Girls\u27 schooling in developing countries: Highlights from Population Council research

As more girls from developing countries attend school into their teens, the importance of schooling experiences and school quality for adolescent sexual and reproductive health, as well as for girls’ successful transitions to adult roles, is clear. The Population Council’s research on schooling seeks to foster a deeper understanding of the patterns and trends in schooling for girls and more particularly the relationship between experiences in school, school quality, and various adolescent outcomes. Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 24 summarizes highlights from this research program under five subtopics: the demography of schooling; school attendance and its benefits for girls; sexual and reproductive experiences and school progress; gender equity, teacher attitudes, and school quality; and adolescent girls’ participation in the nonformal education sector. The research has been both comparative and in depth in selected countries, including Bangladesh, Egypt, Guatemala, Kenya, Pakistan, Senegal, and South Africa. It has run in parallel with the development and evaluation of programs to address the needs of out-of-school girls and other marginalized groups of girls