üChina: On May 22, 2026, four departments jointly issued the Bottom-Line Requirements for Basic School Operating Conditions. The document sets 20 standards across five areas, school buildings, security, living facilities, teaching equipment, and staffing, and requires localities to achieve compliance at all primary and secondary schools within three years to promote educational equity.
üGlobal South:Countries across the Global South, including India, South Africa, and Morocco, have achieved significant progress in improving foundational literacy and numeracy for millions of children through sustained, government-led systemic reforms, according to a new report released by the Global Partnership for Education.
üUnited States:In May, the New York State Education Department released a comprehensive school-based mental health system framework. Based on the National Center for School Mental Health model, it covers six core components, helping schools establish prevention and intervention mechanisms, create supportive learning environments, and promote student well-being and academic development.
üInternational Organization: OECD releases "Child, Adolescent and Youth Mental Health in the 21st Century" report, conducting cross-national assessment of mental health trends, drivers, and policy responses for under-25s in member countries, and providing relevant action recommendations.
China: Four departments jointly issued the Bottom-Line Requirements for Basic School Operating Conditions, mandating nationwide compliance within three years.
On May 22, 2026, the Ministry of Education, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development jointly issued the Bottom-Line Requirements for Basic School Operating Conditions. An upgrade from the 2014 version, this document sets out 20 bottom-line standards covering five areas: school building construction, security and safety, living facilities, teaching equipment, and staffing. It aims to comprehensively strengthen the standardized construction of primary and secondary schools and safeguard educational activities as well as the physical and mental growth of students. Highlighting a "holistic approach to education", the requirements particularly strengthen provisions for teaching facilities and staffing in mental health, aesthetic education, and sports. Localities are required to address shortcomings within three years to ensure all schools meet the standards, thereby promoting educational equity and building a leading country in education by 2035.
Source: the Ministry of Educationof China
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/CGxrIUYOJ8UaCo44iMKHvw
Compiler:HE Yale, UNESCO-TEC
Global South: Multiple Countries Achieve Systemic Breakthroughs in Literacy and Numeracy Reforms for Children
An increasing number of countries across the Global South are achieving large-scale gains in literacy and numeracy for children through sustained, government-led systemic reforms, according to a new report released by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). Evidence of the impact of these reforms continues to grow.
In India's state of Uttar Pradesh, the NIPUN Bharat mission covers over 110,000 schools, achieving a nearly 16 percentage-point increase in Grade 3 Hindi proficiency and over a 20 percentage-point improvement in mathematics within six years. In South Africa's Western Cape, a structured pedagogy program has driven the mathematics pass rate up from 44% to 62% and literacy from 37% to 51% at the Grade 3 level. Morocco's Pioneer Schools program, which combines explicit instruction with a Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach, has achieved an average effect size of 0.90 standard deviations within just one year, making it one of the most effective educational interventions documented in low-and middle-income countries.
The report identifies the key drivers behind these successful reforms: sustained political ownership, a coherent and non-negotiable instructional core, and classroom-level real-time data feedback. Despite challenges such as political cycles and fiscal pressures, modeling projections indicate that achieving universal foundational learning could generate $196 trillion in global economic benefits between 2031 and 2050, while also contributing to a significant reduction in child mortality.
Source:Global Partnership for Education
https://www.globalpartnership.org/blog/governments-are-solving-learning-challenge-here-what-we-are-learning-them
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/MgYEXGEktH0JZQ6T5aBlXA
Compilers:SHENQiuyu, RIICE, Shanghai Normal University;XIA Yuxuan, UNESCO-TEC
United States:New York State Strengthens Mental Health Education with Release of School-Based Mental Health System Framework
On May 18, 2026, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) announced a series of comprehensive school-based mental health system briefs. These briefs are designed to assist school districts and schools in building, improving, and sustaining student mental health support systems. Created by the Office of Student Support Services, the framework draws upon the Comprehensive School Mental Health System model developed by the National Center for School Mental Health. Centered on physical and mental well-being, the briefs emphasize mental health prevention, educational equity, and collaborative care, aiming to establish long-term mechanisms rather than relying solely on isolated crisis responses.
The series consists of six briefs, each focusing on one of six core components: School Leadership, Mental Health Teaming, Family and Community Partnerships, School Climate, Promotion and Prevention, and Targeted and Intensive Interventions. These resources are intended for use by district and school personnel responsible for school-based mental health support. The briefs highlight the close correlation between academic success and student mental health, noting that a robust mental health system helps foster a safe and respectful learning environment that supports students in engaging with rigorous coursework. This initiative not only aligns with the social-emotional competencies outlined in the New York State Portrait of a Graduate but is also part of a suite of resources from the Office of Student Support Services. It aims to help schools develop inclusive, supportive environments that address student health and well-being through a whole-child approach.
Source:New York State Education Department Website
https://www.nysed.gov/news/2026/state-education-department-releases-comprehensive-school-based-mental-health-system-briefs
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/MTAnBy4W7lLscD82fm4oaw
Compilers:FANG Fan, RIICE, Shanghai Normal University;FENGJiamiao, UNESCO-TEC
International Organization:Youth Mental Health Continues to Deteriorate, then OECD Report Calls for Strengthened Prevention and Cross-Sectoral Action
On April 29, 2026, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released the report "Child, Adolescent and Youth Mental Health in the 21st Century", which conducts a cross-national assessment of mental health trends, drivers, and policy responses for populations under 25 across its member countries. The report reveals that over the past decade, youth mental health has continued to deteriorate, driven by the interplay of multiple factors including digitalization, social media, climate change anxiety, academic pressure, and bullying. The report highlights the protective role of positive family and school environments, as well as the ongoing insufficiency of prevention and early intervention efforts.
The report notes that countries need to take coordinated cross-sectoral actions to promote youth mental health, prevent the occurrence of mental health issues, and strengthen support systems for young people. It provides recommendations including strengthening prevention and resilience-building, expanding the coverage of low-threshold and youth-friendly supports, addressing upstream determinants of mental health, conducting rigorous evaluations of digital policy interventions, and improving data collection and monitoring work. Finally, it calls on countries to adopt a comprehensive approach that combines early action, holistic support, and stronger evidence to protect the mental health of the younger generation.
Source: OECD
https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/child-adolescent-and-youth-mental-health-in-the-21st-century_1092c3cb-en.html
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/DK1DK6efnJKzSFoHmZUFPQ
Compilers:CUI Zichen, RIICE, Shanghai Normal University; FENGJiamiao, UNESCO-TEC
