intelligence on health mediated by income and education? The researchers find that separately controlling the effects of education and income on health outcomes for intelligence alters the coefficients for education and income minimally and leaves all associations statistically significant at the 0.05 level or less, indicating that little of the effect of education on health is mediated by intelligence.

The effects of controlling the effects of intelligence on health for education and income are more complex. Only 1 of the 2 surveys finds a significant effect of intelligence on mortality ( P <.05); controlling for education and income eliminates the significance of this finding. Thus, the effect of intelligence on mortality is largely mediated by income and education. Both surveys find statistically significant effects of intelligence for both life-threatening illnesses and self-rated health; however, the effect magnitudes are diminished by a mean of 69.4% and statistical significance is again eliminated for all findings except for self-rated health in one of the surveys. These findings indicate that the effects of intelligence on health outcomes are largely mediated by education and income. 50 There is thus substantial evidence that education has a strong effect on health, independent of background intelligence. Innate intelligence may be a “fundamental cause” principally insofar as it leads to higher education and income.

Causal Pathways and Evidence Linking Education and Health

Building on the work of others, 10 , 52 we constructed a model indicating the three major pathways linking education and health outcomes in adulthood and including the several facets of education – knowledge, problem solving, emotional awareness and self-regulation, values, and interactional skills ( Figure 4 ). First is the psycho-social environment, including the individual’s sense of control, social standing, and social support, which reflects and bolsters capacity and agency. Second is work, through which the individual may achieve satisfaction and income, which allows access to many health-related resources. Finally, healthy behavior may protect an individual against health risks and facilitate negotiation of the healthcare system.

Pathways from educational attainment to health outcomes.

Ross and Wu 8 used 2 national probability samples of US adults to assess the effects of completed education on self-perceived health and reported physical functioning. They first assessed the association between education and each of three broad covariate groups – psycho-social environment; work; and health knowledge, literacy, and behaviors – that are themselves determinants of health outcomes ( Figure 4 ). 8 For each data source, they began with a model including as covariates only demographic characteristics of their samples. To the basic model, they first added employment and economic covariates, then social-psychological covariates, and finally risk behavior covariates, noting the changes in regression coefficients for educational exposures on health outcomes. This approach allowed assessment of the magnitude of each of these groups of covariates as pathways linking education to health-related outcomes. However, the relative contribution of each group of factors cannot be determined precisely, because these groups are unlikely to be causally independent, and covariate groups entered into the regression early are thus likely to show greater reductions in regression coefficients than those entered later.

In both samples, education was associated with all covariates in expected directions. The largest effect was for work-related variables, including income. Those with lower income not only had limited resources useful in maintaining health, but also may have experienced anxieties that exacerbate health problems. The effects of psycho-social resources were also statistically significant and of similar magnitude. Risk behavior and knowledge also contributed to the association between education and health by both measures. The 3 clusters of covariates together explain between 55% and 59% of the variance in self-reported health and between 46% and 71% of physical functioning in these surveys. This suggests that the smallest contribution to health outcomes is associated with health behaviors, which were entered last into the regression model. In both samples, education has a significant residual “direct” effect, independent of the three examined pathways. In summary, education’s association with improved health is attributable to greater work opportunities and rewards, a greater sense of control and social support, healthier behaviors, and a direct effect on health. Similar results are found by Cutler and Lleras-Muney, 28 who use different sources to assess associations between educational attainment, health behaviors, and mortality in the United States and Great Britain.

In a separate study, Ross and Mirowsky 53 provide evidence that the effect of higher levels of education on health is mediated principally by its contents, including values and skills imparted, and far less by means of status markers such as the diploma or the prestige of the degree-granting institution. Evidence for this conclusion derives from a regression analysis of national data including measures of years of education, receipt of diplomas, and school selectivity (based on test scores of entering freshmen). In another study, Reynolds and Ross 54 provide evidence that “the direct effect of education on well-being is greater than the direct effect of social origins, and the total effect of social origins is mediated mostly by education.” 54 (p226) Evidence derives from a regression analysis of two national data sources in which the researchers control for parental education, father’s occupation, and childhood poverty. They also find that a person’s level of education has a far greater effect on health if his or her parents were poorly educated than if they were well-educated. Unfortunately, in our society, parental and child educational levels are highly positively correlated, so that the children of parents with little education, who might benefit the most from higher levels of education, are least likely to receive that education. 55

Ross and Mirowsky 55 (pp597,598) conclude (emphasis added): “…certain policy implications follow. First, education policy is health policy. Second, health policy must address the educational opportunities of children raised by poorly-educated parents. Otherwise those children, in adulthood, will suffer the multiplicative health consequences of low parental education and low personal education…Structural amplification condemns some families to the concentration of low education with poor health across generations… Break that mediating link, and the moderating effect of higher education will suppress the health disadvantages of the socially disadvantaged origins. ”

High Societal Price in Health of Education Forgone

An estimate of the number of annual deaths attributable to lack of high school education among persons 25–64 years of age in the United States (237,410) exceeds the number of deaths attributed to cigarette smoking among persons 35–64 years of age (163,500) (Krueger et al., unpublished manuscript, 2013). 56 (The estimate of smoking-attributable mortality does not include adults younger than 35 years of age because mortality from smoking is negligible at this age.)

Several recent estimates have been made of economic costs to individuals, the government, and society of the failure of each American to achieve an optimal education. Although it may be argued that there is a moral duty to redress injustice and inequity regardless of cost, these estimates indicate the economic magnitude of this loss and the potential value of its redress.

Schoeni and colleagues 57 , 58 estimate the annual economic value of health forgone in the United States in 2006 by adults who lack a college education. For a population of 138 million aged 25 years or older with less than a college education, the economic value of the life and health forgone is US$1.02 trillion per year – 7.7% of US gross domestic product.

Levin and colleagues 59 provide an estimate of benefits to the government (in 2004 dollars) if those who did not finish high school had completed a high school education (or higher) with a diploma. Based on governmental benefits of income taxes associated with greater earnings of high school graduates and reduced costs of welfare and incarceration, Medicaid, and lifetime savings of approximately US$40,000 per capita in public health expenses, they estimated a total lifetime benefit of US$209,000 for each high school dropout if he or she had instead completed high school. They then examined the costs and benefits of 5 programs with demonstrated efficacy in improving rates of high school completion. Cost–benefit ratios range from 1.5 to 3.5, indicating substantial governmental benefit. 59

Education as a Domain of Public Health Action

Just as many areas of daily life are recognized domains of legitimate public health action – agriculture (eg, nutrition and food safety), transportation (eg, vehicle injuries, air pollution, and walking), immigration (eg, immigrant health and infection control), justice (eg, violent crime and prison health), urban design (eg, safety, walkable communities, and food deserts), and labor (eg, occupational safety and health) – so should education (beyond health education in schools) be recognized as a legitimate domain of public health action. Education is a critical component of health and, we argue, education is a major, long-term, multifaceted cause of health. In particular, education is a powerful means of breaking the cycle of poverty (which greatly affects ethnic and racial minority populations) and promoting health equity.(As this article was in press, the authors encountered an excellent paper by Cohen and Syme 60 which draws similar conclusions.)

Several federal agencies have supported “health in all policies,” 61 particularly through the National Prevention, Health Promotion and Public Health Council. 62 The US Department of Health and Human Services includes in its mission 63 to “engage multiple sectors to take actions to strengthen policies and improve practices that are driven by the best available evidence and knowledge” and in its overarching goals to “Create social and physical environments that promote good health for all.”

States and the District of Columbia have also adopted a “health in all policies” perspective. California’s “CAL Health in all Policies” 64 – 66 recognizes the potential for education as a means of moving toward health equity. “Promote efforts that demonstrate positive effects in closing the achievement gap. Collaborate on advancing strategies, addressing the major factors that inhibit the learning of all students.” Counties (eg, Los Angeles, Baltimore) also have adopted a “health in all policies” perspective. 64 , 67 , 68

The effort to pursue multi-sectoral strategies for health improvement is international, practiced in the European Union, Australia, and elsewhere. The European Union has adopted a social determinants-based approach: “Health in All Policies addresses the effects on health across all policies such as agriculture, education, the environment, fiscal policies, housing, and transport. It seeks to improve health and at the same time contribute to the well-being and the wealth of the nations through structures, mechanisms, and actions planned and managed mainly by sectors other than health.” 69 (pXVIII)

In “A Framework for Public Health Action: The Health Impact Pyramid,” 71 Frieden writes, “Interventions that address social determinants of health have the greatest potential public health benefit” and contrasts social determinants – the base of the “health impact pyramid” – with higher strata in the pyramid. 70 (p594) Among social determinants, education is fundamental, because education forms the new members of society – children and youth. Effective teachers are facilitators of long-term health benefits. Beyond school health promotion, education as a means of public health intervention is more difficult to define, to administer, to measure, and to evaluate. It is cumulative, formative, and transformative, both for the individuals who experience it and for the society it recreates and modifies. Although these features make education more challenging than some other tools of public health, such challenges must not deter the public health community from working closely with the education community to investigate and understand this form of social determinant causation, evaluate the wide array of educational program types, and mobilize for action on this powerful force for public health benefits.

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to thoughtful readers and editors Randy Elder, Catherine Ross, Barbara Rimer, Kate W. Harris, Amy Brown, Heba Athar, and Kristen Folsom.

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Biographies

Robert A. Hahn received his PhD in anthropology at Harvard University (1976) and his MPH in epidemiology from the University of Washington (1986). Since 1986, he has served as an epidemiologist at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta and is a member of the Senior Biomedical Research Service. He is the author of Sickness and Healing: An Anthropological Perspective (1995) and co-editor of Anthropology and Public Health: Bridging Differences in Culture and Society (2008), with a second edition recently published. In 1998–1999, he worked as a Capitol Hill Fellow in the US House of Representatives Committee on Veterans Affairs and in the office of Congresswoman Louise Slaughter. He is currently coordinating scientist of systematic reviews on health equity for the CDC Guide to Community Preventive Services .

Benedict I. Truman earned his BS in chemistry and MD from Howard University and his MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he completed a residency in preventive medicine and public health and served as chief resident. He has held scientific and leadership positions in state, local, and federal public health agencies and is the associate director for science at the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In this role, he works with other scientists and program managers to ensure that the CDC’s scientific products and research ethics meet the highest standards of quality and integrity. He has published many peer-reviewed journal articles on educational interventions for health equity; prevention and control of infectious diseases and chronic noninfectious diseases; adolescent and school health; community preventive services guidelines; minority health and health disparities; employee performance and public health workforce development; and applied epidemiologic methods. He serves as the Consulting Editor for Infectious Diseases for the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice .

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Greater Good Science Center • Magazine • In Action • In Education

Education Articles & More

Our best education articles of 2021, readers and editors pick the most interesting and insightful articles from the past year about teaching, learning, and the keys to well-being at school..

Our most popular education articles of 2021 explore how to navigate some of this year’s challenges—including grief, boredom, and isolation—while uplifting our capacity for connection, belonging, and healing. Several articles also highlight how character, conscience, and kindness can guide us toward greater meaning in our lives.

If you are looking for specific activities to support your students’ and colleagues’ social and emotional well-being in 2022, visit our  Greater Good in Education website, featuring  free  research-based practices, lessons, and strategies for cultivating kinder, happier, and more equitable classrooms and schools. And for a deeper dive into the science behind social-emotional learning, mindfulness, and ethical development, consider our suite of self-paced online courses for educational professionals, including our capstone course, Teaching and Learning for the Greater Good .

Here are the 12 best education articles of 2021, based on a composite ranking of pageviews and editors’ picks.

How to Help Students Feel a Sense of Belonging During the Pandemic , by Mary C. Murphy, Kathryn Boucher, and Christine Logel: Belonging and connection in the classroom contribute to success and well-being, particularly for marginalized students.

Four Ways Teachers Can Help Students Develop a Conscience , by Vicki Zakrzewski: How do kids develop a sense of right and wrong—and what can educators do to help them act on their conscience?

How to Help Students of Color Find Their Power , by Brandy Arnold: Project Wayfinder is helping Black and Latino students explore their identities and goals.

What a Children’s Book Taught Me (and My Students) About Grief , by Lauren McGovern: Teaching sixth graders about grief helped teacher Lauren McGovern after the loss of her son.

36 Questions That Can Help Kids Make Friends , by Jill Suttie: A question-and-answer exercise may help middle schoolers build friendships, including with kids of different ethnicities.

How to Make This Hard Transition Back to School With Your Students , by Amy L. Eva: Here are three ways educators can support their students (and each other) this fall.

A Different Way to Respond When Kids Do Something Wrong , by Joanne Chen: Restorative practices—taking responsibility, making amends, and seeking forgiveness—are an alternative to strict punishments and blame.

What Do Kids Mean When They Say They’re Bored at School? , by Rebecca Branstetter: Boredom can be a temporary emotion or a sign of a deeper issue, says a school psychologist.

How to Help Students Be the Best Version of Themselves , by Karen E. Bohlin and Deborah Farmer Kris: When students are facing challenges, educators can help them reflect on—and act on—what matters to them.

Four Character Strengths That Can Help Kids Learn , by Carol Lloyd: Research suggests that fostering character strengths can help children be better students.

How Educators Can Help Make a Kinder World , by Vicki Zakrzewski: By integrating character education, SEL, and mindfulness, schools can cultivate the inherent goodness in students.

Three Strategies for Helping Students Discuss Controversial Issues , by Lauren Fullmer and Laura Bond: Here are research-based ways to facilitate civil discourse in the classroom.

Bonus: Science of Happiness Podcast Episodes

Episode 94: How to Craft Your Life : When the world around you changes, so can your goals. Our guest, Patty Brown, tries a practice to tap into a new sense of purpose.

Episode 96: Don’t Be Afraid of Your Anger : What happens when we suppress our anger? And what if we tried to work with it instead? Our guest, Soraya Chemaly, tries a practice to harness her inner fierceness to care for herself.

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How technology is reinventing education

Stanford Graduate School of Education Dean Dan Schwartz and other education scholars weigh in on what's next for some of the technology trends taking center stage in the classroom.

Image credit: Claire Scully

New advances in technology are upending education, from the recent debut of new artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots like ChatGPT to the growing accessibility of virtual-reality tools that expand the boundaries of the classroom. For educators, at the heart of it all is the hope that every learner gets an equal chance to develop the skills they need to succeed. But that promise is not without its pitfalls.

“Technology is a game-changer for education – it offers the prospect of universal access to high-quality learning experiences, and it creates fundamentally new ways of teaching,” said Dan Schwartz, dean of Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE), who is also a professor of educational technology at the GSE and faculty director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning . “But there are a lot of ways we teach that aren’t great, and a big fear with AI in particular is that we just get more efficient at teaching badly. This is a moment to pay attention, to do things differently.”

For K-12 schools, this year also marks the end of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding program, which has provided pandemic recovery funds that many districts used to invest in educational software and systems. With these funds running out in September 2024, schools are trying to determine their best use of technology as they face the prospect of diminishing resources.

Here, Schwartz and other Stanford education scholars weigh in on some of the technology trends taking center stage in the classroom this year.

AI in the classroom

In 2023, the big story in technology and education was generative AI, following the introduction of ChatGPT and other chatbots that produce text seemingly written by a human in response to a question or prompt. Educators immediately worried that students would use the chatbot to cheat by trying to pass its writing off as their own. As schools move to adopt policies around students’ use of the tool, many are also beginning to explore potential opportunities – for example, to generate reading assignments or coach students during the writing process.

