ABSTRACT
International-comparative analyses framed by the same questions and priorities tend to reflect authors’ roles, responsibilities, and prior experiences. Three benefits derive from them. First, important commonalities, similarities and differences can be identified, described, and explained–and their implications explored. Second, attention can be directed to potential facilitators, constraints and barriers for redesign and continuous improvement. Third, these lesson-drawing processes have the potential to stimulate generative questions and timely innovations that may transfer from one nation to one or more others. For example, most of the nations featured in this book appear to enjoy substantial policy supports, both national and local. Emergent plans for health literacy merged with physical literacy are among the promising innovations–with mental health literacy on the drawing board in two nations. Drawing on these and others lessons learned, a planning menu for redesign and improvement is provided, and it paves the way for the idea of a comprehensive national system. Whether in service of continuous improvement or bold redesign, the time has arrived for collective action to achieve a beneficial, collective impact, which gives life to the equitable ideal that every child matters.
