Secondary Education in Latin America and the Caribbean: The Challenge of Growth and Reform

This paper examines the current status of secondary education in Latin America in the context of world-wide economic changes and identifies a wide variety of policy options for ensuring that secondary education can play a positive role in the region's economic and social development. The paper begins with a review of the current situation with regard to quality, efficiency, equity, costs, and structure using a variety of statistical, analytical, and anecdotal sources. It continues with a summary of policy options with regard to quality improvement and quantitative expansion, including scenarios for meeting financial needs. An annex provides a detailed planning exercise estimating, on a country by country basis, the costs of meeting both quantitative and qualitative goals.