The Signal.

UNESCO's flagship annual report on education globally, launched 25 March 2026 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. This edition tracks 25 years of progress on access and equity in education across countries. Introduces the Equitable Financing Index (EFI) - a new tool measuring how strongly countries' education and social protection financing systems support disadvantaged learners. Examines pre-primary participation, out-of-school rates, completion rates, and tertiary access. Key finding: fewer than 1 in 10 countries have a sufficiently strong equity focus in their education financing systems.

A curated roundup of the four most useful free data collection tools for development and education sector teams - each with a different strength. Google Forms (forms.google.com) - the fastest to start, no setup, connects directly to Google Sheets. Best for simple surveys, feedback forms, and internal data collection. KoboToolbox (kobotoolbox.org) - built specifically for NGOs and humanitarian organisations. Works offline, supports complex skip logic, handles photos and GPS data. Used by over 14,000 social impact organisations globally including UN agencies. Free for nonprofits. Tally (tally.so) - the cleanest, most modern form builder. Notion-style interface, unlimited responses on the free plan, integrates with Google Sheets, Notion, and Airtable. Best for external-facing forms and stakeholder surveys. ODK - Open Data Kit (getodk.org) - the most powerful open-source option. Best for complex longitudinal data collection at scale, case management, and research-grade surveys. Steeper learning curve but unmatched flexibility.

A new report from Stanford University's SCALE Initiative reviewing more than 800 academic papers on AI and K-12 education, published March 2026. Focuses specifically on studies with causal impact evidence - research that can actually say whether an AI tool changed outcomes, not just correlated with them. Key findings: student performance often improves while using AI tools during tasks, but gains disappear or reverse in assessments without AI access. Educator-facing AI tools show more consistent early positive effects, particularly for lesson planning and instructional quality. Major gap identified: no high-quality causal studies of student AI use yet exist from K-12 classrooms in low- and middle-income country contexts.

A podcast by the World Bank's Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) where hosts join thinkers and practitioners to reflect on lessons from tackling pressing challenges in global development. Episodes draw directly from IEG evaluations - covering education, jobs, climate, financial inclusion, fragile states, and more. Recent episodes include a deep dive on learning in World Bank lending (January 2026), geospatial analysis in evaluations, and supporting women in fragile and conflict contexts. Freely available on all major podcast platforms. New episodes release throughout the year.

A free online course from the World Bank Group Data Academy introducing the fundamentals of data visualisation - how to craft impactful stories using charts, maps, and infographics. Covers selecting the right visualisation method for different types of data, transforming complex datasets into visuals that are intuitive and persuasive, and creating maps and infographics using Excel. No specialist software required. Free certification included on completion. Course materials became available 31 March 2026. Enrolment open now.

OECD's flagship 247-page report on generative AI in education, published January 2026. Synthesises the best available empirical research, design experiments, and expert insights on GenAI as tutor, partner, and teacher assistant. Examines AI use by students independently, by students and teachers together, and by teachers alone. Key finding: general-purpose chatbots improve task outputs but not deep learning - pedagogically-designed educational AI tools show sustained gains.

A free, open-source web tool for building Theories of Change quickly and logic-first. Created by Steve Powell; newly listed on BetterEvaluation in February 2026. You begin with causal assumptions, add intermediate outcomes, and Theorymaker builds the logic structure as you go - producing a visual ToC diagram you can export. No installation required. Works in any browser.

OpenAI's free global learning platform - structured workshops, discussions, and digital content ranging from foundational AI literacy to advanced prompt engineering and AI-enabled workflows. Piloting certifications in early 2026 for different levels of AI fluency. Available globally to individuals and institutions. Hosts live and recorded sessions.

OECD's free ongoing webinar series tied directly to its research publications. Sessions feature OECD economists, researchers, and senior education policymakers from member countries. 2026 topics include AI in education, teacher quality and supply, assessment reform, and skills for the future of work. Next session: How much education does a teacher need? - 1 April 2026, 10:00 CET. All recordings freely available after broadcast.

A free 10-week online learning programme designed for individuals at different career stages - from career starters to job changers. Focuses on essential, transferable workplace skills: adaptability, structured problem-solving, effective communication, relationship building, and digital and AI essentials. Delivered fully virtually, self-paced. Available in more than 130 countries. Participants receive a McKinsey.org Forward digital badge and access to a global alumni network. Application deadline: 20 April 2026.

Hosted at the Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford, and livestreamed online. Brings together researchers, implementers, and policymakers working on foundational learning in low- and middle-income countries. Themes include evaluation of learning programmes at scale, implementation science, adaptive approaches, evidence use for policy, and GEDSI. Open for submissions (deadline: 8 April 2026).

Pratham International partnered with Anthropic to build the Anytime Testing Machine (ATM). Claude generates curriculum-aligned questions, digitises handwritten student answers, grades against rubrics, and delivers personalised feedback in Hindi and English. Grading accuracy improved from 30% to 80% through iterative prompt engineering. Over 1,500 assessments across 20 schools. Validated by more than 10 RCTs including MIT J-PAL.

Jamie Gamble (author, A Developmental Evaluation Primer) and Jess Dart (CEO, Clear Horizon; 25+ years in evaluation practice) discuss how developmental evaluation is applied in the field - often without the formal label, and in tighter timeframes than the textbooks assume. Real examples from healthcare, child protection, and institutional change. Covers leading indicators, learning moments, and trade-offs under uncertainty.

A global, open learning network for Outcome Mapping - a planning, monitoring, and evaluation approach that defines outcomes as changes in the behaviour of direct partners, not just changes in the world at large. Particularly suited to complex, systems-level change where attribution is difficult. Hosts webinars, practitioner resources, and a free membership community. Recent resources include Outcome Mapping + Equity and Gender (2024).

A 90-minute free course by Isa Fulford (OpenAI) and Andrew Ng (DeepLearning.AI). Covers two core principles of effective prompting, iterative prompt design, and building a custom chatbot via the OpenAI API. Practical applications include summarising content, classifying text, and automating routine writing tasks. Includes 9 video lessons and 7 hands-on code examples. Requires only basic Python knowledge.

By Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic, bestselling author and data visualisation expert. The show covers how to communicate data clearly and compellingly - moving beyond cluttered charts to presentations that actually influence decisions. Topics include choosing the right graph, giving and receiving feedback on data visuals, handling uncertainty in data, and building a data-literate culture in your team. Practical, example-driven, and accessible to non-technical listeners.

A podcast series covering key statistics concepts one topic at a time, based on Prof. Patrick Planing's Introduction to Statistics course. Designed for students and those building statistical literacy from scratch. Clear explanations with real-world examples. Each episode focuses on a single concept, making it easy to dip in and out without following a sequence.