AI can also help automate tasks like grading and lesson planning, freeing teachers to do the human work that drew them into the profession in the first place, said Victor Lee, an associate professor at the GSE and faculty lead for the AI + Education initiative at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning. “I’m heartened to see some movement toward creating AI tools that make teachers’ lives better – not to replace them, but to give them the time to do the work that only teachers are able to do,” he said. “I hope to see more on that front.”

He also emphasized the need to teach students now to begin questioning and critiquing the development and use of AI. “AI is not going away,” said Lee, who is also director of CRAFT (Classroom-Ready Resources about AI for Teaching), which provides free resources to help teach AI literacy to high school students across subject areas. “We need to teach students how to understand and think critically about this technology.”

Immersive environments

The use of immersive technologies like augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality is also expected to surge in the classroom, especially as new high-profile devices integrating these realities hit the marketplace in 2024.

The educational possibilities now go beyond putting on a headset and experiencing life in a distant location. With new technologies, students can create their own local interactive 360-degree scenarios, using just a cell phone or inexpensive camera and simple online tools.

“This is an area that’s really going to explode over the next couple of years,” said Kristen Pilner Blair, director of research for the Digital Learning initiative at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, which runs a program exploring the use of virtual field trips to promote learning. “Students can learn about the effects of climate change, say, by virtually experiencing the impact on a particular environment. But they can also become creators, documenting and sharing immersive media that shows the effects where they live.”

Integrating AI into virtual simulations could also soon take the experience to another level, Schwartz said. “If your VR experience brings me to a redwood tree, you could have a window pop up that allows me to ask questions about the tree, and AI can deliver the answers.”

Gamification

Another trend expected to intensify this year is the gamification of learning activities, often featuring dynamic videos with interactive elements to engage and hold students’ attention.

“Gamification is a good motivator, because one key aspect is reward, which is very powerful,” said Schwartz. The downside? Rewards are specific to the activity at hand, which may not extend to learning more generally. “If I get rewarded for doing math in a space-age video game, it doesn’t mean I’m going to be motivated to do math anywhere else.”

Gamification sometimes tries to make “chocolate-covered broccoli,” Schwartz said, by adding art and rewards to make speeded response tasks involving single-answer, factual questions more fun. He hopes to see more creative play patterns that give students points for rethinking an approach or adapting their strategy, rather than only rewarding them for quickly producing a correct response.

Data-gathering and analysis

The growing use of technology in schools is producing massive amounts of data on students’ activities in the classroom and online. “We’re now able to capture moment-to-moment data, every keystroke a kid makes,” said Schwartz – data that can reveal areas of struggle and different learning opportunities, from solving a math problem to approaching a writing assignment.

But outside of research settings, he said, that type of granular data – now owned by tech companies – is more likely used to refine the design of the software than to provide teachers with actionable information.

The promise of personalized learning is being able to generate content aligned with students’ interests and skill levels, and making lessons more accessible for multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Realizing that promise requires that educators can make sense of the data that’s being collected, said Schwartz – and while advances in AI are making it easier to identify patterns and findings, the data also needs to be in a system and form educators can access and analyze for decision-making. Developing a usable infrastructure for that data, Schwartz said, is an important next step.

With the accumulation of student data comes privacy concerns: How is the data being collected? Are there regulations or guidelines around its use in decision-making? What steps are being taken to prevent unauthorized access? In 2023 K-12 schools experienced a rise in cyberattacks, underscoring the need to implement strong systems to safeguard student data.

Technology is “requiring people to check their assumptions about education,” said Schwartz, noting that AI in particular is very efficient at replicating biases and automating the way things have been done in the past, including poor models of instruction. “But it’s also opening up new possibilities for students producing material, and for being able to identify children who are not average so we can customize toward them. It’s an opportunity to think of entirely new ways of teaching – this is the path I hope to see.”

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Top 10 Reasons Why Is Education Important

Updated: February 1, 2024

Published: April 15, 2020

Most of us have grown up being taught the importance of education. But why is education important? Through your frustrating school years, you may have thought that it was a waste of time, or was just something that you needed to do in order to get a job. Truth be told, however, education goes so much beyond just getting a job and making your parents happy. In fact, it’s one of the most powerful tools out there.

What Is Education?

Education means studying in order to obtain a deeper knowledge and understanding of a variety of subjects to be applied to daily life. Education is not limited to just knowledge from books, but can also be obtained through practical experiences outside of the classroom.

Top 10 Reasons: Why Is Education Important?

There are many different understandings and definitions of what education is, but one thing can be universally agreed upon, which is the importance of education — and here’s why.

1. Provides Stability

Education provides stability in life, and it’s something that no one can ever take away from you. By being well-educated and holding a college degree , you increase your chances for better career opportunities and open up new doors for yourself.

2. Provides Financial Security

On top of stability, education also provides financial security, especially in today’s society. A good education tends to lead to a higher paying job, as well as provide you with the skills needed to get there. Educated and well-informed individuals also know how to use money-saving tactics. They are more likely to use coupon websites like EMUCoupon while shopping online to save their hard-earned money.

3. Needed For Equality

In order for the entire world to really become equal, it needs to start with education. If everyone was provided with the same opportunities to education , then there would be less gaps between social classes. Everyone would be able to have an equal chance at higher paying jobs — not just those that are already well-off.

4. Allows For Self-Dependency

The importance of education is evident when it comes to being self-dependent. If we are we educated, then it’s something that belongs to us, and only us, allowing us to rely on no one else other than ourselves. It can allow you to not only be financially independent, but also to make your own choices.

5. Make Your Dreams Come True

If you can dream it, you can achieve it. An education is the most powerful weapon you can possibly have, and with it, you can make all of your dreams come true. There are of course certain exceptions, depending on what you’re aiming for, but generally an education will take you as far as you’re willing to go.

6. A Safer World

Education is something that’s not only needed on a personal level, but also on a global level, as it’s something that keeps our world safe and makes it a more peaceful place. Education tends to teach people the difference between right and wrong, and can help people stay out of risky situations.

7. Confidence

Being self-confident is a major part of being successful in life. And what better way to gain that confidence than with an education? Your level of education is often considered a way to prove your knowledge, and it can give you the confidence to express your opinions and speak your mind.

8. A Part Of Society

In today’s society, having an education is considered a vital part of being accepted by those around you. Having an education is believed to make you a useful part of society, and can make you feel like a contributing member as well.

9. Economic Growth On A National Level

An educated society is crucial for economic growth. We need people to continue to learn and research in order to constantly stay innovative. Countries with higher literacy rates also tend to be in better economic situations. With a more educated population, more employment opportunities are opened.

10. Can Protect You

Education can protect you more than you know, not only on a financial level, but it can help prevent you from being taken advantage of by knowing how to read and write, such as knowing not to sign any bogus documents.

Photo by  Pixabay  from  Pexels

Education is important for children.

Children are the future of our world, making education crucial for them. Their knowledge is what’s going to keep our world alive and flourishing.

At Childhood

During the childhood development stages, the importance of education is stronger than ever. It’s a time for children to learn social and mental skills that will be crucial for their growth and success in the future. Education at childhood also offers a chance for self-discovery and to learn about their unique interests.

The importance of education in our lives goes far beyond what we can read in a textbook. Education also provides childhood with knowledge such as how to produce artwork and make music. Education allows us to analyze what’s in front of us, and even learn from our mistakes.

Goal Building

By learning from a young age, children are given the chance to start building goals for themselves. Education means having the logic to set your mind to something and achieve it.

Importance Of Education In Society

For a modern society, education is of utmost importance. There are so many influences coming from all directions, and education can help us decipher what we should take as true, and what we should take with a grain of salt. Education can mold people into functional members of society with the right kinds of values.

Productivity

Education is needed for a productive society. Our population only continues to increase, and in turn, so do our needs. We need a strong and efficient workforce of educated people to provide us with the services we need for everyday life.

Why Is Education Important For a Nation?

The importance of education is seen in every aspect of life, and is especially crucial for the growth of a nation.

The Impact Education Has On The World

With education, people can become better citizens, knowing right from wrong, allowing for a better society where laws are followed. An educated nation knows about the importance of voting, doing so with the knowledge not blindly, but also having an understanding of what their party truly stands for. Education can also help people get jobs, which is what a nation thrives on.

Inspiring Quotes On What Education Truly Is

Why is education important, and what is it exactly? While every person has a different understanding of its true meaning, here are some of the most inspiring quotes by some legendary people.

• “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” — Nelson Mandela
• “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” — Malcolm X
• “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” — Benjamin Franklin
• “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” — John Dewey

What Are Some Other Reasons Why Education Is Important?

There are endless reasons why education is so important, especially since it also has endless connotations and meanings.

Mind And Body

Our mind and bodies are connected more than we know. With a powerful, well-educated mind, so too are our bodies.

We can not only know how to best take care of ourselves, but we can feel confident and good about ourselves, which will likely have a positive effect on our physical well-being . Education has even been proven to add years to our life . To be exact, each additional year of education was found to add as much as 1.7 years to our lives at the age of 35.

Personal Growth

The importance of education even extends itself to our personal growth. By constantly educating ourselves, asking questions and wanting to know more, we can move forward and achieve things we never imagined before.

Get To Know Yourself

Education can allow us to get to know ourselves better than ever. We can learn things about ourselves, whether it be through books, courses, or even consulting with a professional.

Photo by  Burst  from  Pexels

Worldwide value.

Education is the best way to ensure a positive world value and view. Without a proper education, how else do we know what’s considered appropriate and how to behave?

While world peace may unfortunately seem like a far-fetched concept, with education we can get closer to this goal than we know. Education can teach us about our place in this world, and about our responsibility to humanity.

Teaches Values

Values are taught through education! Education exists far beyond the classroom or an exam. It’s taught at home, through what our parents and peers show us, and although not necessarily written down somewhere, such a teaching method is still a large aspect of what education entails.

Sharpens Your Thinking

Education is needed to think sharply and clearly!

Makes You Informed

Education makes you informed about the world around you, what’s going on and what kind of people are around you. Education can help you be more self-aware about your strengths and weaknesses, showing you were to shift your focus.

Logical Reasoning

When in an argument, if you aren’t well educated and don’t have your facts straight, then you aren’t likely to win. If you get upset about something, then being educated can also help you logically work through the situation and make sense of it, understanding all aspects.

Stay Focused

Education can help you stay focused and on track in the right direction by knowing what the right path is for you.

Allows For Innovation And Creativity

When it comes to being creative, in any way, shape, or form, the mind can only really reach its full potential if it’s been fed with the knowledge it needs to think outside the box.

Develop Life Skills

Education is the foundation of basic life skills and street smarts. While education might sound like a fancy technical term, it’s really everything we learn in life about how to best conduct ourselves from day to day.

Education can be the most freeing and empowering thing in the entire world!

Live Life To The Fullest

Truly living life to the fullest means being well-educated and holding a vast amount of knowledge about the world around us. It also means we continue to learn every day in all kinds of forms, whether it be from the people around us, newspapers, experiences, research, or traditional classes.

Breaks Barriers

Education breaks barriers between people, and allows people from across the globe to be empowered.

University of the People, a tuition-free , online university, is one powerful example of how education is being revolutionized – they offer students of all socio-economic backgrounds an equal chance at education.

Once upon a time, such a thing wouldn’t have been possible, but today such places like UoPeople have proven that these barriers truly can be broken through to receive higher education.

You Become Your Highest You

Education can allow you to become the best, fullest version of yourself, learning about what interests you, what you’re good at, becoming self-aware and conscious about the world around you. It can help you establish your place in this world, and feel complete.

Education In The Modern World

Education today is more important than ever before, and has reached new heights with new understandings of what it truly entails. Ask yourself “Why is education important?” and it will surely not be the same as anyone else’s answer.

While in modern society, holding a college degree is considered to be highly beneficial for a successful career and to be socially accepted, it is not the only means of education. Education is all around us in everything that we do, so use it wisely!

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Article on the Importance of Education in 100 to 350 Words

• Updated on  
• Jan 9, 2024

Education entails acquiring knowledge to have a greater understanding of the various disciplines that will be used in our everyday lives. ‘ Education ’ refers to the information we gain and experience outside of books or classrooms, as well as the knowledge that we receive and experience in schools, our homes, and as members of society. Our ideas on life alter as a result of learning, education is crucial for personal development and growth in society . In this blog, we will see why we need education for growth and will also look at some articles on the importance of education.

Also Read: Essay On Education System

Also Read: Importance of Education in Development

Importance of Education

The value of education at a much younger age. Our first tryst with learning begins at home, and our first teachers are our parents, grandparents, and often siblings. The importance of education lies in its continuity, learning is a lifetime process that will stop with our death. It is the foundation for the development of a healthy individual and society. Our world cannot have a bright future if our culture lacks education.

Education is the key to change. It is an important tool that allows a person to understand his or her rights and responsibilities to his or her family, society, and nation. It improves a person’s ability to view the world and to fight against misdoings such as injustice, corruption, and violence, among other things.

Mental Aspect of Education’s Importance

Education is meant to hone talent, sharpen our mindsets and educate us on a myriad of things. In school, we cover a variety of topics such as history, arithmetic, geography, politics, and so on. These subjects sharpen children’s minds and allow the kid to absorb knowledge from all subjects, and his or her mental level is increased. Here are some cognitive benefits of learning and education that ensure growth and development in children:

Education’s importance in our lives provides us with stability in our everyday lives. Everything may be split, but not your education, you must be told. You can improve your chances of getting a better job with the aid of your degree and expertise.

Financial Security

Our financial stability is helped by education. Higher-qualified individuals receive higher-paying employment in this era, allowing them to guarantee their future.

Self-dependency

Education teaches us to be self-sufficient in our daily lives. A person’s education is his alone, and with it, he may feel safe and self-sufficient.

Equality is a right that everyone deserves. If everyone had the opportunity to pursue higher education, there would be a greater likelihood that everyone would earn a large sum of money, and there would be fewer disparities across social classes. It aids in the pursuit of equality.

Confidence is one of the finest aspects of success. Education boosts a person’s self-assurance. You can go further into a topic that you are already familiar with. With the information you’ve obtained through your schooling, you can converse about that issue far better than others.

If you are a Class 12 student, here are some important blogs for you:

The Power of Being an Educated Individual

Knowledge and education is power. Education enables individuals. Enables them to innovate, understand, adapt, and overcome. Everything we learn helps us in life in one way or the other. It helps make our life convenient and easy. Good education is basically the knowledge that gives people perspective and information about things which can range from being as simple as fixing a water pipe to building a rocket destined for moon. When we are educated, we can adapt to each and every aspect of life better and it also helps us overcome many hurdle of life and gives perspective about a lot things such as finance, planning, etc. All this can make any individual feel powerful because there remains nothing in life that they cannot tackle.

How Can Your Education Benefit Your Society?

Every nation’s integral part is it’s society and the growth an development of the same is dependent upon the individuals which in turn helps the social and economic progress of the nation. The education system has been evolving from the very first day and now it has several mods and means of the same. It is quite correct to say that any amount or money spent of being educated never goes waste. The more you learn, the you will be able to grow in life. Every aspect of education will one way or the other, help you in your life. And when an individual is educated, he/she can significantly contribute to the growth of the society and the nation, much more than a rich person. Education helps develop characters, personalities and social behaviours. It helps shape the way people think and act. An ultimately it lead to how a society will grow. For this to happen, it is essential that all of the people understand the importance of education.

