Education and child poverty: A literature review

This literature review explores how education can contribute to ending child poverty.

The study reviews evidence on whether education in childhood and youth improves a person’s chances in adulthood, and what the effects are of adult learning. It reviews evidence on the impact of parental education on children and on employment, and the impact and cost-effectiveness of particular programmes aimed at both adults and children.

The study finds that education clearly has a powerful general role to play, in combination with other measures, in raising the long-term prospects of people with lifetime disadvantages. However, the challenge lies in creating successful, cost effective programmes.