A Hand Up: Global Progress Toward Universal Education examines unprecedented gains in expanding education for all people over the past 50 years. This report presents data on educational attainment over time and across countries in a comparable, comprehensive way. This report also advances our perspective of progress toward universal education and reveals continuing challenges in the final year of the Millennium Development Goals’ education agenda. The world has made great strides but must continue to expand education to the hardest-to-reach populations.