Articles on Importance of Education

The process of learning and increasing abilities through courses, literature, training and other mediums is known as education. It assists us in developing our talents and seeking employment to suit our requirements and obligations.

Article on Importance of Education: 100 words

Education is vital to one’s success in life. It is essential for an individual’s entire growth. The process of learning and improving one’s skills is referred to as education. Wisdom and the ability to handle challenges come with knowledge. Education enhances one’s quality of life while also granting social recognition. Though education is essential for everyone, the need for it is most acute during childhood. Starting with children under the age of 10, school education is critical. It serves as a solid basis for their life skills and goals. A person who lacks education is powerless and vulnerable. H/She will find it difficult to deal with life’s challenges.

Related Reads:

Article on Importance of Education: 200 words

Education is a valuable tool for gaining learning and wisdom. Though books are essential to education, the notion encompasses more than just books and bookish knowledge. It isn’t required for education to be only based on books. 

The most important goal of education is to help people with how to read and write. The first step toward literacy is reading and writing. Education provides a person with endless opportunities for growth and advancement. People who have had an education tend to be more calm and self-assured. People who have been educated are disciplined and understand the importance of time. Education allows a person to be more expressive and opinionated. H/She was able to readily communicate his/her viewpoints, which were supported by a clear aim and rationale.

Education benefits not just the individual but also the community. The most important aspect of education is that it goes from one individual to another, then throughout society, and eventually throughout the country. An educated individual makes an effort to teach and inspire everyone with whom he or she comes into contact. Education brings one up to speed on technological advancements as well. A well-educated person can easily adjust to technological developments. Education, more than anything else, is a source of hope. The desire for a better life; the desire for a wealthy and poverty-free existence.

Must Read: Importance of School Education

Article on Importance of Education: 350 words

Human education is a critical instrument in their lives. It is a significant distinction between a civilized and an undisciplined individual. Even if the country’s literacy rate has increased in recent years, more individuals need to be made aware of the importance of education. Every child, whether a male or a girl, must attend school and not drop out. Education is beneficial not just to the individual but also to society. A well-educated individual is a valuable asset to society, contributing to its social and economic development. Such a person is always willing to assist society and the country. It is true to say that education is a stairway to a person’s and a nation’s achievement.

Education makes a person productive, allowing him or her to contribute to society in a positive way. It teaches us how to face many challenges and conquer them. A well-educated individual understands how to act in a polite and non-offensive manner. It shows us how to live a disciplined life while yet making a respectable living. Our future is built on the basis of education. Education is also the sole weapon that may be used to combat numerous issues such as illiteracy, poverty, unemployment, and so on. A person’s education makes them more sensitive to the predicament of their fellow beings. A well-educated individual not only comprehends the issues but also possesses the essential abilities to address them.

An educated individual possesses competent skills and is more capable than someone who is uneducated. However, it is incorrect to think that education alone ensures success. Indeed, success necessitates a solid education, as well as devotion, attention, and hard effort. An educated individual is more sensible and capable of rational thought.

Education allows a person to become self-sufficient. An educated individual does not rely on others and is capable of meeting his or her own requirements. A well-educated person also educates their family, and education benefits, not just the individual but also society and the nation. Education has a significant influence on our outlook, making us more optimistic about life and its objectives.

Also Read: Importance of Education in Child’s Life

Article on Importance of Women’s Education

There was a period when it was considered that women didn’t need to be educated. We’ve now realized the importance of women’s education . The modern era is the phase of women’s awakening. In every aspect of life, women are striving to compete with males. Many individuals reject female education, claiming that women’s rightful domain is the home, and therefore that money spent on female education is squandered. This viewpoint is incorrect since female education has the potential to bring about a silent revolution in society.

Female education has numerous advantages; educated women may contribute significantly to the country’s growth by sharing the burdens of males in several fields. They may contribute to society as teachers, lawyers, physicians, and administrators, as well as play a key part in wartime. In this time of economic distress, education is a blessing for women. The days of wealth and prosperity are long gone. Middle-class families are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet these days. Female education is important for a country’s growth, thus it should be supported.

Everyone has hope for a better life if they have an education. It’s a type of magic that works in a person’s life to make it far better than it would be if he didn’t have knowledge. To sum up the blog, we believe that everyone should be educated so that they can contribute to making our country proud. Increasing literacy rates can prevent tens of thousands of crimes. Every country should encourage its citizens to receive an education.

Also Read: Importance of Education for Growth and Betterment

Related Articles

Education is a valuable tool for gaining learning and wisdom. Though books are essential to education, the notion encompasses more than just books and bookish knowledge. It isn’t required for education to be only based on books.  The most important goal of education is to help people with how to read and write. The first step toward literacy is reading and writing. Education provides a person with endless opportunities for growth and advancement.

Education teaches us the importance of teamwork, communication, and interpersonal relationships. Education plays an important role in building intellectual and mental development. Education enhances creativity and allows us to express ourselves through various mediums and discover our unique talents. Education serves as a powerful tool for breaking the cycle of poverty

Moral education teaches us important values such as Respect, honesty, compassion, hard work, kindness, gratitude, sharing, cooperation, etc.

This was all about articles on the importance of education! We hope the information provided was helpful! For more information on such informative topics for your school, visit our school education page and follow Leverage Edu .

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New evidence of the benefits of arts education

Subscribe to the brown center on education policy newsletter, brian kisida and bk brian kisida assistant professor, truman school of public affairs - university of missouri @briankisida daniel h. bowen dhb daniel h. bowen assistant professor, college of education and human development - texas a&m university @_dhbowen.

February 12, 2019

Engaging with art is essential to the human experience. Almost as soon as motor skills are developed, children communicate through artistic expression. The arts challenge us with different points of view, compel us to empathize with “others,” and give us the opportunity to reflect on the human condition. Empirical evidence supports these claims: Among adults, arts participation is related to behaviors that contribute to the health of civil society , such as increased civic engagement, greater social tolerance, and reductions in other-regarding behavior. Yet, while we recognize art’s transformative impacts, its place in K-12 education has become increasingly tenuous.

A critical challenge for arts education has been a lack of empirical evidence that demonstrates its educational value. Though few would deny that the arts confer intrinsic benefits, advocating “art for art’s sake” has been insufficient for preserving the arts in schools—despite national surveys showing an overwhelming majority of the public agrees that the arts are a necessary part of a well-rounded education.

Over the last few decades, the proportion of students receiving arts education has shrunk drastically . This trend is primarily attributable to the expansion of standardized-test-based accountability, which has pressured schools to focus resources on tested subjects. As the saying goes, what gets measured gets done. These pressures have disproportionately affected access to the arts in a negative way for students from historically underserved communities. For example, a federal government report found that schools designated under No Child Left Behind as needing improvement and schools with higher percentages of minority students were more likely to experience decreases in time spent on arts education.

We recently conducted the first ever large-scale, randomized controlled trial study of a city’s collective efforts to restore arts education through community partnerships and investments. Building on our previous investigations of the impacts of enriching arts field trip experiences, this study examines the effects of a sustained reinvigoration of schoolwide arts education. Specifically, our study focuses on the initial two years of Houston’s Arts Access Initiative and includes 42 elementary and middle schools with over 10,000 third- through eighth-grade students. Our study was made possible by generous support of the Houston Endowment , the National Endowment for the Arts , and the Spencer Foundation .

Due to the program’s gradual rollout and oversubscription, we implemented a lottery to randomly assign which schools initially participated. Half of these schools received substantial influxes of funding earmarked to provide students with a vast array of arts educational experiences throughout the school year. Participating schools were required to commit a monetary match to provide arts experiences. Including matched funds from the Houston Endowment, schools in the treatment group had an average of $14.67 annually per student to facilitate and enhance partnerships with arts organizations and institutions. In addition to arts education professional development for school leaders and teachers, students at the 21 treatment schools received, on average, 10 enriching arts educational experiences across dance, music, theater, and visual arts disciplines. Schools partnered with cultural organizations and institutions that provided these arts learning opportunities through before- and after-school programs, field trips, in-school performances from professional artists, and teaching-artist residencies. Principals worked with the Arts Access Initiative director and staff to help guide arts program selections that aligned with their schools’ goals.

Our research efforts were part of a multisector collaboration that united district administrators, cultural organizations and institutions, philanthropists, government officials, and researchers. Collective efforts similar to Houston’s Arts Access Initiative have become increasingly common means for supplementing arts education opportunities through school-community partnerships. Other examples include Boston’s Arts Expansion Initiative , Chicago’s Creative Schools Initiative , and Seattle’s Creative Advantage .

Through our partnership with the Houston Education Research Consortium, we obtained access to student-level demographics, attendance and disciplinary records, and test score achievement, as well as the ability to collect original survey data from all 42 schools on students’ school engagement and social and emotional-related outcomes.

We find that a substantial increase in arts educational experiences has remarkable impacts on students’ academic, social, and emotional outcomes. Relative to students assigned to the control group, treatment school students experienced a 3.6 percentage point reduction in disciplinary infractions, an improvement of 13 percent of a standard deviation in standardized writing scores, and an increase of 8 percent of a standard deviation in their compassion for others. In terms of our measure of compassion for others, students who received more arts education experiences are more interested in how other people feel and more likely to want to help people who are treated badly.

When we restrict our analysis to elementary schools, which comprised 86 percent of the sample and were the primary target of the program, we also find that increases in arts learning positively and significantly affect students’ school engagement, college aspirations, and their inclinations to draw upon works of art as a means for empathizing with others. In terms of school engagement, students in the treatment group were more likely to agree that school work is enjoyable, makes them think about things in new ways, and that their school offers programs, classes, and activities that keep them interested in school. We generally did not find evidence to suggest significant impacts on students’ math, reading, or science achievement, attendance, or our other survey outcomes, which we discuss in our full report .

As education policymakers increasingly rely on empirical evidence to guide and justify decisions, advocates struggle to make the case for the preservation and restoration of K-12 arts education. To date, there is a remarkable lack of large-scale experimental studies that investigate the educational impacts of the arts. One problem is that U.S. school systems rarely collect and report basic data that researchers could use to assess students’ access and participation in arts educational programs. Moreover, the most promising outcomes associated with arts education learning objectives extend beyond commonly reported outcomes such as math and reading test scores. There are strong reasons to suspect that engagement in arts education can improve school climate, empower students with a sense of purpose and ownership, and enhance mutual respect for their teachers and peers. Yet, as educators and policymakers have come to recognize the importance of expanding the measures we use to assess educational effectiveness, data measuring social and emotional benefits are not widely collected. Future efforts should continue to expand on the types of measures used to assess educational program and policy effectiveness.

These findings provide strong evidence that arts educational experiences can produce significant positive impacts on academic and social development. Because schools play a pivotal role in cultivating the next generation of citizens and leaders, it is imperative that we reflect on the fundamental purpose of a well-rounded education. This mission is critical in a time of heightened intolerance and pressing threats to our core democratic values. As policymakers begin to collect and value outcome measures beyond test scores, we are likely to further recognize the value of the arts in the fundamental mission of education.

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• Article Writing
• Article On The Importance Of Education

Article on the Importance of Education

Are you educated? Do you think education is a waste of time? This article on the importance of education will give you the answer to that question.

Table of Contents

What can be considered good education, the power of being educated.

• How Can Your Education Benefit Your Society
• FAQs on the Importance of Education

To put it in simple terms, education is the process of acquiring knowledge and skills, building morals, values, and developing habits. Education does not just consist of these. The process of education can be said to be complete only if you are able to put the knowledge you acquire to good use. So, education is not just gaining knowledge and gathering information but developing the ability to apply what you have learned to daily life scenarios.

Is there good education and bad education? This is a question that has been asked for years now. Good education works towards the goal of preparing and empowering individuals to lead a productive life that definitely impacts the economic growth of the society and country they are a part of. Good education is meant to stimulate logical and critical thinking in individuals. Good education does not mean scoring high marks in your assessments. People usually perceive the notion that schooling and scoring good marks in examinations is education. Education is beyond all that. Schooling alone does not lead to learning. Getting a good education depends on a lot of factors, including the environment or society you are in, the social and economic background and the ability of the individual to understand, analyse and act according to the need of the hour.

It is a fact that quality education and skill development comes from strong education systems. Having trained and empathetic teachers is one of the prerequisites to availing good education. Education includes learning about different cultures, religions, communities, economic and social standards and grooming oneself to become a socially responsible individual. With the advancement of technology, teachers have been taken for granted because most children nowadays have their own mobile phones and internet access with which they can find answers to any questions, sometimes questions their parents, siblings, or teachers cannot explain. This is a huge drawback in the process of building a healthy society.

Being educated often makes you feel powerful. Why is that?

Imagine you did not know how to use a mobile phone, a laptop, a match stick or a bulb. What is the use of possessing something that you do not know how to use? In the beginning of time, it was found out that hitting two rocks together produces sparks that can start a fire. Every little thing you come across can teach you something or the other. The more you know, the more powerful you become.

Knowing how to drive a car would come in handy when you have to go somewhere with more people travelling with you. Knowing how to fix a pipe can help you when someone accidentally breaks off a pipe and water keeps flowing. Likewise, everything you learn will help you in one or the other way. Therefore, good education can be defined as the general and specific knowledge people gain by being taught or by experience.

“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think”, according to Albert Einstein. Gathering a load of information is easily possible in the present age of the internet and technology. Being able to answer every question does not guarantee or prepare you for a life where experience and knowledge is accounted for.

How Can Your Education Benefit Your Society?

Society is an integral part of every nation. The growth and development of individuals help the betterment of the society they are a part of, which in turn helps the social and economic progress of the nation as a whole. The education system has been evolving from day one. The modes and means of education are improvised every now and then according to the changing times.

According to Benjamin Franklin, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest”. Any amount of money or time spent on getting yourself educated never goes to waste. The more you learn, the more you benefit from it. Even if you think that something that you are learning is not what you are interested in or what you think you need, do not worry because everything you come across will help you in some stage of life. An educated individual has a lot more to give to a society and a nation than a rich person. Being educated shapes the characters and social behaviours of individuals. It changes the way people think and act. The way you look at your fellow beings and treat them varies with every day in the process of learning.

The ultimate goal of education should be action and not just knowledge. In order to attain this goal, it is important to let all kinds of people understand the importance of education and the benefits of being educated in this constantly changing world.

Frequently Asked Questions on the Importance of Education

Why is education important.

Education makes you a better person and gives you stability in life. You become a person people around you can rely on. You can become the hand that lifts up the lowly and provides solutions to all the problems they face. It can also boost your self-confidence and credibility as an individual.

What is the purpose of education?

The purpose of education is to help the development of an individual’s intellectual and emotional self. Education shapes the individual’s character and attitude towards life and fellow beings. It aims to promote the overall development of the individual’s personality.

Is education compulsory?

Most countries have the principle of providing free and compulsory education to all. In India, Article 21 A of the Constitution states that all children from ages six to fourteen should be provided with free and compulsory education and also reserves the right to education as a Fundamental Right.

