Professor Eric Hanushek and his colleagues’ work shows that cross-country differences in economic growth are almost completely determined by the skills of the population. It’s a remarkable finding, and it’s reshaping the conversation on education policy globally. After all, technology is replacing many routine jobs. Artificial intelligence is threatening others. For Eric, quality education can help people adapt to all this.

But it is also increasingly apparent that specific attention must be given to how systematic research is translated into effective educational policies. A high-skilled, high-performing teaching force is critical. And he believes that improving education systems starts with measuring student learning. He developed the ‘valued-added’ approach in measuring teacher effectiveness by students’ learning gains, driving education policy on teacher recruitment and performance evaluation.

The nature of Eric’s work has meant he’s collaborated widely with experts across education and economics — publishing findings with more than 75 co-authors over his academic career. With his Yidan Prize project funds, he’s launched the Global Education Analytics Institute (GEAI) and its first initiative, the Africa Fellows in Education Program. For both, he’s working closely with regional and international partners including the Partnership for Economic Policy (PEP), OECD, Stanford University, and IIEP.