Frequently asked questions

What is SUMMA?
We are the first Laboratory for Research and Innovation in Education for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Who created SUMMA?
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) with the support of the Ministries of Education in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Uruguay.

When was SUMMA created?
In 2016.

Where does SUMMA work?
In 2020 alone, SUMMA developed projects in more than twenty countries, among them, in countries such as: Chile, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Where is the central office of the SUMMA Executive Directorate located?
In Santiago, Chile.

Who is the Director of SUMMA?
Javier González, PhD., economist specialized in education, inequality, social mobility, innovation, and social development.

How do I contact SUMMA?
Write to comunicaciones@summaedu.org

Where is the SUMMA office located?
At 2058 Procuro Street, No. 2058, Providencia, Santiago, Chile.

What is SUMMA’s mission?
SUMMA’s mission is to promote the right to education by improving the quality, equity, and inclusion of education systems in Latin America and the Caribbean, and to improve decision-making processes in both structural policies and teaching practices at schools.

What is SUMMA’s overall objective?
SUMMA’s overall objective is to improve decision-making in education by generating, synthesizing, adapting, disseminating, and transferring innovation, knowledge and quality evidence through collaborative networks, advice, and joint work with ministries of education, school communities, and key stakeholders in the region, such as those involved in research and innovation and civil society.

How does SUMMA work?
To achieve its mission, SUMMA organizes its actions in three strategic pillars that allow for the promotion, development and dissemination of: (1) cutting-edge research aimed at diagnosing the region’s main challenges and promoting shared work agendas; (2) innovation in educational policies and practices aimed at providing solutions to the region’s main educational problems; (3) collaborative spaces that facilitate the exchange between policy makers, researchers, innovators and the school community, based on a shared regional agenda.

What is SUMMA’s governance like?
SUMMA’s governance structure is made up of two entities: the Board of Directors and the Educational Policy Advisory Council. Under its guidelines is SUMMA’s Executive Directorate, based in Santiago, Chile. The Executive Direction is responsible for leading and implementing SUMMA’s strategic plan: it proposes and promotes strategies and work plans that allow SUMMA to fulfil its institutional mission, in accordance with the guidelines provided by the Board of Directors and the Educational Policy Advisory Council.

How is SUMMA financed?
SUMMA is financed by the Inter-American Development Bank through the Regional Public Goods Initiative. It also receives public and private funds to carry out national and regional projects. In this way, it guarantees its financial sustainability and consolidates its autonomy to adequately fulfil its mission.

How does SUMMA promote networking?
In order to achieve its objectives, SUMMA uses an open and participatory work methodology, based on three active networks: (1) a network of academic centres and innovation laboratories; (2) a network of researchers; and (3) a follow-up network, made up of officials from seven Ministries of Education and specialists from the Inter-American Development Bank.

These networks are made up of members from different countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Why does SUMMA investigate?
SUMMA develops cutting-edge research to strengthen decision-making processes.

What is SUMMA researching?
It focuses on key issues for the region, in order to contribute to evidence-based decision-making and public policy definitions.

What types of knowledge does SUMMA generate?
Through innovative and regionally relevant methodologies, SUMMA conducts analysis and evidence in the field of education; identifies and analyses successful policies, processes, and practices; and generates evidence-based recommendations.

How does SUMMA develop innovation processes?
It prioritizes critical problems at local, national, and regional levels. It identifies innovative solutions. It evaluates the impact of possible solutions. It scales successful solutions. It disseminates the best practices.