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Welcome to the United Nations

Breaking gender barriers through education

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Roseline Adewuyi  is a fervent advocate for gender equality in Nigeria, driven by a passion for dismantling entrenched gender stereotypes. She spoke to Africa Renewal’s  Kingsley Ighobor on the need to empower girls through education. This is in line with the African Union’s theme for 2024: Educating and skilling Africa for the 21 st   Century.

Roseline Adewuyi believes that fighting gender inequality requires raising awareness and empowering young women and girls through education.

“My goal is to help break those barriers that limit our potential,” she told  African Renewal  in an interview. “I am talking about issues related to land rights, access to education, economic empowerment, leadership, and trust me, gender discrimination.”

Gender discrimination, she explains, is heightened during times of severe economic constraints such as now, when the tendency is often to invest in boys over girls. “That’s when parents often choose to send their sons to school or provide them start-up funding for business ventures, while daughters are expected to focus on house chores and wait for marriage. It’s absolutely absurd.” she insists. 

Roseline has her work cut out for her. “We are constantly finding ways to help women and girls break free from these constraints.” 

She founded the Ending Gender Stereotypes in Schools (ENGENDERS) project, which is dedicated to unlearning gender stereotypes in educational institutions.

“We reach the students, boys and girls in high schools and universities, and we do community engagement, speaking to parents and other influential community inhabitants,” she explains.

Already, she claims to have reached tens of communities and over 6,000 young girls through seminars and webinars, while her  blog , featuring over 300 articles on gender equity, has garnered a wide audience.

Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in French Literature with a focus on women, gender, and sexuality studies at Purdue University in Indiana, US, Roseline now aims to merge academic rigour with passionate advocacy.

“It’s an interesting intersection,” she says, adding that “The body of knowledge that we pass on to future generations is full of gender stereotypes. Our books need to be gender conscious.

“In most African literature, characters often depict women or girls as housemaids and men as pilots or engineers. It reinforces stereotypes; we need to root it out,” she stresses.

Roseline's journey into gender advocacy began in her childhood, fueled by a belief in the transformative power of education. She recognized the systemic challenges faced by African women and girls, including limited access to education and entrenched cultural biases.

“When I served as a prefect in secondary school, the belief among boys and even some girls was that I did not merit the position, that leadership was reserved for the boys. That experience sparked my curiosity as to why girls weren’t perceived as equally competent as boys.”

In 2019, she worked as a translator and interpreter for the African Union (AU), having been selected as one of 120 young people from various African countries to participate in the AU Youth Volunteer Corps. 

Her exposure to continental leaders' efforts to address gender-related challenges reinforced her conviction that gender equality is essential for achieving sustainable peace and security.

“At the AU, I also realized the connection between gender and peace and security. When there is a crisis, it is women who suffer the most. Therefore, women must be at the centre of efforts to achieve peace in our societies,” she adds.

Her international exposure includes being a participant in the Young African Leaders Initiative in 2016 (YALI – Regional Leadership Center West Africa), as well as being a Dalai Lama fellow in 2018. She says these experiences exposed her to gender best practices and strengthened her resolve to advocate for change in her home country.

Although some advances have been made in gender equality in Nigeria, Roseline highlights that the remaining hurdles include challenges in female land ownership, financial inclusion, and access to education.

“For example, we have laws [in Nigeria] that provide for women’s rights to land, but many communities still prevent them from owning a piece of land. We also have situations in which widows are not allowed to inherit the properties of their husbands. 

She says: “So, we have a lot more work to do. We need effective community engagement in raising awareness among women about their rights.

“Importantly, we need to provide women with access to education to equip them with the knowledge and skills to assert their rights effectively.”

In her ongoing advocacy work, she acknowledges facing cyberbullying, which she attributes to resistance from elements of a patriarchal society reluctant to embrace progress.

Roseline's final message to young African women and girls is for them to drive positive change, stand up for their rights, and challenge gender norms.

Also in this issue

Guiding the Future: UN launches new panel on critical energy transition minerals

We must do more to prevent genocide

Football saved me from genocide; now I promote peace with it

30 years on, South Africa still dismantling racism and apartheid’s legacy

Kwibuka30: Learning from the past, safeguarding the future against genocide

Streamlining Egypt’s food value chain through technology

Lessons post the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda: we must speak out against discrimination and prejudice

Creating credible carbon market in Africa

REMEMBER.UNITE.RENEW.

Claver Irakoze: Bridging Generations Through the Memory of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda

We must confront the legacy of slavery, tackle systemic racism

More from africa renewal.

Advancing the Women, Peace and Security Agenda

Empowering change: Safeguarding women in Sierra Leone

Intra-African trade provides an opportunity for inclusive economic growth

Racheal’s resolve: Championing disability rights in Uganda

CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS article

Expanding the scope of “trans-humanism”: situating within the framework of life and death education – the importance of a “trans-mystical mindset”.

• 1 School of Education, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
• 2 Department of Education, National Taipei University of Education, Taipei, Taiwan

Life and death education , as noted from the literatures, has been studied and researched extensively in China, Malaysia, and Taiwan. Our own research undertakings over the past several years, situated in different sociocultural settings have delved into aspects of life and death that could help advance theoretical understanding of the subject matters (e.g., does the meaning of “effective life functioning” connote differing interpretations for different cultural groups?). Situating within the framework of life and death education, we expand the study of trans-humanism by introducing an extended prefix or nomenclature known as “trans-mystical”. Specifically, our philosophized concept of trans-mysticism considers a related concept, which we term as a “trans-mystical mindset”. A trans-mystical mindset, differing from an ordinary mindset, from our philosophical rationalization, is defined as “a person’s higher-order state of consciousness, espousing her perception, judgment, belief, and attempted interpretation of life and death phenomena that are mystifying and fall outside the ordinary boundaries of human psyche.” Our focus of inquiry, as reported in the present article, seeks to advance our proposition: that a trans-mystical mindset, unlike an ordinary mindset, may help a person to rationalize, appreciate, and understand metaphysical contexts, mystical experiences, and the like. This focus, interestingly, serves to highlight an important discourse - namely, that there is a dichotomy in theoretical lenses (i.e., objective reality vs. individual subjectivity) that a person may use to rationalize the significance or non-significance of universal contexts, events, phenomena, etc. (e.g., a person’s experience of “premonition”). As such, then, there is an important question that we seek to consider: whether philosophization, or the use of philosophical psychology, would yield perceived “scientific evidence” to support or to reject the study of metaphysicism, mysticism, and the like? For example, does our philosophization of an “equivalency” between a person’s trans-mystical mindset and her experience of self-transcendence help to normalize and/or to scientize the subject matters of metaphysicism, mysticism, etc.?

1 Introduction

The subject of life and death education ( Chen, 2013 ; Huang, 2014 ; Seng and Lee, 2022 ) has significant daily relevance and applicability for us in society to consider. Personal understanding of life education , for example, may inform and educate a person about the diverse meanings and purposes of effective life functioning (e.g., the attainment of financial success in life vs. the attainment of good health). In relation to death education , likewise, a senior citizen’s spiritual knowledge of “transcendence” ( Conn, 1998 ; Long, 2000 ; Ge and Yang, 2023 ), or his perceived “spiritual connectedness” to God ( Laurin et al., 2014 ; Cohen-Zimerman et al., 2020 ), may assist him with his coping of grief. On a formal front, conceptual and/or empirical research development of life and death education may yield evidence to help elucidate and/or explain the underlying nature of the subject contents.

Our own teaching and research undertakings over the past decade have delved into different aspects of life and death education. For example, recently, we introduced a theoretical concept that we termed as a “holistic mindset”, or a person’s “multiple mindsets” ( Phan et al., 2024 ). In brief, we theorize that a person may possess multiple contextual mindsets at any moment in time for adaptation and accommodation of different life and death contexts. For example, a Catholic nun may possess and exhibit a strong “spiritual mindset” whereas, in contrast, a scholar of Buddhism ( Masel et al., 2012 ; Prude, 2019 ) may possess and exhibit a strong “philosophical mindset”. In a similar vein, a doctorate student preparing for an oral exam is more likely than most to possess and exhibit a “cognitive mindset”. Our theorization then, contends that a specific life context (e.g., the context of academic learning) would define and/or espouse a corresponding “contextual mindset”.

One particular life context that we are interested in is known as a “trans-mystical context” or a perceived mystical context. There are metaphysical or mystical life and death contexts in this world that are somewhat anomalistic and non-conventional. For example, some cultural groups may engage in the practice of “ancestor worshipping” ( Steadman et al., 1996 ), whereas other cultural groups may view this practice with a sense of intellectual curiosity. In a similar vein, there are some of us who have reported the personal experience of “premonition”. 1 We purport that ancestor worshipping, premonition, the belief in “reincarnation” ( Nagaraj et al., 2013 ; Burley, 2014 ), and the like are metaphysical contexts or “non-daily” contexts. Such contexts, we contend, may elicit perceived experiences that are somewhat subjective and whether they fall outside the realm of objectivity and/or the realm of ordinary human psyche. Importantly, however, we reason that the scientific premise of psychology may provide sound, logical accounts to help explain the “uniqueness” of metaphysical contexts. That perhaps, despite individual subjectivity in perception, interpretation, and reason, metaphysical contexts and/or mystical experiences are just on par with “ordinary” contexts, life experiences, etc.

Our focus of inquiry for consideration relates to the advancement of the study of “trans-mysticism”. In particular, we philosophize a psychological concept, termed as a “trans-mystical mindset”, that may help to show how metaphysicism can be subjectively rational. In brief, we define a person’s “trans-mystical mindset” as:

A “contemplative higher-order, mystical” state that details his/her perception, attitude, judgment towards some “unknown” and/or extraordinary life concept, life phenomenon, event, situation, etc. (e.g., a person’s trans-mystical mindset towards the notion of “post-death” experience).

A trans-mystical mindset, as defined, may help a person to reason and/or to make meaningful sense of a metaphysical context and/or a mystical encounter (e.g., a person’s experience of premonition). By the same token, encountering a metaphysical context or a mystical life/death experience may help necessitate, facilitate, sustain a person’s trans-mystical mindset and his willingness to accept that such an encounter is valid. From this then, situating within the scope of life and death education ( Chen, 2013 ; Huang, 2014 ; Seng and Lee, 2022 ), we premise a significant principle for consideration:

That metaphysical or mystical contexts (e.g., a perception of “spiritual transportation” to another time-space realm) are pivotal to the “formation” of a trans-mystical mindset, or that a person’s trans-mystical mindset is intimately linked to her trans-mystical life/death experiences.

Our position or standing is that psychological grounding (e.g., the use of the discourse of philosophical psychology, which entails the proposition of a trans-mystical mindset) may offer robust explanations for metaphysical encounters. More importantly, however, we contend that our philosophical undertaking here may form the basis for future examination of something that is somewhat contentious: that psychological inquiries alone cannot encapsulate and/or explain the uniqueness of metaphysical contexts; rather, as a possibility and something that is beyond the scope of this conceptual analysis article, is the fact that metaphysical contexts and mystical experiences have alternative interpretations and meanings – for example, the context of premonition ( Cameron, 1958 ; Dossey, 2009 ), one’s belief in reincarnation ( Nagaraj et al., 2013 ; Burley, 2014 ), and the like cannot simply be validated or vindicated by scientific inquiries.

Overall, then, the present conceptual analysis article uses philosophical psychology ( Thagard, 2014 ; Thagard, 2018 ; Phan et al., 2024 ) to help “normalize” and/or to “scientize” the subject matters of trans-mysticism. That philosophizing the concept of trans-mysticism (e.g., a trans-mystical mindset) and “benchmarking” this against Maslow’s (1968 , 1969) theory of the “hierarchy of needs” may, in fact, validate and/or legitimize the importance of metaphysical contexts, mystical life and death experiences, etc. This line of inquiry, we contend, emphasizes an important standing: the premise of “objectivity” vs. the premise of “subjectivity”. Objectivity indicates consistency , transparency , realism , and non-biased judgment , whereas subjectivity, in contrast, considers openness , personal viewpoint and interpretation , and individualistic thinking . Regardless of one’s position, we firmly believe that our philosophized concept of trans-mysticism and thereafter may advance the study of life and death education. In the following section of the article, we discuss a number of elements – namely:

i. An introduction of a theoretical account of the subject of life and death education.

ii. An examination of the nature of a proposed life and death-related concept that we term as “trans-mysticism”.

iii. A proposition of a theoretical premise, which purports the process of transformation of a person’s ordinary mindset, resulting in a trans-mystical mindset.

iv. A proposition of an association, which purports a situational placement or contextualization, highlighting a potential equivalence between a trans-mystical mindset and a state of self-transcendence.

v. A discussion of a few notable inquiries for teaching and research development purposes.

2 The importance of life and death education: a brief introduction

Life and death education ( Chen, 2013 ; Huang, 2014 ; Seng and Lee, 2022 ) is an interesting subject for teaching and learning, given its potential relevance and significance for daily life purposes. The study of life and death education, in its entirety, seeks to understand and appreciate the intricacies or complexities of human existence from different historical-sociocultural perspectives (e.g., what does proactive life functioning mean for South Pacific Islanders?). Life education , in brief, relates to the teaching of specific tenets about life that may enable and/or assist a person to live a cherished and self-fulfilling life. A cherished and self-fulfilling life, say, may consist of a person’s feeling of self-gratification, arising from her successful attainment of financial wealth. In a similar vein, but somewhat different, a cherished and self-fulfilling life may reflect a person’s daily practice to impart his life wisdom onto others. Such teaching is meaningful and may serve to enlighten individuals, their families, and society in general. One distinction, in this case, refers to a person’s appreciation and acknowledgment that variations in historical-sociocultural context (e.g., a child who grows up in an Indonesian historical-sociocultural context) give rise to different life courses and life trajectories (e.g., a child who grows up in an Indonesian sociocultural context, and the shaping of her aspirations, desires, future intentions, etc.). In a similar vein, a person’s life wisdom or life knowledge ( Goldstein and Kornfield, 1987 , Sternberg and Glück, 2019 , Chattopadhyay, 2022 ) may be transformed into practice for daily life purposes.

Life education seeks to provide quality teaching, theoretical insights, and relevant information that may assist, explain, and facilitate proactive daily life functioning. Proactive life functioning on a daily basis is vibrant and healthy, helping a person to fulfill and attain a desirable life trajectory or trajectories. Different life contexts (e.g., the context of academic learning) on a daily basis, we contend, connote different types of proactive functioning – for example, the life context of awareness of the danger that COVID-19 poses ( Willyard, 2023 ) may compel a person, in this case, to seek appropriate pathways to ensure that she has a healthy life trajectory. In a similar vein, the life context of the importance of academic attainments may shape a student’s mindset to seek mastery and deep, meaningful learning experiences in his schooling. Regardless of diversity of life contexts, life education places emphasis on the recognition, promotion, and development of a cherished and self-fulfilling life.

Death education , or the study of thanatology ( Meagher and Balk, 2013 ; Chapple et al., 2017 ), in contrast, seeks to understand the intricate nature of death and other dying-related matters (e.g., the process of grief for a loved one). For example, angst, stress, sadness, and depression are life matters that closely associate with death. Unlike life education, which is positive, vibrant, and self-fulfilling, death education is morbid and undesirable for teaching and learning. For example, the teaching of death education seeks to educate individuals, family members, and society the following aspects:

i. The perception, viewpoint, and/or belief that one has towards the subject of death (e.g., how does one feel, at present, knowing that a loved one is facing a critical illness?).

ii. Personal care and preparation from others (e.g., social workers, volunteers) to assist with the impending encounter and/or facing of death.

iii. Stages and processes (e.g., counselling, spiritual advice, etc.) that are associated with grief and bereavement upon the death of a loved on.

iv. Consideration of programs, strategies, pathways, etc. that could help alleviate the negative emotions, feelings, perceptions, etc. that one may have when faced with a death-related matter.

