Who are we?

Our institution

About SUMMA

We are the first Research and Innovation Laboratory in Education for Latin America and the Caribbean. We were created in 2016 by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), with the support of the Ministries of Education in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay. Since 2018, the Ministries of Guatemala, Honduras and Panama have also joined us. Somos una organización regional sin fines de lucro.

SUMMA works across the region and has a permanent presence in Chile (head office), Argentina, Honduras, and Canada. The Board of Directors is made up of distinguished experts, former ministers of education and academics from ten countries in the region. Our professional team is made up of 8 nationalities. It is multidisciplinary (economists, sociologists, teachers, political scientists, lawyers, engineers, communicators, among others), highly qualified (80% have master’s degrees and approximately one third have PhDs) and experienced (from governments, academia, NGOs, and international organizations), which allows us to promote cutting-edge initiatives with a diverse and multicultural perspective. Actualmente trabajamos con actores e instituciones de más de 20 países de la región, con socios estratégicos de cuatro continentes (Europa, América, Asia y Oceanía).

Our mission

Our mission is to promote social justice by promoting the right to education, with special attention to the most disadvantaged and historically excluded groups in society.
We seek to increase the quality, equity and inclusion of educational systems in Latin America and the Caribbean, supporting the improvement of decision-making processes, both in structural policies and in pedagogical practices in schools.

We improve decision-making in education, through the generation, synthesis, adaptation, diffusion and transfer of innovation, knowledge and quality evidence, through collaborative networks, advice and joint work with the ministries of education, school communities, and actors key players in the region, such as those dedicated to research and innovation and civil society.

Our principles

Education is a fundamental human right.
Social justice is an essential principle to consolidate free, prosperous and democratic societies.
Educational policies and practices must be informed by rigorous research.
The systematization and exchange of international experiences is a key source of continuous improvement.
Radical collaboration is key to building shared agendas and achieving long-term goals.
Educational innovation must be focused on generating the maximum impact on quality, equity and inclusion.

Our History

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2015

2015 – Summit of the Americas Panama

Seven ministries of education in the region are calling for the creation of SUMMA. December 2015

2016

2016 – Start of SUMMA operations

SUMMA operations start: Santiago, Chile. September 2016.

2017

2017 – Official launch of SUMMA

Official launch of SUMMA: Washington DC. November 2016 | Launch SUMMA Chile – March 2017 |Launch SUMMA Uruguay – May 2017 | Launch SUMMA Ecuador – July 2017 | Launch SUMMA Mexico – March 2018 | Launch SUMMA Colombia.

2017

2017 – First meeting of the Advisory Council on Education Policy

First meeting of the Advisory Council on Education Policy, Montevideo, Uruguay. May 2017.

2017

2017 – Seminar Launch Effective Practices Platform

Seminar Launch Platform of Effective Practices: Quito, Ecuador. July 2017.

2017

2017 – Launch Innovation Map

Launch Innovation Map, Santiago, Chile. August 2017.

2018

2018 – T20 Summit 2018

SUMMA participation in “T20 Summit 2018” to advise the G20. Buenos Aires, Argentina. February 2018.

2018

2018 – Launch of Platform Co+Incide

Launch of Plataforma Co+Incide: Mexico City. March 2018.

2018

2018 – IDB Regional Public Goods Fund awarded

Award of the IDB Regional Public Goods Fund for the Implementation of SUMMA Phase 2. July 2018.

2018

2018 – Launch of SUMMA in Peru

Seminar Launch of SUMMA in Peru: Lima Peru. October 2018.

2018

2019 – T20 Summit 2019

SUMMA participation in “T20 Summit 2019” to advise the G20. Tokyo, Japan. December 2018.

2019

2019 – Launch Project “CHAKA”

Launch Project “CHAKA: Bridges for Collaborative Learning” with Luksic Foundation. Arica, Chile. July 2019.

2019

2019 – Legal constitution of “SUMMA Foundation”

Legal constitution of “SUMMA Foundation” as an autonomous and independent institution. December 2019.

2019

2019 – First Board Meeting of the SUMMA Foundation

First meeting of the SUMMA Foundation Board. December 2019.

2020

2020 – New Headquarters SUMMA offices

Inauguration of new offices of Headquarters SUMMA. Santiago, Chile. February 2020.

2020

2020 – KIX Regional Project Launch

Launch of the regional KIX project together with Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). June 2020.

2020

2020 – Launch Global KIX Project

Launch of the global KIX Teacher Professional Development Project in Honduras, together with FIT-ED and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). July 2020.

2020

2020 – Launch 1st Innovation Competition

Launch 1st Innovation Competition for Educational Justice of the Lab-Ed SUMMA. August 2020.

2020

2020 – Launch of the First GEM Report

Launch of the First GEM Latin American Report on the Right to Education and Inclusion, together with UNESCO. October 2020.

2020

2020 – Campaign “Let’s build another education”.

Launch Campaign “Let’s build another education”. October 2020.

Strategic partners

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