Students have a diverse range of personal and contextual factors that influence their access to and achievement in their education. A major new global study bringing together more than 300 experts in neuroscience, technology education, philosophy, data evidence, and sustainability calls for a re-evaluation of education systems to promote personalised learning approaches.

The UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) says personalised education is an entitlement and a human right for learner. Its international Service Science and Evidence Bases on Education Assessment (ISEE) report took over just two years to complete 1000 pages.

The report highlights the need for education policies that focus on individual learning progress and potential, rather than merit-based assessment and benchmarking. It covers a range of areas including education and human flourishing, the role of context in education, the learning experience, and the role of data and evidence in policy decision making.

The overall goal of ISEE Assessment is to pool multi-disciplinary expertise on educational systems and reforms from a range of stakeholders in an open and inclusive manner, and to undertake a scientifically robust and evidence based assessment that can inform education policy-making at all levels and on all scales,' the UNESCO MGIEP website explains.

Released in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and ongoing conflicts that have threatened education progress, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the report found that 37 percent of primary school-aged refugee children are now out of school, with only 24 percent able to access secondary education. The ISEE aims to reimagine the future of education, to build more resilient and sustainable education systems amongst the current crises.

There are seven key messages emphasized in the report:

1. Every learner learns differently, and is influenced by complex combination of internal factors.

2. A whole-brain learner-centric approach towards learning strengthens the interconnectedness of cognition and social-emotional domains.

3. Context heavily influences the design and implementation of an education for flourishing but over time, education for flourishing will also influence context.

4. Learner agency should be promoted by shifting from passive to active learning.

5. Potentiality instead of mediocracy should be used to evaluate the success of learners.

6. Investment in education is needed but must be directed to a whole-brain learner-centric system designed and implemented to be equitable and inclusive.

7. Multidisciplinary dialogue, research and collaboration is needed and ensure different perspectives, understanding and context to guide education learning.

The research also advocates for the reorganisation of education funding to redesign curricula, pedagogies, and research and learning assessments. It outlines a number of key policy recommendations, including reorganizing education and research funding, investing in mother-tongue instruction to maximize the learning potential of children from diverse backgrounds, introducing early universal screening, and supporting school-community partnerships.