Our study of life and death education for teaching and theoretical contribution purposes over the past decade has led us to undertake a few notable developments – namely, the testament of the following: Focus on instructional designs and pedagogical approaches (2.1), Research inquiries for consideration (2.2), and Advancement in theoretical contributions (2.3).

2.1 Focus on instructional designs and pedagogical approaches

Focus on appropriate instructional designs and pedagogical approaches that may instill appreciation and facilitate effective learning experiences for the subject life and death education (e.g., appreciating that death education has potential daily life relevance). We propose an interesting idea known as “theoretical infusion”, which involves the practice of “infusion” of a particular faith, epistemological belief, customary practice, discourse, etc. in the teaching of life and death. “Spiritual infusion”, for example, details the incorporation of spirituality, or one’s spiritual faith ( Schneiders, 1986 ; Wagani and Colucci, 2018 ; Villani et al., 2019 ), to complement the teaching of life and death, making it more stimulating and “life-related” for learning. Theoretical infusion (e.g., Buddhist spiritual infusion), we contend, may serve to associate subject contents of life and death with other meaningful and/or related contents. In other words, theoretical infusion is used to encourage students to appreciate subject contents of other topics and/or subjects (e.g., appreciating the importance of Christianity from a life perspective) within the context of life and death education. By the same token, we rationalize the benefits of embedding subject contents of life and death within other subject contexts (e.g., how does Christian faith view death?). Having said this, however, we also acknowledge an important mentioning from one of our reviewers in an earlier draft of this article – that we need to also consider the potential “negativity” of our idea of theoretical infusion. That engaging in theoretical infusion (e.g., infusing a particular religious or spiritual faith to support the teaching of death education) may, in fact, amount to and/or be perceived as a form of “indoctrination”. A student with no religious affiliation, in this instance, may feel pressured to accept the practice of “Buddhist spiritual infusion” as a “norm”.

Aside from theoretical infusion, we also propose and use another discourse that we term as “active transformation”. In brief, active transformation relates to one’s self-cognizance of daily practicality of knowledge pertaining to life and death. In other words, active transformation emphasizes the important nexus between theory and practice – for example, how can a teenager use her personal understanding of Confucianism ( Yao, 2000 ; Havens, 2013 ) to assist others in the neighborhood? As such, then, we rationalize that our idea or theoretical premise of active transformation may serve to impart benefits for individuals and society. For example, a mother may accompany her son and make weekly visits, offering spiritual advice and life wisdom on different life and death-related matters to those in this need. This voluntary periodic engagement reflects her willingness to help others in the community and, more importantly, showcases proactive practice of active transformation of life wisdom, or life knowledge. Again, having said this, we are cognizant of one of our reviewers’ earlier mentioning: that the idea or the theoretical premise of active transformation may, likewise, produce negative yields. A person’s inclination towards some form of negativity, in this case, may compel her to engage in negative or maladaptive functioning. That rather than offering sound spiritual advice, a mother may instead transform her life wisdom about spirituality for negative purposes (e.g., a purposively act to indoctrinate a senior citizen with a biased view of Buddhist spirituality).

2.2 Research inquiries for consideration

Concerted attempts to seek new research frontiers that may amplify the importance of the subject life and death. One aspect of our research development, at present, seeks to understand and appreciate the importance of life and death from two contrasting positions: objectivity and subjectivity . Certain life and death matters (e.g., the proposed notion of “post-death” experience) ( Phan et al., 2024 ), we contend, compel and/or require us to seek alternative research discourses for understanding. For example, over the past few years, our use of philosophical reasoning ( Thagard, 2014 ; Thagard, 2018 ; Phan et al., 2024 ) has assisted us to understand about the study of life and death experiences (e.g., attainment of theoretical insights and explanatory accounts of life and death). Philosophical inquiries, from our point of view, may to complement contrasting research discourses and help to yield scientific credence for support. Engaging in philosophical analysis, we contend, may serve to encourage researchers to think non-conventionally and outside the box. Higher-order thinking, reflection, etc. may give rise to contemplation of research propositions for discussion. Our intent over the past several years has been to expand the scope of life and death education ( Chen, 2013 ; Huang, 2014 ; Seng and Lee, 2022 ) by seeking to understand the known and unknown “unknowns” of life and death experiences. This line of research development is somewhat different from other inquiries and research undertakings that place emphasis on the “knowns” of life and death experiences (e.g., the intimate process of grief). The “unknowns” of life and death are more interesting as they delve into unexplained complexities of human existence that do not have clear, consistent explanatory accounts.

2.3 Advancement in theoretical contributions

Our interest, aside from teaching and research purposes, also seeks to make meaningful theoretical contributions to the study of life and death education ( Chen, 2013 , Huang, 2014 , Seng and Lee, 2022 ). One aspect of our research development focuses on the examination and reading of the literatures, pertaining to the importance of variations of different historical-sociocultural contexts of life and death functioning. In brief, we note from our own research undertakings that different historical-sociocultural contexts offer unique insights into the viewpoint, opinion, perception, and interpretation of life and death experiences. For example, in terms of life functioning, we note that many Taiwanese believe in the attainment of “spiritual growth” in place of financial wealth. In a similar vein, many Taiwanese engage in the practice of “ancestor worshipping” ( Steadman et al., 1996 ) and believe in the “afterlife” ( Segal, 2004 ; Jones, 2016 ).

Gauging into the “historical-sociocultural contextualization” of life and death is meaningful as it offers unique understandings of life and death experiences. One distinction about this focus of inquiry is that unlike other disciplines and/or fields of research, the subject of life and death has comparable and contrasting viewpoints, opinions, perceptions, interpretations, etc. That understanding of life and/or of death (e.g., is there any validity to the notion of afterlife?), for example, differs for different ethnic-cultural groups. At present, one of our research undertakings seeks to understand the uniqueness of the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and her viewpoint, interpretation, status quo, etc. about life and death. One of our colleagues, who is a Torres Strait Islander, has shared with us some interesting facts for consideration. According to our colleague, many Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples believe in the existence of rebirth where a deceased is transformed into a new “being”. To facilitate success in such a process, it is poignant that relatives and loved ones do not mention the deceased’s name for 12 months [e.g., “Do you remember when Sarah (i.e., the deceased) used to say this…?”].

3 The present conceptualization

Our aforementioned description of life and death education ( Chen, 2013 ; Huang, 2014 ; Seng and Lee, 2022 ) has provided grounding for our philosophical inquiry and research undertaking, which delve into the nature of a proposed concept known as “trans-mysticism” or, alternatively, trans-mystical studies. For us, as a proposition, trans-mysticism is a combination or the unification of two distinct areas of research of trans-humanism: transpersonalism ( Strohl, 1998 ; Lancaster and Linders, 2019 ) and mysticism ( Schneiderman, 1967 ; Bronkhorst, 2022 ). It is important to note that our proposed term of trans-humanism differs from the more recent practice or use of the term (i.e., “trans-humanism”), which contends the possibility that we could use technological advances to augment human capabilities. Trans-mysticism, for us specifically, is a psychological premise that that may assist researchers, educators, students, etc. to understand, appreciate, and/or accept the existence of metaphysical contexts and the anomalistic and “non-realistic states” of life and death. More importantly, we rationalize that our philosophized concept of trans-mysticism (e.g., a “trans-mystical mindset”) may help to “normalize” and/or to “scientize” the subject matters of metaphysicism, mysticism, and the like. For example, one of our articles published recently ( Phan et al., 2021 ) introduces readers to a specific cultural belief (and/or the cultural practice) known as the “underworld” or the “other world” by which a person could travel to interact with loved ones who have moved on. This mentioning may, indeed, give rise to criticisms, disbeliefs, doubts, uncertainties, etc. In a similar vein, unbeknown to some or many in the Western world, perhaps, but the cultural practice of ancestor worshipping ( Townsend, 1969 ; Steadman et al., 1996 ; Lakos, 2010 ; Clark and Palmer, 2016 ) connotes a specific meaning for those in the Eastern world. Aside from veneration for the dead, this cultural practice also signifies the importance in what is known as “spiritual connectedness” or spiritual communication between the dead and the living – for instance, a daughter may pay homage to her deceased father by lighting incenses and asking for his specific blessing to assist her with the forthcoming final exams.

We reason and contend that philosophical research inquiries in the social sciences (i.e., a research inquiry that utilizes the discourse of philosophical psychology) may affirm one of two things: validating a proposed inquiry with supporting “philosophical” evidence or invalidating a proposed inquiry due to a lack of “philosophical” evidence – for example: that there is support for the proposed concept of trans-mysticism, which may help to provide robust explanations for metaphysical encounters. Of course, it is plausible to purport that trans-mysticism may simply be philosophical and lacks logical credence or legitimate merits for further consideration. One of our reviewers, in an earlier draft of the manuscript, offered an interesting critique: that resorting to the use of philosophical psychology ( Thagard, 2014 ; Thagard, 2018 ; Phan et al., 2024 ) or that philosophizing about the nature of a metaphysical context (e.g., one’s ability to interact with a loved one who has moved on) does not necessarily make it valid or credible for research development. Our conceptualized approach, in this case, argues that psychological tenets may be used to explain the underlying nature of metaphysical contexts and/or mystical experiences in life. That the psychological concept of trans-mysticism may, for example:

i. Help to “normalize”, “scientize”, and/or “legitimize” the study of metaphysical contexts and/or non-ordinary or extraordinary realms of human existence ( Rush, 2011 ; Pasi, 2015 ).

ii. Help us appreciate the trans-mystical nature of metaphysical contexts and/or mystical experiences (e.g., a person’s testament of her ability to “detect” dark spiritual “energy” of a loved one).

Over the course of our research development, from conception to subsequent refinement of the article, we have evolved in our thinking and deliberation. Poignant then is our main focus of inquiry, which seeks to capitalize on the use of psychological theories (e.g., transpersonalism) to explain the intricate nature of metaphysicism, mysticism, and the like. Central to our thesis is the robust explanatory account, epistemically objective in nature, of the aforementioned subject of one’s metaphysical or mystical encounters. That ultimately, perhaps, differing subjective universal encounters and/or experiences (e.g., the metaphysical encounter of a loved one who has moved on vs. the daily encounter of a next-door neighbor) may “subsume” within a common prism or theoretical lens for understanding. A related inquiry for future consideration, which falls outside the scope of the present article relates to the confirmation or the epistemic validation of the trans-mystical nature of metaphysical contexts and/or mystical experiences (e.g., that indeed there is something unique or mysterious about a particular metaphysical encounter, and this personal experience does not coincide with objective reality).

3.1 A brief account of transpersonalism and transpersonal psychology

In this section of the article, we briefly discuss a related topic known as transpersonalism ( Strohl, 1998 ; Lancaster and Linders, 2019 ) and transpersonal psychology ( Maslow, 1969 ; Hartelius et al., 2007 ). This topic, we contend, is important and relates to our theoretical premise of trans-mysticism. It is interesting to note that there is a distinction between transpersonalism and transpersonal psychology or that, in fact, the two areas or disciplines are not identical or equivalent ( Friedman, 2002 ; Shorrock, 2008 ). Friedman’s (2002) theoretical account offers a detailed analysis – for example:

“The former [i.e., transpersonalism] is a broadly defined domain of inquiry that can legitimately include a diversity of methods ranging from those of the humanities to those of a variety of scientific endeavors. Psychology, on the other hand, is defined by most psychologists as a scientific discipline; except for a few humanistic and transpersonal adherents who insist that including alternative, that is, nonscientific, approaches is important for the discipline, science is widely accepted as the mainstay of the discipline…. Furthermore, I see transpersonal psychology foremost as a field within the discipline of scientific psychology that focuses on those aspects of trans personal studies that involve the individual, including thoughts, feelings, and behaviors as found in the individual’s biological, cultural, social, and wider contexts” (pp. 180–181).

A more detailed explanation is noted in Shorrock’s (2008) book, titled “ The Transpersonal in Psychology, Psychotherapy, and Counselling ”. Shorrock’s (2008) account of transpersonalism and transpersonal psychology is comprehensive, outlining the genesis, complexity, and the numerous definitions and viewpoints that scholars over the years have proposed. The word count of the present article limits us from detailing Shorrock’s (2008) book and/or the complete gamut of definitions, viewpoints, perspectives, etc. of both disciplines. For the purpose of our rationale, we provide a few definitions of the two areas/disciplines for readers to appreciate ( Table 1 ). From Table 1 , a point of commonality between transpersonal psychology ( Tart, 1975 ; Lajoie and Shapiro, 1992 ; Cunningham, 2007 ) and transpersonalism ( Strohl, 1998 ; Lancaster and Linders, 2019 ), in this case, is the use of the prefix “trans” ( Lancaster and Linders, 2019 ) or the extended prefix or term “transpersonal”, which is defined as “as reaching beyond the personal realm or transcending the singular, personal state of being” ( Clark, 2016 ). Moreover, from our analysis, the significance or the uniqueness of transpersonalism and transpersonal psychology relates to the following: that decisions to accept or to reject transpersonalism and/or transpersonal psychology are largely based on scientific rigor and a researcher’s ability to empirically validate using scientific means (e.g., is it possible?) ( Friedman, 2002 ; Shorrock, 2008 ). Transpersonal psychology is considered as being more robust, valid, and/or legitimate for its scope, which closely aligns to the rigor of scientific psychology ( Friedman, 2002 ; Shorrock, 2008 ).

Table 1 . A summary of sample definitions of transpersonalism and transpersonal psychology.

Despite contrasting definitions ( Table 1 ), we argue that both transpersonalism ( Strohl, 1998 , Lancaster and Linders, 2019 ) and transpersonal psychology ( Tart, 1975 , Lajoie and Shapiro, 1992 , Cunningham, 2007 ) are comparable with each other in terms of interpretation, understanding, and inference. Central to this rationale is that regardless of methodological considerations (e.g., what methodological approach would be best to investigate…?), the study of transpersonalism and the study of transpersonal psychology both subsume within or fall under the umbrella of what we term as “trans-humanistic” development. That trans-humanistic studies, in their entirety, can offer insights and theoretical understandings into the underlying nature of “humanism”. Moreover, we premise that our philosophized nomenclature and/or concept of trans-mysticism, likewise, may subsume within the overarching framework of trans-humanism. In other words, for consideration, is the following extrapolation: that the trans-humanistic framework, especially the tenets of trans-mysticism may provide theoretical grounding to help us gauge into the logic , validity , and legitimacy (e.g., objectivity vs. subjectivity) of the study of metaphysical contexts and mystical life and death experiences – for example, near-death experiences, spiritually transformative experiences, spiritual awakenings, peak experiences, and ecstatic experiences.

3.2 Trans-mystical development: a proposition

Trans-mysticism , as a distinct concept, may contribute to the study of life and death education ( Chen, 2013 ; Huang, 2014 ; Seng and Lee, 2022 ) by accentuating the significance of metaphysical contexts and mystical of life and death experiences, such as:

• The personal experience of “premonition” ( Cameron, 1958 ; Dossey, 2009 ).

• Personal belief in the concept of “reincarnation” ( Nagaraj et al., 2013 ; Barua, 2017 ), or the concept of the endless cycle of “birth-death-rebirth”.

• The personal experience of “spirit communication” with loved ones who have moved on (e.g., the ritual practice of Guan Lou Yin) ( Buckland, 2004 ; Phan et al., 2021 ).

• The personal experience of “time–space transcendence” (i.e., one’s ability to transcend to another time–space context) ( Phan et al., 2024 ).

The proposed prefix or nomenclature “trans-mystical” is somewhat unique for its unification of two distinct areas of research: trans-humanistic studies (e.g., the study of a person’s experience of self-transcendence, which showcases a higher-order form of life functioning) + mystical studies (e.g., the study of a person’s esoteric experience of perceived spirit communication). Trans-mysticism, in accordance with our rationale, is closely associated with the specific subject matters of metaphysicism and mysticism. That our justification for the inclusion of the concept of trans-mysticism arises from the following understanding: that there is an intimate association between life/death context (i.e., metaphysical or mystical context) and a person’s individual mindset . Moreover, from our point of view, the theoretical premise of psychological concept of trans-mysticism is as follows: that personal experience of metaphysical contexts and/or mystical phenomena may give rise to the necessitation , development , and manifestation of a “trans-mystical mindset”. What is a trans-mystical mindset, which subsumes under the theoretical framework of trans-mysticism? For the context of the present article, we define a trans-mystical mindset as:

The ultimate human experience and/or a higher-order state of consciousness of a person, espousing her perception , judgment , belief , and attempted interpretation of metaphysical contexts and/or of life and death phenomena that are mystifying and fall outside the ordinary boundaries of human psyche.

Our philosophization contends that a trans-mystical mindset is contextual (i.e., it is contextualized or is situated within the metaphysical or the trans-mystical life and death contexts) and differs, in this case, from a person’s “ordinary” mindset ( Figure 1 ). There are perhaps a few unique characteristics for us to consider – namely:

i. A trans-mystical mindset is an internalized state that is perceived as being complex and/or higher-order. A trans-mystical mindset is different from an ordinary mindset, which espouses the “perception of normality” or the “realm of conventional human psyche”. An ordinary mindset, in this case, manifests and functions to facilitate successful adaptation of typical or standard daily life contexts (e.g., the context of academic learning in university or the context of a bank employee adapting to his new workplace environment).

ii. Existence of a trans-mystical mindset corresponds to and/or contextualizes to a specific metaphysical context, which may result in a person experiencing some form of mysticism (e.g., a person’s experience of premonition).

iii. There is a demarcation between what is “ordinary” and what is “extraordinary” and this distinction, in fact, explains the nature between an ordinary mindset and a trans-mystical mindset ( Figure 1 ).

Figure 1 . Structure of trans-mystical mindset.

Our philosophization has so far introduced an interesting discourse for consideration: the uniqueness in perception, interpretation, and understanding of life and death (i.e., the perspective of objectivity vs. the perspective of subjectivity). The perspective of objectivity ( Hanfstingl, 2022 ) emphasizes the importance of impartiality, unbiased interpretation and logical judgment, and the use of facts and verifiable evidence. For example, in terms of “negativity”, poverty, suffering, uncertainty, despair, and confusion ( Zhang, 2003 ; McCartney et al., 2007 ; Mistry et al., 2009 ) are attributes that many of us experience on a daily basis. Natural tendency, in this case, would dictate that one’s personal mindset seeks out opportunities, pathways, means, etc. to help rectify or resolve such negative life experiences. The perspective of subjectivity ( Lundberg et al., 2023 ), in contrast, emphasizes individualism, a person’s own sense of interpretation and point of view, and potentially biased judgment. For example, a person’s feeling and subjective interpretation may give rise to her conviction and insistence that spirit communication ( Buckland, 2004 ), premonition ( Cameron, 1958 ), time–space displacement, and the like are trans-mystical experiences that do not coincide with everyday objective reality. Subjectivity, in this sense, may associate with what we refer to as “subjective rationality” or “subjective rationalization”. It is interesting to note that unlike objectivity, subjective rationality may reflect and/or encompass the uniqueness of what we term as “social and/or cultural mediation”. That particular culture (e.g., Taiwanese culture), in this instance, may convey and/or mediate messages of acceptance, appropriateness, etc. of metaphysical experiences (e.g., premonition).

3.3 Ordinary mindset, trans-mystical mindset, and self-transcendence

An interesting position is that it is plausible to approach the study of metaphysicism and mysticism from a psychological point of view. There are in this sense several notable inquiries relating to the study of life and death education that are somewhat unique but, importantly, we are not able to address and/or answer here. Central to our thesis, as previously mentioned, is the use of philosophical psychology (e.g., the proposition of a trans-mystical mindset) to help normalize and/or to scientize the subject matters of metaphysicism and mysticism. Beyond the scope of our examination and something that is more contentious, perhaps, is the potential study of the epistemic validation of the underlying nature of metaphysicism – that, indeed, there is something mysterious about metaphysical contexts and that these do not coincide with the realm of ordinary boundaries (e.g., that the personal experience of premonition). In a similar vein, this mentioning of the “mystique” of metaphysicism raises several questions for future research to consider:

i. Is it a case of subjective rationalization or subjective rationality – that the perception of mystique of metaphysical contexts is subjective and individual and not universal in terms of rationalization (e.g., that a person’s subjective rationalization of metaphysical contexts does not necessarily hold for another person)?

ii. Is it beyond the scientific confines and/or the scientific rigor of psychology, as a distinct field of research, and that some alternative epistemology is required in order for us to study the complexity of metaphysicism?

iii. Is it a valid discourse for us to suggest that there is scientific credence to study the epistemic validation or invalidation of metaphysicism?

The present study context considers an interesting premise: that psychological understanding, situated within the boundary of realistic objectivity, may help explain the nature of metaphysicism and mysticism. In other words, a trans-mystical mindset, psychological in makeup, may assist a person to accommodate , adapt , resolve , and interpret the intricacies of metaphysical contexts. That indeed, from our considered viewpoint, metaphysical contexts (e.g., a daughter’s experience of spirit communication with her loved ones) do not necessarily differ from daily life contexts (e.g., a teenager’s romantic feeling for his classmate). Individual differences (e.g., a person’s insistence that he has reincarnated), in this sense, are perhaps subjective – that subjective rationalization is prevalent and may serve to attribute to one’s own conviction of a metaphysical experience.

Unlike an ordinary or a normal mindset, a trans-mystical mindset does not simply eventuate. It is not automatic, spontaneous, and/or instantaneous. Rather, the perceived “unknowns” of this world, or a specific unknown context that one may confront at a particular moment in time, may initiate and stimulate a trans-mystical mindset. Our philosophization contends that a trans-mystical mindset reflects a person’s experience of being able to “transcend” herself from an ordinary level of human psyche to an expansive, extraordinary level. More importantly, our embracement of objective rationality indicates that a trans-mystical mindset may add logic, validity, and scientific credence to the study of metaphysical contexts and mystical experiences. In other words, from our point of view, a trans-mystical mindset may serve as a theoretical lens, helping society and individuals to view the subject matters of metaphysicism objectively. That the metaphysical concept of premonition ( Cameron, 1958 ; Dossey, 2009 ) is non-mystical and/or is just a “norm” that some individuals may experience. We rationalize this position by considering an interesting benchmark or a point of equivalency – namely:

That a trans-mystical mindset, as extraordinary and higher-order, may equate to the humanistic state of transcendence .

3.3.1 Point of equivalency for consideration

The underlying account of our rationalization (i.e., a trans-mystical mindset ≈ state of transcendence) is that both a trans-mystical mindset and a state of transcendence are non-ordinary life states and/or non-everyday contexts ( Figure 1 ). For example, a student’s state of self-transcendence is somewhat different from her state of intrinsic motivation for mathematics learning, and/or that the personal context of bushwalking on a Saturday morning does not coincide with a teenager’s trans-mystical mindset. In terms of transcendence, there are numerous theoretical accounts [ Reed’s (1991) Self-Transcendence Theory] within the transpersonal psychology literature, but generally speaking, a popular account is from Maslow (1971) , which states the following:

Transcendence refers to the very highest and most inclusive or holistic levels of human consciousness, behaving and relating, as ends rather than means, to oneself, to significant others, to human beings in general, to other species, to nature, and to the cosmos” (p. 269).

An analysis of Maslow’s (1971) description of transcendence (e.g., self-transcendence) suggests, perhaps, a very concise, direct, and clear explanation (e.g., that a person’s state of self-transcendence indicates his complex state of consciousness…). At a deeper level, however, we note a few notable keywords or phrases that are somewhat complex – for example: “holistic levels of human consciousness”, “ends rather than means”, and “the cosmos”. We contend that these keywords or phrases serve to support our earlier mentioning: that the underlying nature of transcendence, similar to a trans-mystical mindset, is something that is higher-order and that a lay person does not necessarily experience on a daily basis.

There is research development that has, to date, explored the impact of transcendence. For example, a number of researchers have studied the underlying nature of “self-transcendence” ( Conn, 1998 ; Ruschmann, 2011 ; Llanos and Martínez Verduzco, 2022 ), which concerns a person’s ability to transcend beyond her perceived sense of self and, in the process, recognizing that there are elements in life (e.g., nature, social relationship, the universe, divine power, etc.) that constitute the notion of “whole” (e.g., the “wholeness” of a person consist of…). A person’s self-transcendence experience, in this case, showcases her deep understanding and appreciation that there are, perhaps, greater “powers” in life (e.g., a teenager’s perceived spiritual connectedness with God). As such then, this brief theoretical account supports our earlier mentioning regarding the significance and/or the intricacy of a state of self-transcendence: that it is an experience of a higher-order where some of us in society are fortunate or have been fortunate to have encountered.

Again, reiterating our earlier discussion, a state of self-transcendence is higher-order ( Maslow, 1969 , 1971 ) but it does not mean that such encounter and/or experience is mystical in any shape or form. It is a psychological state that we purport may adhere to and/or equate to what we term as “transformation” or the “process of transformation” ( Figure 1 ). Transformation for us, in this case, relates to the “transformation” of a person’s “ordinary” state of consciousness (i.e., ordinary mindset) to a more “complex” state of consciousness (i.e., a trans-mystical mindset). In other words, our conceptualization is as follows:

That transformation of a person’s contextual mindset (i.e., ordinary mindset → trans-mystical mindset) equates to or is analogous to a state of self-transcendence, helping her to rationalize, understand, and/or appreciate the nature of metaphysical contexts, mystical experiences, and the like.

The significance of the aforementioning lies in our attempt to objectively rationalize the nature of metaphysical contexts by equating the concept of a trans-mystical mindset with a state of self-transcendence ( Maslow, 1969 , 1971 ). In this analysis, a trans-mystical mindset is not some unknown, mysterious concept that only a few of us may experience. Rather, equating to a state of self-transcendence, a person’s transformed mindset (i.e., personal mindset → trans-mystical mindset) espouses his intimate sense and/or experience of quality attributes, such as awareness , realization , logical reasoning , acceptance , and enlightenment . As an example, consider a senior citizen who recently encounters a metaphysical life context (e.g., interaction with perceived dark energy of loved ones who have moved on). Such a metaphysical encounter could potentially “transform” the senior citizen’s mindset (i.e., personal mindset → trans-mystical mindset) to assist him to logically rationalize (e.g., he reasons that his experience of spiritual connection is normal), realize (e.g., he realizes that he is able to “sense” a loved one who has moved on nearby), and/or accept (e.g., he accepts that what he is feeling (i.e., sensing a spiritual connection) is normal) that his personal experience of mysticism is normal.

3.4 Innovation and intricacy

Figure 1 encapsulates our conceptualization, showcasing the process of transformation and the two major levels of human existence and/or human psyche (i.e., ordinary (Level 1)  → trans-mystical (Level 2) ). Innovatively and significantly, our conceptualization is intended to support and/or to accentuate our theoretical position: that the subject matters of metaphysicism (e.g., a teenager’s mystical experience) are, in fact, “normal” or that they coincide with the realm of objective rationalization. That we may, in fact, use psychological premises (e.g., the use of philosophical psychology) to decipher, normalize, and scientize the perceived “extraordinary” nature of metaphysical context, mystical experiences, and the like. By all accounts, one may perceive and view the context of premonition ( Cameron, 1958 ; Dossey, 2009 ) as being something that is extraordinary and situates outside or beyond the realm of ordinary boundaries of life and death. This standing, however, emphasizes the importance of subjective experience (e.g., something that is perceived and viewed as being “extraordinary” for one person may not be so for another person). Moreover, such differences in personal experience may make the same belief subjectively rational for one person but not another person. Upon reflection though, we offer an alternative account, which is illustrated here in this section, where we contend that variations in mystical or metaphysical contexts may “cross-reference” with Maslow’s (1969 , 1971) hierarchy of needs framework:

Level 1: an ordinary mindset: Ordinary boundaries of human existence and/or human psyche may give rise to the proposition of a person’s “ordinary mindset”. Ordinary boundaries of human existence and/or human psyche (e.g., a student’s love for mastery of classical music), from our rationalization, coincide with Maslow’s (1968 , 1969) proposition of physiological needs, safety needs, belonging and love needs, and esteem needs. Level 1, from our point of view, is considered as a basic level or a low level of human psyche.

Level 2: a trans-mystical mindset: Extraordinary boundaries of human existence and/or human psyche may give rise to the proposition of a “trans-mystical mindset”. Extraordinary boundaries of human existence and/or human psyche (e.g., a teenager’s perceived ability to transcend to another time–space realm), from our rationalization, coincide with Maslow’s (1968 , 1969) proposition of self-actualization and self-transcendence. Level 2, from our point of view, is considered as a complex level or a higher level of human psyche.

Our philosophization, summarized in Figure 1 , is innovative for its proposition of an active process of transformation of a person’s psychological mindset. That a person’s mindset is contextual ( Phan et al., 2024 ) and changes with reference to a specific context at hand (i.e., Level 1 → L2). Moreover, from our point of view, normalizing and/or scientizing the subject matters of metaphysicism, mysticism, and the like may consist of the equivalency between two higher-order concepts: a trans-mystical mindset ≈ a state of self-transcendence. Variations in human experiences, ranging from ordinary and perceived realistic levels (e.g., one’s personal desire to live a cherished and self-fulfilling life) to extraordinary and perceived complex levels (e.g., one’s personal desire to seek theoretical understanding of the unknowns) may serve to change one’s psychological mindset (i.e., personal mindset → trans-mystical mindset).

4 Importance of antecedents: life wisdom and historical-sociocultural contextualization

Approaching the study of life and death education from a mystical perspective ( Phan et al., 2021 , 2023 ), or from the perspective objectivity vs. subjectivity, is insightful and interesting, as it may help advance theoretical understanding of the subject matters. An important issue for consideration, in this case, relates to one’s inclination to accept or to reject the enigma of the subject of trans-mysticism (e.g., a person’s perceived mystical life experience, such as his ability to transcend to another time–space context). Our attempt over the past few years has involved the use of philosophical analysis to help normalize the subject matter of mystical experiences and metaphysical contexts. That psychological premises, for example, may enable us to scientize the nature of metaphysicism. Interestingly, one of our reviewers recently mentioned a pivotal point, contending that philosophizing the relevance and/or the uniqueness of mystical experiences and metaphysical contexts does necessarily make them any more valid. That a person’s willingness to embrace the subject of trans-mysticism, likewise, may simply reflect and/or indicate his sense of curiosity, interest, etc. and nothing more. If this is the case, then it may be plausible to purport that universal contexts (e.g., the context of mastery and enjoyment of visual arts vs. the context of reincarnation) do not conjecture any “mystique” or “extraordinariness”. A specific life context is only mysterious or extraordinary (e.g., a teenager’s conviction that her personal experience of spiritual connection with a loved one who has moved on), perhaps, from a subjective point of view. Having said this, however, we want to briefly introduce two theoretical concepts that may offer grounding and discount the objective logic, validity, and/or legitimacy of trans-mysticism, metaphysical contexts, and the like:

i. The importance of life wisdom.

ii. The importance of historical-sociocultural contextualization.

To offer a balanced overview and to encourage scholarly dialogues, we have chosen to consider an alternative and/or a related viewpoint: that acquired life wisdom and/or one’s historical-sociocultural upbringing may predominate and support and/or strengthen the perspective of subjective rationality. This viewpoint considers the importance of subjectivity, personal experience and interpretation, and individual differences and contends that perhaps there is something mysterious about the study of metaphysicism. For example, life wisdom is an interesting commodity that may impart contextual epistemological beliefs, expectations, reflective thoughts, and the like. In a similar vein, historical-sociocultural grounding and/or upbringing may cultivate the cultural belief that ancestor worshipping ( Steadman et al., 1996 ; Lakos, 2010 ) enables a person to engage in spirit communication.

4.1 The importance of life wisdom

Life wisdom or life knowledge is somewhat different from contextual subject knowledge (e.g., knowledge of Algebra) as it connotes the importance of “generality”. Situating within the context of life and death education ( Chen, 2013 ; Huang, 2014 ; Seng and Lee, 2022 ), life wisdom is defined as:

“A lifelong process that reflects cognitive maturity, diverse life experiences, and the continuation of acquired knowledge of different contexts. A person's wisdom of life, in this sense, is not analogous with his/her intellectual or cognitive development” ( Phan et al., 2021 ).

Unlike specific content knowledge, procedural knowledge, and/or conceptual knowledge (e.g., Algebra), life knowledge, or life wisdom, is somewhat generic and reflects a person’s maturity and diverse life experiences (e.g., a Buddhist nun’s life knowledge of spirituality). Progress in life, in this sense, may coincide with a person’s acquirement and/or development of life knowledge. It is interesting to note life and death education teaching considers the importance of “active transformation” of life wisdom, or life knowledge, into practice for positive and/or effective life functioning ( Phan et al., 2021 , 2023 ). Active transformation, importantly, emphasizes the nexus between theory and practical purposes. In terms of the present context, however, we posit that life wisdom may help to assist a person to view metaphysical contexts and mystical experiences somewhat differently. In other words, resonating with our earlier mentioning, a person’s life wisdom may in fact assist him with his subjective interpretation and rationalization – that, indeed, there is logic to the argument that metaphysical cases of reincarnation, premonition, spirit communication, etc. are extraordinary and situate outside the realm of ordinary boundaries of life and death.

4.2 The importance of historical-sociocultural and ethno-anthropological contextualization

Historical-sociocultural background and upbringing (e.g., a South African child who was born and grows up in Indonesia) may help to shape a person’s epistemological belief, cultural value, customary practice, etc. Extensive research development, to date, has acknowledged the importance of what is known as “sociocultural contextualization” or “situational placement” of one’s learning experiences and personal development ( Wertsch et al., 1995 ; Kozulin, 1999 ; Mahn, 1999 ). There are specific examples, briefly introduced here, that support the potency of historical-sociocultural and ethno-anthropological premises of life and death experiences. That a person’s specific historical-sociocultural upbringing may play a prominent role, helping to convince her that subjective, metaphysical, and extraordinary contexts are perhaps logical. For example, unlike their Western counterparts, Tibetans in general have been brought up from an early age to appreciate the importance of Tibetan Buddhist teaching ( Lama and Chodron, 2019 , Prude, 2019 ), which emphasizes the premise of reincarnation ( Burley, 2014 ; Barua, 2017 ) or the notion of the “birth-death-rebirth” cycle ( Park, 2014 ; Sarao, 2017 ). It is their collective cultural belief perhaps, that upon death, one would reincarnate to a new “being” or a new life. In a similar vein, as we cited earlier, many Taiwanese believe in what is known as an “underworld”, or a place where one could meet and communicate with loved ones who have moved on ( Phan et al., 2021 ). It is interesting to note though, that some Western scholars ( Greber, 1979 ; Buckland, 2004 ; Tymn, 2014 ; Pócs, 2019 ) have also made reference to the notion of “spirit communication”.

The brief accounts, as mentioned here, emphasize the potential relevance and applicability of personal upbringing, grounded in historical-sociocultural contexts. Similar to the case of life wisdom, we posit that historical-sociocultural contexts may support the theoretical lens of subjective rationalization. That a particular historical-sociocultural grounding may instill conviction, personal resolve, and/or firm belief that metaphysical encounters, mystical contexts, and the like are ontologically subjective not rational in perception, interpretation, etc.

5 Summation

In summation, the study of life and death education ( Chen, 2013 ; Huang, 2014 ; Seng and Lee, 2022 ) has established strong grounding for learning, research, and practical purposes. Central to this thesis is a pervasive desire for individuals to appreciate life and death experiences in all different forms. Philosophical, conceptual, and empirical research undertakings have been plentiful, resulting in a myriad of findings and viewpoints for consideration. Our own research inquiries of life and death education over the years, likewise, have provided some interesting findings and insights for continuing teaching and research development. One particular aspect for continuing development relates to the context of universality. Do all of us view, perceive, and/or interpret universal contexts the same or differently? That perhaps, for some of us, life and death contexts are different and exist outside or beyond the ordinary and realistic boundaries of humankind (e.g., a person’s perceived feeling and/or experience of time–space transportation). Indeed, as a recap, we have briefly explored this metaphysical or mystical topic of human agency in a few of our recent articles. This concerted effort has provided preliminary grounding for our proposition of a related psychological concept known as “trans-mysticism”.

The present article considers an interesting discourse: that we may, in fact, subsume and/or frame different subjective viewpoints and interpretations of universal contexts within one common objective, psychological lens. That a resulting trans-mystical mindset, in this case, may help to “objectivize” or scientize the subject matters of metaphysicism, mysticism, and the like. Relating to this proposition is our conceptualization of an equivalency between the process of transformation of an ordinary mindset and a personal state of self-transcendence (i.e., a trans-mystical mindset ≈ a state of self-transcendence). Our philosophization (e.g., situating the concept of a “trans-mystical mindset” within Maslow’s (1968 , 1969) hierarchy of needs framework), in this analysis, is intended to achieve three major feats:

i. To promote the possibility of normalization and acceptance of metaphysical contexts and mystical life and death experiences from the perspective of psychology.

ii. To introduce an alternative nomenclature or psychological concept, known as trans-mysticism, into mainstream trans-humanistic literatures for consideration – for example, a person’s contextual mindset may situate within a hierarchy, transforming from an ordinary level to a higher-order level or a trans-mystical level.

iii. To advance the study of life and death education by considering the legitimacy, logic, and validity of non-conventional or non-objective themes (e.g., the personal experience of premonition).

Overall, then, the focus of our philosophical inquiry raises several notable issues for consideration and/or acknowledgment. That innovatively and creatively, we have utilized psychological premises (e.g., the study of transpersonalism) and the formal teaching and research of life and death education ( Chen, 2013 , Huang, 2014 , Seng and Lee, 2022 ) to normalize and/or to scientize the subject matters of metaphysicism. Equally important is a focus that we briefly mentioned for future development, which seeks to elucidate the epistemic legitimacy or validation of personal conviction and belief that metaphysical contexts and/or mystical experiences are truly unique [e.g., is there something truly unique, objectively, about one’s mystical belief of a metaphysical encounter (e.g., his conviction that spirit communication is unique and does not coincide with everyday objective reality?)].

6 Inquiries for consideration: teaching, educational, and practical purposes

We acknowledge that it is somewhat difficult to conceptualize concretely the concept of trans-mysticism, and/or to convince someone that there is scientific truth to the subject matters of metaphysicism and mysticism. Unlike other theories, concepts, relationships, etc. in the social sciences (e.g., the study of human motivation for effective learning), trans-humanism in its entirety is somewhat abstract, subjective, and individualized, requiring philosophical analysis, reasoned judgment, and contemplation to assist with the attainment of meaningful understanding. In this section of the article, we introduce a few proposed inquiries that may add valuable insights and support our aforementioned proposition for further development.

6.1 Teaching and practical purposes

Quality teaching (e.g., on-campus) and innovative curriculum development, as a whole, is a central element of successful schooling and academic learning experiences. The nexus between research and learning outcomes may involve active transformation of research findings into practice, where possible [e.g., how do we transform the premise of premonition ( Cameron, 1958 , González-González, 2019 ) into positive daily practice?]. Our interest in this matter over the past few years has been to develop a “unifying” framework of life and death education that may take into account different theoretical lenses – psychological , philosophical , sociological , anthropological , etc. Such a unifying framework could, perhaps, help to provide complementary information for holistic understanding of the subject contents of life and death [e.g., a psychological viewpoint (e.g., psychological process of grief) + historical-sociocultural viewpoint (e.g., the Eastern viewpoint about death) of death].

Aside from a unifying framework that incorporates different theoretical lenses, what else can we consider for effective teaching and learning experiences? Consider, in this case, innovative curriculum development that places emphasis on daily relevance and applied educational and non-educational practices. Does a trans-mystical mindset have any practicality for consideration? Can a student utilize her trans-mystical life experience or an encountered metaphysical context to “better” herself and/or others? Is there a program for implementation that an educator could develop, which takes into account the importance of trans-mystical life/death contexts? These sample questions emphasize the importance of practicality or the transformation of theory into practice. To answer such questions, we would need to consider the potential negative perception of the subject matter itself – that:

i. Some or many students, in general, may not appreciate and/or view trans-mystical life/death contexts as a credible subject for studying (e.g., for their future study and/or career pathways).

ii. It is somewhat difficult to associate trans-mystical life/death contexts with everyday relevance and/or applicability.

iii. Some or many students may have differing viewpoints, religious faiths, cultural beliefs, etc. that would prevent them from embracing the subject of trans-mystical life/death contexts.

Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Economics, etc. are “hard pure theoretical” disciplines ( Becher, 1989 ; Becher, 1994 ) that are concrete, relatively straightforward in terms of comprehension, processing, and/or understanding, and may reflect daily life relevance. Where does the subject of metaphysical contexts and/or the subject of mystical experiences, in contrast, rank in terms of “intellectual categorization” (e.g., is there any “academic basis” to the study of trans-mysticism?) ( Becher, 1989 , 1994 )? Becher’s (1989 , 1994) framework of intellectual categorizations (e.g., treating the subject content of a trans-mystical mindset as a “soft pure theoretical” subject), in this case, may help to define or redefine the “intellectual rigor” of the subject matters of trans-mysticism, metaphysical contexts, and the like. In a similar vein, the pedagogical practice of theoretical infusion ( Phan et al., 2023 , 2024 ), as described earlier, may lend support and strengthen the perception of intellectual or “academic rigor” to the subject matters of trans-mysticism, metaphysical contexts, and the like. For example, the pedagogical practice of Buddhist infusion ( Yeshe and Rinpoche, 1976 ; Metzner, 1996 ; Master Sheng Yen, 2010 ) may associate trans-mysticism with the subject matter of Buddhist spirituality (e.g., that personal experience and/or feeling of Buddhist spirituality is non-ordinary or extraordinary, reflecting the uniqueness of mysticism), adding valuable academic insights for consideration.

The study of trans-mysticism, in its entirety (e.g., a trans-mystical mindset), may impart some relevant insights for daily life purposes. Daily life relevance, in this case, does not necessarily equate to useful practicalities for positive life functioning. Rather, from our point of view, life relevance arising from in-depth knowledge and personal understanding of trans-mysticism may relate to one’s ability to appreciate and accept the broad “humanistic” nature of life and death. Furthermore, appreciating the concept of trans-mysticism may enable and/or assist a person to recognize that interpretation of life and death can incorporate and involve different theoretical lenses – for example, objective reality vs. individual subjectivity.

6.2 Self-reflection and holistic state of consciousness-subconsciousness

We now turn our attention to another focus of inquiry, which seeks to consider the potential impact of a person’s trans-mystical mindset on her state of personal reflection. Personal reflection , as Schön (1983 , 1987) contends, may espouse two different types: “in-action” reflection (i.e., during the event) and “on-action” reflection (i.e., after the event). This theoretical premise is relevant and may, in fact, relate to the context of our discussion of trans-mysticism. There are a few inquiries that we have formulated for researchers, educators, etc. to consider:

i. Does a trans-mystical mindset coincide with or help a person to develop reflective thinking skills?

ii. Does an encounter with a particular trans-mystical context and/or mystical life/death experience help a person to develop reflective thinking skills?

iii. Can personal reflection assist a person to reason, accept, and/or embrace trans-mystical life/death contexts?

iv. Can reflective thinking serve as an informational source, helping to necessitate, prepare, facilitate, and/or sustain a trans-mystical mindset?

The main issue, from our point of view, is whether trans-mystical mindset and reflective practice are interrelated with each other. In terms of life and death contexts, specifically, we prefer to use the term “self-contemplation” or “personal contemplation” ( Chattopadhyay, 2022 ) over that of self-reflection. For us, self-contemplation is more than just a state of personal reflection of different types of life functioning. Rather, self-contemplation is transpersonal and reflects a person’s concerted introspection to seek deep understanding about life experiences and the true meaning of higher-order life attainments. Moreover, from our point of view, self-contemplation emphasizes the importance of one’s own self-analysis and philosophization about the true meaning of aestheticism and altruism. It would be an interesting endeavor to explore the self-contemplative nature of trans-mysticism. To facilitate this line of questioning, we propose a term that we coin as “trans-mystical contemplation” or “trans-mystical introspection” – for example: does a person’s experience of trans-mysticism (e.g., a person’s conviction and belief that she is able to connect spiritually with loved ones who have moved on) reflect his contemplative or introspective thoughts?

Our recent article introduced a mindfulness-related methodological approach known as “meditative-reflective documentation” ( Phan et al., 2024 ). Meditative-reflective documentation is an approach that encourages a person to document and note down specific phrases, drawings, keywords, etc. that could describe his “meditative-reflective” experience. This theoretical account of meditative-reflective experience contends that in-depth meditation may enable a person to attain and/or to experience a higher-order “meditative-reflective” state – for example, his perceived feeling of “extraordinariness”, such as the perceived feeling of out-of-body experience (e.g., self-awareness of the perception of “disassociation” of body and mind from the present time–space context). As a result of this mentioning, we wonder whether there is credence to consider an interesting proposition: that the totality of a person’s state of consciousness and subconsciousness may consist of a unification or a combination of similar states: a trans-mystical state , a meditative-reflective state , a self-actualizing state , a transcendence state , etc., ( Figure 2 ).

Figure 2 . A proposed holistic state of consciousness-subconsciousness here.

Our seminal idea, as described, considers the possibility that some discourse and/or course of action could act to facilitate the unification of different states of consciousness and subconsciousness (e.g., a trans-mystical state, a meditative-reflective state, a self-actualizing state, and a transcendence state). This unification, we philosophize, may serve to encapsulate the “entirety” of a person’s state of consciousness-subconsciousness. Our narrative, in this case, contends that metaphysical contexts and/or mystical experiences may help initiate, unify, and sustain the four aforementioned states of consciousness-subconsciousness.

6.3 Research development for consideration

In this final section of the article, we discuss a few research propositions that may assist to support our advocation for the study of the entirety of trans-humanism, including the proposed concept of a trans-mystical mindset. We acknowledge that overall, the subject of trans-humanism is abstract, philosophical, and can be somewhat incomprehensible at times, making it difficult for students, individuals, etc. to understand and appreciate. Even more difficult, perhaps, is the development of research undertakings that could in effect help to validate such representation(s). There are a couple of questions, at present, for us to consider:

i. How do we accurately measure and assess the underlying nature of a trans-mystical mindset?

ii. How do we measure, assess, and/or evaluate one’s perceived feeling of a metaphysical context, mystical experience, and the like?

iii. How do we validate the proposition of a holistic state of consciousness-subconsciousness ( Figure 2 ), which may consider the following: a trans-mystical state, a meditative-reflective state, a self-actualizing state, a transcendence state, etc.?

iv. How do we objectively validate, legitimize, and/or confirm that a trans-mystical mindset is unique or that metaphysical experiences are extraordinary and situate outside the realm of ordinary boundaries?

The sample questions above illustrate the complexities of the study of the entirety of trans-humanism. For example, how would we soundly and/or accurately undertake a research inquiry into the nature of a trans-mystical mindset? This question places emphasis on a research-related issue or matter known as “methodological appropriateness” ( Esterberg, 2002 ; Creswell, 2003 ; Creswell, 2008 ). Methodological appropriateness, in brief, relates to the development of an appropriate methodological design for usage that would, in turn, enable a researcher to measure and assess a concept, phenomenon, relationship, etc. adequately and accurately In the social sciences, there are a couple of robust and stringent methodological designs for researchers, educators, students, etc. to consider (e.g., Likert-scale inventories, surveys, open-ended interviews). Likert-scale inventories and/or open-ended surveys are relatively straightforward and, in this case, may offer simple, direct opportunities and/or pathways for the attainment of evidence into the perception of trans-mystical life/death experiences (e.g., I perceive that there is something out there, divine, that I cannot explain…).

An important line of inquiry for consideration entails a comparative analysis of viewpoints, perspectives, interpretations, opinions, etc. of the study of trans-humanism in its entirety. We purport that a “sociocultural-anthropological” approach could offer a more interesting account of perception, interpretation, understanding, etc. of metaphysical contexts, mystical experiences, and the like. A sociocultural-anthropological approach ( Phan et al., 2024 ), we contend, places emphasis on the importance of diverse customary practices, cultural values, epistemological beliefs, protocols, etc. As we mentioned earlier, historical-sociocultural grounding and personal upbringing may play a prominent role, helping to shape or influence a person’s behavior, viewpoint, interpretation, epistemological belief, etc. (e.g., that there is logic and relevance to the cultural practice of ancestor worshipping). In this analysis, research undertakings that place emphasis on ethnographic-anthropological differences or similarities (e.g., the contrasting viewpoints regarding a trans-mystical mindset in reception, belief, and conviction towards the notion of premonition) may lend support for a wider scope in study of perspectives, beliefs, opinions, and ideas of metaphysical contexts, etc.

7 Conclusion

The present conceptual analysis article, we contend, has advanced the study of transpersonalism in its entirety ( Maslow, 1969 ; Strohl, 1998 ; Hartelius et al., 2007 ; Lancaster and Linders, 2019 ) by considering an alternative – namely, the nomenclature “trans-humanism” and, in this case, the philosophized psychological concept of trans-mysticism. Our focus of inquiry, philosophically and theoretically, attempts to analyze the potential relevance and significance of trans-mysticism by situating its nature within the framework of life and death education ( Phan et al., 2021 ; Lei et al., 2022 ; Seng and Lee, 2022 ; Shu et al., 2023 ). Specifically, we purport that metaphysical contexts, mystical experiences, and the like may transform a person’s ordinary mindset to a trans-mystical mindset, helping him to appreciate, rationalize, and make reasoned judgments about the nature of such “extraordinary” encounters.

Overall, then, we contend that our focus of inquiry has added valuable insights for research, teaching, and practical purposes. Central to this thesis is our use of philosophical analysis to normalize and scientize a subject area that is perceived as being somewhat non-conventional. This utilization of personal philosophization has provided grounding for consideration of several interesting endeavors: (i) viewing life and death from contrasting theoretical lenses (e.g., objective reality vs. individual subjectivity), (ii) seeking to engage in higher-order human practices (e.g., meditative-reflection) in order to encounter and/or to experience metaphysical contexts and the like, and (iii) embracing the importance of “normalization” of extraordinary human psyche for daily functioning.

Author contributions

HP: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Supervision, Validation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. BN: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Validation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. C-SH: Conceptualization, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Validation, Writing – review & editing. S-CC: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Supervision, Writing – review & editing. LW: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Writing – review & editing.

The author(s) declare that no financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Acknowledgments

HP would like to express his appreciation to the University of New England, Armidale, Australia for allowing him to undertake his sabbatical in late 2022, which led to the preparation and writeup of this article. A special thank you to the National Taipei University of Education and, in particular, the Department of Education for hosting the first author’s sabbatical. Finally, the five authors would like to extend their gratitude and appreciation to the Associate Editor and the two reviewers for their insightful comments, which have helped to enhance the articulation of this conceptual analysis article.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher’s note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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Keywords: life and death education, trans-mystical mindset, transpersonalism, trans-mysticism, hierarchy of needs, mediative-reflective state, transcendence state, self-actualizing state

Citation: Phan HP, Ngu BH, Hsu C-S, Chen S-C and Wu L (2024) Expanding the scope of “trans-humanism”: situating within the framework of life and death education – the importance of a “trans-mystical mindset”. Front. Psychol . 15:1380665. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1380665

Received: 02 February 2024; Accepted: 10 April 2024; Published: 23 April 2024.

Reviewed by:

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*Correspondence: Huy P. Phan, [email protected]

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Higher education listen up: These are the 5 trends Deloitte says are most important for 2024

Parts of higher education are facing existential crises. 

While that may sound like hyperbole, there is a growing number of students who are questioning the basic value of a college degree. And this is translating into action. Enrollments are down , and colleges have been forced to permanently shut their doors .

UNC Kenan-Flagler’s top-ranked online MBA

This is just part of the challenges and opportunities that Deloitte has sought to analyze in their annual Higher Education Trends Report . The 2024 edition, released today and shared exclusively to Fortune addresses five areas of importance for higher education:

• Outcomes and articulating value proposition; 
• Crises in leadership; 
• College athletics; 
• Artificial intelligence (AI); and
• Public-private partnerships.

The overarching theme for all these trends? “The eroding trust in higher education,” says Megan Cluver, principal within Deloitte’s higher education practice.

Shifting from completion to outcomes

Confidence in higher education is falling—down from 57% in 2015 to just 36% in 2023, according to Gallup . And what’s even more telling is research released this year from Strada and The Burning Glass Institute that found that just a little over half (52%) of graduates are underemployed a year after graduation; a decade post-graduation, that number is still  45%.

When coupled with increased tuition , it’s difficult to see the worth of a attending college.

Cole Clark, managing director of Deloitte’s higher education sector, says this rapidly eroding confidence in higher education to prepare students for the true workforce is posing challenges all around.

“Focusing on outcomes is one way to begin to change the narrative on the ROI of a post-secondary degree,” Clark tells Fortune. “For the longest time, the higher education sector was focused on completion, which were suboptimal—in some cases, they still are still suboptimal—but there’s a significant shift from completion now to outcomes, employability.”

The trends report, which he co-authored with Cluver and others, suggests that higher education institutes should prioritize aligning offerings with the demands of the labor market, which will not only help more students land jobs but also provide better returns on investments.

Additionally, universities can expand lifelong learning opportunities through continuing education programs or online degree offerings, the report adds. Moreover, to gain back trust, schools can simply be more transparent with program costs and degree outcomes. For example, the University of North Carolina System studied and published ROI data of all of its programs.

Tackling AI together

AI, and in particular, generative AI continues to be the top of mind of students, faculty, and administrators alike. 

Larger, R1 research institutions are very heavily focused on AI, Cluver explains, to not only improve their own university but also the world and society at large. For smaller universities that may not have the resources to dedicate to AI, she expects there to be more partnerships across higher education as well as with third-party providers to tackle AI together . 

“I think it’s going to open up a whole new world of educational opportunities that we thought were going to totally disrupt higher education, and now I think we’re gonna see other ways of experimentation,” Clark says.

They both noted Khan Academy and its AI assistant, Khanmigo as a promising example of how AI can be truly integrated effectively into learning and work toward leveling the playing field.

The Deloitte report highlights three key areas of impact in which AI can truly make the world of higher education better, if integrated appropriately: curriculum evolution, enhancing core operations, and streamlining routine tasks. It also encourages schools to train its faculty and staff so they too can apply it to courses and evaluate appropriate and ethical uses. 

“Higher education is uniquely suited to serve at this moment by helping to envision a future in which society trusts humans and machines to work together while leveraging the promise of generative AI to make education more accessible and affordable for all,” the report states.

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Look closer at the value and attainability of a college education

Alarm over sticker price overlooks many nuances of college affordability

It would be great if we had a college pricing system that was transparent, sensible, and affordable. Unfortunately, that largely doesn’t exist. But it also does not help when scare tactics are used in identifying the failures of the system. Susan D’Agostino’s April 19 op-ed falls into that trap (“Six reasons why $90,000 college costs are bad news even if few pay that amount”).

I agree with D’Agostino that colleges do a poor job of communicating their pricing. Lower- and middle-income students have a tough time understanding need-based financial aid. Higher-income students do not know that they are likely to receive merit awards that reduce the sticker price at many institutions. For many students and families, the ultimate price that they pay is still beyond what they can afford.

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However, except for students from higher-income families who attend highly selective institutions, very few students pay the sticker price. So harping on the $90,000 figure just confuses students further. It is the net price of college that reflects what students really have to pay, not the sticker price. Yes, that includes loans — a concern D’Agostino raises. When the net price is higher, students may borrow more. But for most students at most institutions, they should disregard the sticker price.

Finally, I strongly disagree with D’Agostino’s argument that financial aid is not “an antidote to exorbitant college costs.” More financial aid is the solution. Those institutions charging the highest sticker prices and meeting full need have very large endowments. They provide the most financial aid. They are the least expensive schools for lower- and middle-income students to attend (if the student can get in) because they have the resources to make that happen. Other institutions are less equipped or unable to do that because they don’t have the money. That money needs to come from somewhere, meaning either greater direct support from the state or more federal funding for financial aid. Along with better communication from the schools themselves, that is what is needed to solve the problem.

Phillip B. Levine

The writer is the Katharine Coman and A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Economics at Wellesley College and the author of “A Problem of Fit: How the Complexity of College Pricing Hurts Students — and Universities.”

Hard-working applicants shouldn’t be blinded by neon dollar signs

Families making the life-changing decision about college deserve better than misleading headlines about cost, especially when the message could make a hard-working, smart student think college isn’t worth it.

The headlines may draw clicks, but as Yvonne Abraham pointed out in a recent Metro column, for most families, college is not going to cost them $90,000 a year. In reality, it is less than half for most students, and for many low-income students, far less than that.

Other headlines question whether college is really worth it. But even critical stories often cite the obvious: For most students, it is life-changing on numerous levels. College graduates age 22 to 27 earn $24,000 a year more than their peers who did not get a degree, according to a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York . By age 55, the college graduate is earning 60 percent more annually than the peer without a degree. College graduates are more likely to be employed ; to have paid vacation, sick time, and health insurance ; and in general to report that they are happier with their lives.

For their sake and the sake of our economy and the Commonwealth’s competitiveness, let’s hope kids considering college don’t just read the alarming headlines and opt out of transformative opportunities.

Rob McCarron

President and CEO

Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts

Globe Opinion

Updated Biden administration rules will soon affect students across US: What to know

Students and school employees across America will be impacted in the fall by new changes to a rule that affects all federally-funded schools.

Practically, it's a sweeping update to how schools will have to handle sex discrimination and abuse cases. Politically, it's a part of a power struggle between the Trump and Biden administrations.

What's new? The Biden administration released a new set of rules this week overhauling the Trump administration's Title IX rules – which gave more rights to alleged perpetrators of sexual assault and harassment. The new rules also stipulate further protections for LGBTQ+ students as well as parenting and pregnant students.

What is Title IX? Title IX is a civil rights law that bans sex discrimination against students, employees and others at public schools, colleges and universities that receive federal funding.

What were some of the old rules? For cases of sexual assault, they stipulated that schools only had to investigate claims that met a certain threshold of sex discrimination and were made through a formal reporting process. It also raised the bar of proof for sexual misconduct on college campuses. They prohibited investigations of cases that occurred off campus.

Why does the change matter? Critics argued the Trump-era rules prevented people accused of sexual harassment, assault or discrimination from facing repercussions. Supporters contended the rules rightly strengthened due-process protections for accused students or faculty members.

Biden's new Title IX rules will affect people on the nation's school campuses starting in August.

What happened this week?

The Biden administration's new set of guidance overhauls Trump-era rules that in part narrowed which and how schools could investigate sex discrimination cases. President Joe Biden in his 2020 presidential campaign vowed to overturn the changes made under Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

The new rules expand the definition of sexual assault and harassment. That means schools could investigate more cases of discrimination, abuse or harassment filed by people on school campuses under the scope of the law.

College student survivors will no longer be required to attend live hearings or go through cross examinations. And people will be given the right to "prompt and equitable grievance procedures," the rule reads.

LGBTQ+ students will be guaranteed protection under the law if they are discriminated against for their gender identity or sexual orientation.

Pregnant and parenting students who might receive unwanted sexual attention, shame or punishment at schools will also be granted more protections from sex discrimination in the admissions process and on campus.

“These final regulations build on the legacy of Title IX by clarifying that all our nation’s students can access schools that are safe, welcoming, and respect their rights," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.

Who is impacted by the changes to Title IX?

The rule changes have a wide range of effects on students, among the most notable examples:

• Sexual assault survivors : The new rules will have sweeping effects on survivors of sexual misconduct and those accused of crimes. Among the changes: The definition of sexual assault will be expanded in K-12 schools and colleges.
• LGBTQ+ students : Biden's Title IX update stipulates protections from sex discrimination based gender identity for the first time.
• Pregnant and parenting students : The new regulations extend the definition of "sex-based harassment" to include pregnant people on campuses.

Ruling on transgender student participation in sports remains unsettled

The Biden administration did not rule on whether transgender and nonbinary students can participate on the sports teams that align with their gender.

The administration released a proposed rule in April 2023 that said schools and colleges largely could not ban nonbinary and transgender students from sports teams in the new Title IX rules.

Contact Kayla Jimenez at [email protected] .  Follow her on X at @kaylajjimenez.